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Wildfire impacts along the coastal aquatic continuum: addressing the estuarine knowledge gap
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Wildfire impacts along the coastal aquatic continuum: addressing the estuarine knowledge gap

Dylan Laicher, Kirsten Benkendorff, Scott G. Johnston, Angus Ferguson and Damien T. Maher
Marine and freshwater research, Vol.77(2), pp.1-24
02/2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1071/MF25043
Appears in  Recent Faculty of Science and Engineering Publications
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Abstract

aquatic ecosystems black carbon climate change coastal catchments estuaries heavy metals nutrient dynamics organic matter river wildfire
Context: Predicted increases in wildfires, driven by climate change, land-use change and current fire management, may significantly affect aquatic systems, including estuarine health and productivity. Aims: The aim of this review is to compile and critically analyse data on wildfire impacts to estuarine systems. Methods. Relevant literature was reviewed through multiple databases (Wiley Online Library, ScienceDirect, Scopus and JSTOR) by using targeted search terms. Key results: Wildfires could lead to a wide range of impacts to coastal aquatic systems, including changes in nutrients and primary productivity, carbon cycling, and metal contamination. Conclusions: On the basis of the literature, it is likely that wildfire impacts to estuaries will be site-specific and vary over the short and long term. The variability is due to a wide range of factors, including, but not limited to, estuarine mixing, stratification, and residence times, catchment and estuary geomorphology, and size and severity of the wildfires. Implications: Although impacts on freshwater aquatic systems have been explored, there has been limited research focused on impacts to estuaries. Estuaries are intrinsically unique and therefore long-term monitoring is required to assess wildfire impacts.

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