The increased occurrence of extreme climate events, such as marine heatwaves (MHWs), has resulted in substantial ecological impacts worldwide. To date, metrics of thermal stress within marine systems have focussed on coral communities, and less is known about measuring stress relevant to other primary producers, such as seagrasses. An extreme MHW occurred across the Western Australian coastline in the austral summer of 2010–2011, exposing marine communities to summer seawater temperatures 2–5°C warmer than average. Using a combination of satellite imagery and in situ assessments, we provide detailed maps of seagrass coverage across the entire Shark Bay World Heritage Area (ca. 13,000 km2) before (2002 and 2010) and after the MHW (2014 and 2016). Our temporal analysis of these maps documents the single largest loss in dense seagrass extent globally (1,310 km2) following an acute disturbance. Total change in seagrass extent was spatially heterogeneous, with the most extensive declines occurring in the Western Gulf, Wooramel Bank and Faure Sill. Spatial variation in seagrass loss was best explained by a model that included an interaction between two heat stress metrics, the most substantial loss occurring when degree heating weeks (DHWm) was ≥10 and the number of days exposed to extreme sea surface temperature during the MHW (DaysOver) was ≥94. Ground truthing at 622 points indicated that change in seagrass cover was predominantly due to loss of Amphibolis antarctica rather than Posidonia australis, the other prominent seagrass at Shark Bay. As seawater temperatures continue to rise and the incidence of MHWs increase globally, this work will provide a basis for identifying areas of meadow degradation, or stability and recovery, and potential areas of resilience.

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The soilborne plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi is listed as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive alien species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The impacts on native flora and fauna habitats have been identified as a key threatening process in Australia. Identifying and mapping diseased vegetation and the rate of spread of the disease is required for management; however, this is often difficult and costly. This study investigated the ability of using a time series of orthophotos (1953–2008) in combination with Landsat satellite imagery, including trend analysis, and GIS to identify the presence of vegetation impacted by P. cinnamomi at four sites in Banksia woodlands in Western Australia. Further, the historical extent and rate of spread of P. cinnamomi was assessed at one site between 1953 and 2008. Our assessment identified that three of the four sites were affected by P. cinnamomi, results that are consistent with on-ground surveys. Investigation of disease progression at one site found a large increase in the area impacted between 1974 and 1988 and the rate of spread was highest between 1953 and 1963 (1.286 m year−1) and lowest between 1997 and 2008 (0.526 m year−1). The techniques presented provide a cost-effective tool to monitor broad-scale vegetation dynamics over time for management of this plant pathogen.

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A navegação consulta e descarregamento dos títulos inseridos nas Bibliotecas Digitais UC Digitalis, UC Pombalina e UC Impactum, pressupõem a aceitação plena e sem reservas dos Termos e Condições de Uso destas Bibliotecas Digitais, disponíveis em https://digitalis.uc.pt/pt-pt/termos.Conforme exposto nos referidos Termos e Condições de Uso, o descarregamento de títulos de acesso restrito requer uma licença válida de autorização devendo o utilizador aceder ao(s) documento(s) a partir de um endereço de IP da instituição detentora da supramencionada licença.Ao utilizador é apenas permitido o descarregamento para uso pessoal, pelo que o emprego do(s) título(s) descarregado(s) para outro fim, designadamente comercial, carece de autorização do respetivo autor ou editor da obra. Na medida em que todas as obras da UC Digitalis se encontram protegidas pelo Código do Direito de Autor e Direitos Conexos e demais legislação aplicável, toda a cópia, parcial ou total, deste documento, nos casos em que é legalmente admitida, deverá conter ou fazer-se acompanhar por este aviso.Reconstructing the spread of landscape-scale fires in semi-arid southwestern Australia Autor(es):McCaw, Lachlan; Reynen, Vicky; Zdunic, Katherine; Peace, Mika AbstractLandscape-scale fires are a regular feature of semi-arid south-western Australia where the dominant vegetation types are shrubland and eucalypt woodland. Fuel discontinuity limits the spread of fire in some eucalypt woodlands under moderate weather conditions, but fires can spread extensively in woodland under severe fire weather conditions. This paper reconstructs the spread of five large fires ignited by lightning that each burnt more than 90 000 ha. Fires remained active for up to 70 days after ignition until they encountered areas of sparse fuel associated with salt lakes and previous burn scars, or were extinguished by rain. Fire perimeters were mapped using daily NOAA AVHRR and MODIS satellite imagery and used to determine periodic growth in fire area. Weather conditions associated with each fire were examined using observations from a limited number of sites. Fire growth was episodic and strongly associated with periods of high temperature, extreme dryness and strong winds. An event of extraordinary fire growth was identified during the 1994 Forrestania fire which increased in area by more than 350 000 ha during a 24 hour period. The influence of weather on fire spread is being examined using re-analysis data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) Interim Re-analysis project ERA-1 which provides spatial and temporal data coverage not otherwise available due to the sparse observation network. South-western Australia provides a unique opportunity to examine factors influencing the duration, scale and growth characteristics of fires burning in semi-arid landscapes unimpeded by fire suppression. High intensity fires can cause widespread mortality of mature woodland trees with recovery to a mature structure taking several centuries, and the role of fire in dev...