Acidification of salinised waterways by saline groundwater discharge in south-western Australia

Freshwater tributaries provide refuge and recolonization opportunities for mussels following salinity reversal

“…16 discharges caused by soil excavation (Halse et al, 2003, Degens et al, 2012. Numerous old mussel shells were detected at some acidic sites in this study, indicating their presence there in the past.…”

“…More research into the capacity for natural recovery is necessary. Secondary salinity will overlap and interact with other stressors such as acidification and climate change, making the outcomes of management hard to predict (Degens et al, 2012, Cañedo-Argüelles et al, 2013. In light of this unpredictability, freshwater tributaries globally, and particularly those in med-regions, will become ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT…”

“…Secondary salinization is a growing threat to freshwater biodiversity globally, significantly modifying ecosystem structure and function, and it is not known whether its impacts can be reversed (Cañedo-Argüelles et al, 2013, Herbert et al, 2015, Cañedo-Argüelles et al, 2019. Mediterranean-climate (med-) regions are heavily impacted by secondary salinity, and the issue is exacerbated by coexisting stressors, such as acidification, water abstraction, and climate change (Degens et al, 2012, Robson et al, 2013, Estévez et al, 2019. In the med-region of southwestern Australia, widespread clearing of native vegetation has caused approximately 56% of the region's large rivers to turn brackish or saline (Mayer et al, 2005, Beatty et al, 2011, and much of the regions highly endemic aquatic fauna is now restricted to remnant freshwater tributaries closer to the coast (Beatty et al, 2011, Pettit et al, 2015.…”

Individual and Coupled Effects of Future Climate and Land Use Scenarios on Water Balance Components in an Australian Catchment

“…The Swan-Avon River catchment is located in SWA, covering an area of more than 120,000 km 2 , including parts of Perth's metropolitan area [50]. About 65% of the Avon River basin has been cleared of its native woodland vegetation for cereal production and sheep grazing, resulting in substantially increased soil erosion [51].…”