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  • Nutrients

• Landscape
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Landscape - carbon, nutrients, water and productivity - Queensland

Specify a region: -- select region -- Archer River Baffle Creek Barron River Black River Border Rivers Boyne River Brisbane River Bulloo River Burdekin River Burnett River Burrum River Calliope River Coleman River Condamine-Culgoa Rivers Coopers Creek Curtis Island Daintree River Diamantina River Don River Ducie River Embley River Endeavour River Fitzroy River (Qld) Flinders River Fraser Island Georgina River Gilbert River Haughton River Hay River Herbert River Hinchinbrook Island Holroyd River Jacky Jacky Creek Jardine River Jeannie River Johnstone River Kolan River Lake Frome Leichhardt River Lockhart River Logan-Albert River Maroochy River Mary River (Qld) Mitchell River (WA) Moonie River Morning Inlet Mornington Island Mossman River Mulgrave-Russell River Murray River (Qld) Nicholson River Noosa River Norman River Normanby River O'Connell River Olive / Pascoe Rivers Paroo River Pine River Pioneer River Plane Creek Proserpine River Ross River Settlement Creek Shoalwater Creek South Coast Staaten River Stewart River Stradbroke Island Styx River Torres Strait Islands Tully River Warrego River Water Park Creek Watson River Wenlock River Whitsunday Island

Queensland

Landscape material balances

The availability of light, water and nutrients determines the capacity of land to produce natural vegetation and agricultural yield. In Australia, long-term availability of resources and the consequent potential for generating yield, can be assessed by examining the mass balances of the key resources: water and nutrients (in this case nitrogen and phosphorus). Mass balance gives a quantitative picture of:

• resource inflows or sources;
• resource outflows (including both production outputs and unproductive losses or leakages);
• the resource stock (the amount available for use); and
• the way that the stock changes with time in response to the various inflows and outflows.The mass balances of water and nutrients are linked by carbon (or biomass) since plant biomass is approximately 50% carbon. Balances and cycles of water, nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon interact and constrain each other.
• The rate of plant biomass production determines how much resource is available for harvest and for maintaining natural and farmed animal populations.
• Production of plant biomass is closely linked to plant water use, and is usually a dominant outflow in the landscape water balance.
• Production of plant biomass is linked with uptake of nutrients from soil into plants, after which the nutrients are locally recycled through litter or removed in plant or animal harvest.

The net rate that plants build up carbon from the atmosphere by photosynthesis is known as 'net primary productivity' and is most important carbon flow.

Landscape budget assessment

Two models were developed for determining landscape balances of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus and estimate of change in net primary productivity:

• an evolving or time-dependent model (BiosEvolve); and
• an equilibrium or statistically steady state model (BiosEquil).

Predictions of these models are designed to determine large-scale patterns rather than the behaviour of individual farms or paddocks, and should never be interpreted at single-cell (5 km) scale. Uncertainties even at a large region scale (100 km by 100 km or greater) for the models are:

• Net primary productivity: 30%
• Organic stores of C, N and P: 50%
• Mineral stores of C, N and P 100%
• Current/pre-agricultural ratios: 50%
• Leaching and drainage fluxes: large uncertainty

Landscape budgets in Queensland

River basin name	Net Primary Productivity (t Carbon/ha/y)	Total Carbon(plant+ soil+ litter ) tC/ha)	Total Phosphorus(kg P/ha)	Total Nitrogen (kg N/ha)
Archer River	2	77	555	3,247
Baffle Creek	5	176	1,067	7,334
Barron River	5	183	1,385	8,574
Black River	6	186	1,436	7,622
Border Rivers	4	186	1,183	8,503
Boyne River	5	172	1,016	7,481
Brisbane River	6	216	1,309	8,868
Bulloo River	1	27	245	1,418
Burdekin River	2	75	525	3,489
Burnett River	4	139	898	6,170
Burrum River	4	140	949	5,666
Calliope River	4	146	908	6,647
Coleman River	1	49	354	2,057
Condamine-Culgoa Rivers	2	92	657	4,486
Coopers Creek	1	25	217	1,388
Curtis Island	4	142	871	6,494
Daintree River	9	320	2,293	14,070
Diamantina River	0	9	100	522
Don River	3	94	614	4,129
Ducie River	3	80	610	3,243
Embley River	2	71	496	2,945
Endeavour River	6	184	1,227	7,427
Fitzroy River (Qld)	3	112	750	5,276
Flinders River	1	29	244	1,581
Fraser Island	8	212	1,277	6,759
Georgina River	0	13	125	695
Gilbert River	1	47	336	2,187
Haughton River	3	111	763	4,838
Hay River	0	11	90	497
Herbert River	5	156	1,166	6,742
Hinchinbrook Island	9	301	2,701	13,290
Holroyd River	2	60	437	2,506
Jacky Jacky Creek	3	103	741	3,799
Jardine River	4	108	834	4,173
Jeannie River	3	102	671	3,806
Johnstone River	9	412	3,180	21,210
Kolan River	5	156	953	6,639
Lake Frome	0	12	106	665
Leichhardt River	1	26	210	1,320
Lockhart River	6	193	1,281	8,407
Logan-Albert River	6	272	1,702	12,610
Maroochy River	7	234	1,577	9,164
Mary River (Qld)	6	222	1,472	9,426
Mitchell River (WA)	2	50	353	2,086
Moonie River	3	98	714	4,778
Morning Inlet	1	29	223	1,542
Mornington Island	1	45	333	2,051
Mossman River	8	262	1,945	11,210
Mulgrave-Russell River	9	374	2,782	17,360
Murray River (Qld)	9	300	2,283	12,950
Nicholson River	1	23	194	1,114
Noosa River	7	200	1,348	7,070
Norman River	1	30	240	1,305
Normanby River	2	67	489	2,688
O'Connell River	7	228	1,494	10,070
Olive / Pascoe Rivers	4	120	844	4,503
Paroo River	1	39	335	2,026
Pine River	6	226	1,462	9,449
Pioneer River	6	211	1,637	9,104
Plane Creek	6	186	1,127	7,845
Proserpine River	6	188	1,149	7,920
Ross River	3	98	661	4,104
Settlement Creek	1	39	276	1,685
Shoalwater Creek	4	123	796	5,279
South Coast	7	322	2,029	14,660
Staaten River	1	32	234	1,444
Stewart River	3	99	653	4,217
Stradbroke Island	4	126	776	3,978
Styx River	3	118	751	5,156
Torres Strait Islands	2	53	329	1,777
Tully River	9	332	2,505	14,880
Warrego River	2	69	499	3,377
Water Park Creek	5	161	1,002	6,248
Watson River	2	73	514	3,085
Wenlock River	3	83	620	3,420
Whitsunday Island	7	238	1,414	10,250

Click on the river basin name or map below to view a report on the nutrient - sediment - landscape budget terms.

Further information

• Australian Agriculture Assessment 2001 report
• Landscape balances chapter of the Australian Agriculture Assessment 2001 (theme) report
• Report prepared by CSIRO Land and Water in the development of this work on the coupled balances of water, nutrients and carbon in Australian landscapes (PDF - 3.5 MB)
• Report prepared by CSIRO Land and Water in the development of this work on the coupled balances of water, nutrients and carbon in Australian landscapes (PDF - 1300 KB)
• Link to the Map Maker to make a map using this information.
• Data Library