Transforming environmental protection with integrated model observing systems

The Victorian Environment Protection Authority has a legacy of over thirty years monitoring in the state's most stressed marine systems through a traditional monthly water sampling regime to track their environmental... [ view full abstract ]

The Victorian Environment Protection Authority has a legacy of over thirty years monitoring in the state's most stressed marine systems through a traditional monthly water sampling regime to track their environmental condition. This program has resolved big changes in these systems as a result of the introduction of unleaded petrol, improvements in sewage treatment and the impacts of severe droughts. With a majority of industrial pollution sources, capable of effecting at a basin scales, now well contained, there is greater focus on resolving hotspots and extreme events that occur in these systems. Stakeholders also demand timely delivery of this information to support operational decision making, and that this information is expanded to cover all of the state’s marine systems. The challenge for the Authority has been to transform its programs to meet these needs with dedicated internal resources. The solution has been to engage with national initiatives such as Integrated Marine Observing System, and build partnerships with CSIRO’s environmental modelling team. This approach has supported ships of opportunity monitoring off Spirit of Tasmania 1 since 2008, to track the condition of Port Phillip Bay and adjacent Bass Strait waters. More recently this has been delivered in real-time which has improved data capture, provided now-time assessments of environmental condition and forecasts of risk. In 2014 the Authority engaged CSIRO to develop a statewide marine operational model to enable operational and forecasting capabilities. In its first year, this tool has been employed to assess oil spill sources and sinks, define the potential footprint of marine pest larvae, track algal bloom expansion, communicate likelihood of dredge spoil impact on high value assets and identify risk of illegal ballast discharges. This information has augmented decision making within the Authority across business areas of license assessment, investigations, and emergency operations.