In 1989, a typical wet season was experienced in northern Queensland, with low winds and long calm
periods. Turbidity in upper waters of the Great Barrier Reef lagoon broadly had a simple distribution
that could be modelled from bottom depth contour values alone, without introducing wind speed or
bottom type. In the absence of major storm and cyclone events, this result appears to be general,
based on the similarity between March 1989 survey data and Secchi disc climatology. The simple
distribution arises because the main turbidity sources are riverine discharges, with little entrainment
of bottom sediment into the upper column, except in shallower waters. Fresh, highly turbid riverine
influxes are generally confined close inshore, with salinity and Secchi contours parallel to shore, forming
cross-shelf gradients. A semi-quantitative relation was found between sea surface colour and Secchi
disc depth. Examination of nephelometric turbidity stratification showed that satellite and Secchi data
should be more useful for subsurface turbidity inference between Cooktown and Innisfail than in
Princess Charlotte Bay, with horizontal and vertical stratifications, respectively, observed in those areas.
Highest nephelometric turbidity was seen from Cooktown to Innisfail. Beam attenuation coefficient in
oceanic waters outside the reef appeared to be dominated by absorption, with lagoon waters influenced
by scattering. A method is suggested to enable approximate transfer of beam attenuation coefficient
measured by a transmissometer operating at a single wavelength to beam attenuation coefficient at other
wavelengths, using coincident measurements of Secchi disc depths made with filters.
Combining in-situ water quality and remotely sensed data across spatial and temporal scales to measure variability in wet season chlorophyll-a: Great Barrier Reef lagoon (Queensland, Australia)