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Western Australia will conduct a two year investigation of gross pollutant traps at one of Perth's largest and most popular urban wetlands with a view to rolling them out across the capital and other parts of the state.

Suzanne Brown

Gross pollutant traps (GTPs) are devices designed to capture plastic, debris and floating litter bigger than 5 mm and remove it from the water system before it ends up in the ocean.

They are commonly used in local drainage systems, but researchers say little is known about their performance and operational requirements, particularly in arterial drainage systems.

The Water Corporation, which manages around 40 per cent of Perth's urban drainage infrastructure, will oversee the trial looking at how effective the traps are and assessing operational requirements like maintenance and rubbish disposal.

It will also investigate cost effectiveness, which has been raised by some experts as a barrier to their wider implementation.

Floating rubbish bins

GTPs can take many different forms depending on location and the job they're supposed to do, says Water Corporation manager of drainage and liveable communities Suzanne Brown, but they offer a new and innovative way of ensuring cleaner storm water across the network.

Three traps have been installed for the trial on stormwater drains at Hersdman Lake on the Swan Coastal Plain six kilometres north-west of Perth by Aboriginal owned business Bennange Energy.

They include a litter boom on the north-eastern boundary of the lake and two floating traps on the Lake's western and southern perimeter, which Ms Brown describes as "floating rubbish bins".

"The results will help inform our long-term planning and provide insights into whether additional traps should be installed on other drains across Perth and Western Australia," she told Government News.

Map of Herdsman Lake and location of litter trips (image: Water Corporation)

Ms Brown admits GTPs aren't the answer to eliminating plastic pollution.

"However, they may have an important role to play in supporting wider waste reduction efforts by the WA government," she says.

Water minister Dave Kelly says the government is keen to explore ways of reducing single use plastic in the state's waterways and insights from the trial will inform the future installation of other GTPs across Perth.

"This is just one way we're moving towards a more sustainable, low-waste, circular economy under the WA government's Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Strategy 2030," he said.

Sensor networks

City of Hobart has been working with CSIRO to develop an autonomous sensor network to provide real-time reporting on the amount of rubbish being captured and let staff know which traps need emptying

Speaking about the project last November, City of Hobart Mayor Anna Reynolds said maintenance of GTPs can be costly and time consuming, and tapping into CSIRO's modelling capabilities could save time and improve management.

Main image: (L-R Water Corporation Manager Drainage and Liveable Communities, Suzanne Brown, Benang Construction's Dennis Smit and Damir Kadic, WA Water Minister Dave Kelly, Benang Construction's Jasmine Kadic, Churchlands MLA Christine Tonkin).
Comment below to have your say on this story. If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@governmentnews.com.au. Sign up to the Government News newsletter

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WA wetlands trial targets plastic in waterways - Government News

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Western Australia will conduct a two year investigation of gross pollutant traps at one of Perth's largest and most popular urban wetlands with a view to rolling them out across the capital and other parts of the state.

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The term algal blooms may be used to describe macroalgae, which are large visible free floating or rooted plants, or microalgae which require a microscope to see but in mass are highly visible.

Both macroalgae and microalgae ( phytoplankton) are natural and desirable components of aquatic ecosytems.

Algal blooms are natural phenomena that occurred before human development in response to changes in temperature, light, rainfall, or changes in limiting nutrients. Watershed clearing, agriculture and urban discharges, which add more nutrients, light and organic matter have led to increased frequency and duration of algal bloom and in some cases a switch to more toxic species. Persistent and widespread blooms lead to loss of biological function of the waterway.

Extreme macrolagal growth can completely dominate an estuary or river such as in the Peel Harvey during the late 1980s and in the Oyster and Princess Royal Harbours. In these cases macrolagal blooms shaded seagrasses and led to their loss or decline. In some cases phytoplankton can also dominate and cause ecosystem collapse. In the Peel Harvey in the 1990s the toxic phytoplankton Nodularia Spumigena replaced the macroalgae that had smothered the seagrasses.

We refer to nuisance algal blooms as those that discolour the water and which may leave residue on the skin of swimmers.

The term harmful algal bloom is used for those phytoplankton that sometimes produce toxins that affect either aquatic life, such as fish, or even human health. Harmful algal blooms (HABS) are a global problem often in the areas of shellfish cultivation or aquaculture. Many of the produced algal toxins enter the shellfish and pose a serious human health risk leading to many deaths in Europe and the United States.

For natural waters, surveillance of phytoplankton is undertaken state wide in at-risk rivers and estuaries under the department's Statewide Algal Management Strategy. The Department of Water, in partnership with the Department of Health, has developed a statewide algal bloom response protocol.

We also work with Department of Fisheries in accordance with the Fish Kill Response protocol.

In the event of an algal bloom samples are collected and sent to the department's Phytoplankton Ecology Unit. Samples are analysed and the Department of Health is contacted if necessary. The Department of Health liaise with relevant local governments to issue a health warning when required.

If you see an algal bloom please report it to:
For your safety:

Contact with some algal species can be harmful for humans and pets - if you notice signs of an algal bloom it is recommended that you and your pets do not go swimming.

Some species of algae produce a toxin that can contaminate wild shellfish and make them unsafe to eat.

See the Department of Health website and see Algae: Blooms, Scum and Recreation.

For further information about algal blooms see:

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The term algal blooms may be used to describe macroalgae, which are large visible free floating or rooted plants, or microalgae which require a microscope to see but in mass are highly visible.

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An algal bloom is an accumulation of algae (typically microscopic) or a rapid increase in their amount in a body of water. Algal blooms may occur in fresh water as well as salt water. Algal bloom concentrations may reach millions of cells per milliliter of water. Algal blooms are often green, but they can also be other colors such as yellow-brown or red, depending on the species of algae. So-called algal blooms are often caused by Cyanobacteria such as Aphanizomenon flosaquae, which are no longer considered to be algae. Some kinds of algal blooms, such as red tides, are poisonous.

Algal blooms are often caused by eutrophication. Eutrophication occurs when abnormal amount of nutrients, especially phosphorous and nitrogen, enter a body of water. Algal blooms are a big problem to ecosystems because, like any sudden unnatural growth, it harms the other animals in that ecosystem, usually decreasing their numbers quickly. The abundance of algae in algal blooms causes layers of algae that are unable to get sunlight, and this causes the algae to die and start to decompose. The top layers of algae is able to photosynthesize and continue living. The lack of nutrients and dissolved oxygen in the water inhibits other life. Fish become unable to breathe and other aquatic vegetation cannot photosynthesize. All the organisms in the water start to die and decompose. The decomposition of the dead organisms use up most of the remaining dissolved oxygen in the water. Without a sufficient amount of nutrients and dissolved oxygen all living organisms in the water die which leads to a dead zone.

Related pages

Images for kids

Taken from orbit in October 2011, the worst algae bloom that Lake Erie has experienced in decades. Record torrential spring rains washed fertilizer into the lake, promoting the growth of microcystin-producing cyanobacteria blooms.

Cyanobacteria activity turns Coatepeque Caldera lake into a Turquoise color

An algae bloom off the southern coast of Devon and Cornwall in England, in 1999

Blooms flourish in a dark plume of nutrient-rich water pouring from the mouth of the Amazon River, as seen by NASA's Aqua satellite.

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An algal bloom is an accumulation of algae (typically microscopic) or a rapid increase in their amount in a body of water. Algal blooms may occur in fresh water as well as salt water. Algal bloom concentrations may reach millions of cells per milliliter of water.

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A major problem with the use of fertilisers occurs when they are washed off the land by rainwater into rivers and lakes. This causes an increase in the levels of minerals such as and in the water, a process called .

Eutrophication encourages the growth of algae. These form a green bloom over the water surface, preventing sunlight reaching other water plants. These plants die because they are unable to carry out .

Bacteria decompose the dead plants, respiring and using up the oxygen in the water as they do this. The low oxygen levels make it difficult for aquatic insects and fish to live, and eventually the lake may be left completely lifeless.

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Eutrophication - Water pollution and deforestation - GCSE Biology (Single Science) Revision - BBC Bitesize

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A major problem with the use of fertilisers occurs when they are washed off the land by rainwater into rivers and lakes. This causes an increase in the levels of minerals such as and in the water, a process called . Eutrophication encourages the growth of algae.

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Oil forms a thin layer on top of water and act like a lid on the surface and the water. Animals and plants living in the water can't breathe, the oil coats the feathers of water birds, and the fur of animals that swim in the water, causing them to become sick and, if there is a great amount of oil on their bodies, to die. Even the insects that live on the surface of the water are badly affected.

Fertilisers

Nutrients in fertilisers cause excessive growth of plants and algae which takes oxygen and light from water animals Fertilisers contain nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates that help plants to grow. That's why farmers use them. When fertilisers are washed into rivers and streams the nitrates and phosphates cause excessive growth of water plants. The plants clogs the waterways, use up oxygen in the water, and block light to deeper waters. This is harmful to the fish and other invertebrates that live in water because it make it hard for the animals to breathe.

Soil

Pollution of waterways is also caused when silt and soil washes off ploughed fields, construction and logging sites, and from river banks when it rains.

Sewage and other organic pollutants

When material such as leaves and grass clippings, and waste from farm animals enters the water, it rots and breaks down and uses up the oxygen in the water. Many types of fish and other aquatic animals cannot survive. Organisms such as bacteria and viruses enter waterways through untreated sewage in storm-water drains, run-off from septic tanks, and from boats whose owners dump sewage into the water. These microscopic pollutants cause sickness in people and in animals that drink or live in the water.

Chemicals

Chemical pollution entering rivers and streams causes great destruction. The chemicals can come from factories, construction sites, mining operations, and from homes when people pour chemicals down the sink or down the toilet.

Plastics

Floating plastic is ugly, and harmful to the environment. Plastic rubbish is not biodegradable (it doesn't rot away after we have used it) It can choke animals that try to eat it, and drown those that get tangled in it.

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Oil forms a thin layer on top of water and act like a lid on the surface and the water. Animals and plants living in the water can't breathe, the oil coats the feathers of water birds, and the fur of animals that swim in the water, causing them to become sick and, if there is a great amount of oil on their bodies, to die.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Oil forms a thin layer on top of water and act like a lid on the surface and the water. Animals and plants living in the water can't breathe, the oil coats the feathers of water birds, and the fur of animals that swim in the water, causing them to become sick and, if there is a great amount of oil on their bodies, to die. Even the insects that live on the surface of the water are badly affected.

Fertilisers

Nutrients in fertilisers cause excessive growth of plants and algae which takes oxygen and light from water animals Fertilisers contain nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates that help plants to grow. That's why farmers use them. When fertilisers are washed into rivers and streams the nitrates and phosphates cause excessive growth of water plants. The plants clogs the waterways, use up oxygen in the water, and block light to deeper waters. This is harmful to the fish and other invertebrates that live in water because it make it hard for the animals to breathe.

Soil

Pollution of waterways is also caused when silt and soil washes off ploughed fields, construction and logging sites, and from river banks when it rains.

Sewage and other organic pollutants

When material such as leaves and grass clippings, and waste from farm animals enters the water, it rots and breaks down and uses up the oxygen in the water. Many types of fish and other aquatic animals cannot survive. Organisms such as bacteria and viruses enter waterways through untreated sewage in storm-water drains, run-off from septic tanks, and from boats whose owners dump sewage into the water. These microscopic pollutants cause sickness in people and in animals that drink or live in the water.

Chemicals

Chemical pollution entering rivers and streams causes great destruction. The chemicals can come from factories, construction sites, mining operations, and from homes when people pour chemicals down the sink or down the toilet.

Plastics

Floating plastic is ugly, and harmful to the environment. Plastic rubbish is not biodegradable (it doesn't rot away after we have used it) It can choke animals that try to eat it, and drown those that get tangled in it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Oil forms a thin layer on top of water and act like a lid on the surface and the water. Animals and plants living in the water can't breathe, the oil coats the feathers of water birds, and the fur of animals that swim in the water, causing them to become sick and, if there is a great amount of oil on their bodies, to die.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Oil forms a thin layer on top of water and act like a lid on the surface and the water. Animals and plants living in the water can't breathe, the oil coats the feathers of water birds, and the fur of animals that swim in the water, causing them to become sick and, if there is a great amount of oil on their bodies, to die. Even the insects that live on the surface of the water are badly affected.

Fertilisers

Nutrients in fertilisers cause excessive growth of plants and algae which takes oxygen and light from water animals Fertilisers contain nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates that help plants to grow. That's why farmers use them. When fertilisers are washed into rivers and streams the nitrates and phosphates cause excessive growth of water plants. The plants clogs the waterways, use up oxygen in the water, and block light to deeper waters. This is harmful to the fish and other invertebrates that live in water because it make it hard for the animals to breathe.

Soil

Pollution of waterways is also caused when silt and soil washes off ploughed fields, construction and logging sites, and from river banks when it rains.

Sewage and other organic pollutants

When material such as leaves and grass clippings, and waste from farm animals enters the water, it rots and breaks down and uses up the oxygen in the water. Many types of fish and other aquatic animals cannot survive. Organisms such as bacteria and viruses enter waterways through untreated sewage in storm-water drains, run-off from septic tanks, and from boats whose owners dump sewage into the water. These microscopic pollutants cause sickness in people and in animals that drink or live in the water.

Chemicals

Chemical pollution entering rivers and streams causes great destruction. The chemicals can come from factories, construction sites, mining operations, and from homes when people pour chemicals down the sink or down the toilet.

Plastics

Floating plastic is ugly, and harmful to the environment. Plastic rubbish is not biodegradable (it doesn't rot away after we have used it) It can choke animals that try to eat it, and drown those that get tangled in it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Oil forms a thin layer on top of water and act like a lid on the surface and the water. Animals and plants living in the water can't breathe, the oil coats the feathers of water birds, and the fur of animals that swim in the water, causing them to become sick and, if there is a great amount of oil on their bodies, to die.

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Often confused as a tortoise, one of our most endearing creatures that we commonly come across is the eastern long-necked turtle. With one of the wettest spring and early summer periods, Wildcare has been busier than normal with 40 injured turtles rescued in the past four months. These injured turtles were often picked up and handed into Wildcare by members of the public. Normally Wildcare rehabilitates only about 35 turtles in a year. So, the increase in numbers could be due to wetter than normal weather or maybe it is people being more aware of wildlife and knowing what to do.

Recognising and assisting these turtles on the road at times may be difficult. Speeding along at 100km/hr does not give much time to react to a turtle loitering on the road-or realise that "rock" on the road is actually moving. A lot of turtles (and lizards) get squished or injured, but more and more drivers are performing U-turns to get back to either safely remove animals from danger or to check for injuries.

To avoid getting 'scented', gently scoop up the turtle by carefully putting your hands exactly where your instincts say not to put them: right in front of the head and tail. Do not worry about its head-that will pop into its shell. Turtles are shy and do not bite. If the turtle is healthy, then pick it up (front and back)-hold them at arm's length, and release it as far off the road as possible, in the direction it was already going.

Turtles are termed 'Pleurodira' or 'side-necked' turtles, meaning they fold their head into the side of their shell-tucked as far under their "veranda" as possible, instead of retracting it inwards like other turtle or tortoise species. As many would know, our smiling snake-necked friends are more likely to dissuade you from picking them up by releasing a pungent orange liquid from their scent glands just in front of their back legs. That is why we pick up the animal from the front and back, not from the side. Turtles are tough critters and can remain alive for hours or even days after receiving a fatal crack to their shell, so it is worth checking injured animals. With badly injured turtles, they need to go to a vet to be euthanaised. If a shell crack is minor, Wildcare has volunteers that are trained to fix the break and it will regrow and fuse back together over time.

If you are squeamish, a tip is to have an old towel in the boot of your car. This can be used to throw over a turtle (lizard or other small non-venomous animal); then scoop it up to move off the road or hold if you need to get help. Finally, please watch out for our rock-like friends on the roads and have the 24-7 Wildcare helpline (02 6299 1966) in your phone to get help and advice.

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Often confused as a tortoise, one of our most endearing creatures that we commonly come across is the eastern long-necked turtle. With one of the wettest spring and early summer periods, Wildcare has been busier than normal with 40 injured turtles rescued in the past four months.

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Chelodina colliei can be found throughout the south west of WA. It is found from the Hill River region (approximately 300 km north of Perth) through to the south west and east along to the south coast (as far as the Fitzgerald River National Park).

Chelodina colliei lives in a broad range of seasonal and permanent freshwater habitats including wetlands, lakes and rivers. They are also capable of living in urban and agricultural environments, such as urban lakes in the Perth metropolitan region, and farm dams (as long as there is sufficient habitat, food resources, and water quality).

Chelodina colliei spends the majority of its life in the aquatic habitat of the wetlands it inhabits and adult C. colliei are the underwater apex predator, are generalist feeders, and opportunistic carnivores. The species diet changes seasonally and consists of a broad range of macro-invertebrates, but can also include carrion, frogs, fish, as well as terrestrial organisms that fall upon the water. Hatchlings may also eat aquatic plants as well as midge and mosquito larvae. The species uses the 'gape-and-suck' feeding method typical of pleurodirans, where the turtle will strike at passing prey quickly enlarging the mouth cavity, which acts like a vacuum sucking the prey into the mouth.

Aging wild C. colliei is not currently possible, however, in natural environments freshwater turtles are estimated to live for 30-40 years. The carapace length (CL) of C. colliei is used to indicate sexual maturity. Males with CL >130 mm are considered mature. While a minimum size for female sexual maturity is not available, females with CL >160 mm have been shown to be sexually mature. Breeding occurs within the wetland during winter and spring. Nesting occurs later in the year, within two distinct seasons: Spring (September to November), and Summer (December to January). During this time, a single female can lay up to three clutches, totaling between 25 and 40 eggs. An average clutch size of eight eggs is reported for the spring reproductive season, and four eggs for the summer season, while the largest reported clutch size was 25 eggs.

Nesting is reporting to be cued by seasonal rain-bearing low pressure systems, falling barometric pressure and an air temperature above 17°C. Females are reported to leave the wetlands en-masse during these conditions, usually in two groups, approximately two weeks apart. Chelodina colliei typically choose nest sites that are open with minimal vegetation, however, during the search for a nesting site, available vegetation is used for concealment and protection from predators. Female turtles may spend up to an hour out of the water searching for, and moving to a suitable nesting site, that can be anywhere from one to 800 m from the water's edge, but generally within 500 m. The nesting process can take female turtles an additional 25 to 45 minutes to complete, which includes digging the nest, laying the eggs, re-filling and compacting the nest.

The average size of a C. colliei egg is 3.49 cm by 2.13 cm, and 9.3 g in weight. Chelodina colliei egg incubation period ranges from 210 to 230 days. Hatchling C. colliei range from CL 29 to 33 mm. There is some variation in hatchling emergence timing, with some hatchlings emerging from the nest as early as May while others emerging in late August. After emergence hatchlings are thought to head straight to nearby wetlands.

They have the ability to undertake overland migrations to colonise seasonal habitats and may do this in the wetter months. To survive dry periods they have the ability to go into a state of dormancy called aestivation. During this time they will burrow into mud or leaf litter and wait out the dry hot conditions by lowering their metabolic needs and live on stored body fat. During this time they are vulnerable to foxes and human activity such as clearing or ground works.

Chelodina colliei is currently listed as 'near threatened' by the IUCN, although its status has not been assessed for 20 years.

The most recent survey of 35 urban wetlands revealed populations of C. colliei in Perth wetlands are alarmingly low. There were less than 25 turtles captured at ~60% of wetlands, and juvenile turtles were not captured in ~40% of wetlands studied. The study identified that the accessibility of native vegetation surrounding urban wetlands was a significant factor impacting upon the abundances of C. colliei and the presence of juveniles within the populations, likely owing to it providing suitable nesting sites. This suggests that populations are declining through lack of recruitment.

Threats to local populations may include injury by traffic, predation by foxes, fencing that blocks migrations, illegal fishing by humans, and destruction of natural habitat.

Chelodina colliei should be left alone to undertake their natural activities which includes making migrations overland to nest (it is illegal to interfere with this native species).

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Chelodina colliei can be found throughout the south west of WA. It is found from the Hill River region (approximately 300 km north of Perth) through to the south west and east along to the south coast (as far as the Fitzgerald River National Park).

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Come See What We Saved! Join James Mumme and the Friends of Point Peron as we learn about their campaigns to protect the special environments of Cape Peron and Lake […]
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Common name

Brazilian Pepper Tree

Scientific Name

Schinus terebinthifolius

Type of plant

Tree And Shrub Weeds

About this weed

This is an evergreen tree to 6 metres tall and is common in older suburbs where it was sometimes used as a street tree. It was originally introduced as a garden tree and is native to tropical South America. It grows from seeds and suckers and can recover from less severe fires. In bushland it can form dense thickets and can block the sunlight thus destroying the native understory vegetation.

Description

This tree grows to 6 m high. Male trees bear small, cream, dioecious flowers in late summer, while female trees produce many small berries. The berries are probably dispersed by birds. It produces suckers from damaged roots and regrows vigorously from the stump when cut. Unripe fruit can be fatal to horses and crushed ripe fruit causes respiratory difficulties in humans. Contact with sap or resin can cause skin irritation and smells like turpentine. Established trees are not killed by fire and will rapidly recover from less severe burning or do not burn. Fire retards growth and/or kills smaller plants. Stems sprout prolifically after canopy damage.

Impact on Bushland

If left will spread over bushland and impact on plant communities. It can form dense thickets which shade out and smother native vegetation, and can block access to creeks.

Location

Occurs in sand over limestone or laterite in the South-West Province.

Priority for removal

High: major threat to the conservation values of Banksia woodlands and the South-West Province.

Management (hand)

Hand pull seedlings ensuring removal of all root material. It has been a target for biocontrol in the USA. Optimum hand removal should be done during growing season between December and March.

Management (herbicide)

Stem inject older plants using 50% Glyphosate or basal bark with 250 ml Access in 15 L of diesel to bottom 50 cm of trunk during summer. Avoid root disturbance until trees are confirmed dead. Read the manufacturers' labels and material safety data sheets before using herbicides. Optimum treatment should be done during growing season between December and March.

Flowering month/s

March, September, October, November

Flower colour/s

White

Information source

https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/11027

Additional information

https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/weeds/swanweeds/

Hussey, B.M.J., Keighery, G.J., Dodd, J., Lloyd, S.G. and Cousens, R.D. (2007) Western weeds. A guide to the weeds of Western Australia, Second Edition, The Weeds Society of Western Australia, Victoria Park, Western Australia.

Brazilian Pepper Tree images

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Brazilian Pepper Tree Schinus terebinthifolius Tree And Shrub Weeds This is an evergreen tree to 6 metres tall and is common in older suburbs where it was sometimes used as a street tree. It was originally introduced as a garden tree and is native to tropical South America.

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The future survival of Black cockatoos is of great concern. Climate change, alterations in the landscape have an adverse affect on cockatoo populations.

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Introduction

The red fox ( Vulpes vulpes) is a native of the northern hemisphere where it occurs throughout most of Europe, Asia, North America and the northern coast of Africa. The red fox was first introduced from Britain into Victoria, for hunting with foxhounds, as early as 1845. Having become successfully established in Victoria by about 1870, it colonised most of mainland Australia over the next 70 years. Foxes are not found in the most northern regions of Australia, including the north-west Kimberley.

In Western Australia, the fox is a declared pest under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 administered by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. It is declared for the whole of the State in the management control category C3 and the prohibited keeping category.The Western Australian Organism List (WAOL) contains information on the area(s) in which this pest is declared and the control and keeping categories; use the links on this page to reach red fox in WAOL.

Characteristics

Red foxes are members of the dog family (Canidae), which includes dogs, foxes and wolves. Foxes range in colour from pale red to deep reddish brown on the upper parts. The underparts are whitish and the lower part of the legs is usually black. The tail is bushy and almost always tipped with white or black hairs. Initially, cubs have a short, dark grey fur which soon changes to a dark chocolate colour. As they grow, young foxes develop the reddish adult coat, and their rounded faces develop the pointed nose of the adult. Adults measure a little over a metre in length, including the tail, and weigh between 4.5-8.3kg; males are usually larger than females. Foxes have very acute senses of hearing and smell. They have long whiskers which give them information by touch, but their eyesight is less well developed.

Significance

Foxes cause economic losses by preying on free-range poultry, and occasionally on young lambs and kid goats. Studies of lamb deaths have shown that most lambs which die do so from natural causes such as starvation, and foxes often feed on the carcasses. However, some foxes do kill healthy young lambs and kids, and can cause serious losses in individual flocks. Foxes in urban areas have been found scavenging on waste food, stealing pet food, and killing backyard poultry.

There is strong evidence to suggest that foxes have caused the decline of many small to medium-sized species of Australian native mammals. For example, isolated populations of rock wallabies have increased when fox numbers have been reduced.

Foxes are the major carrier of rabies in Europe. Australia is free of rabies, but if it ever reached here, control of foxes would be a major problem in combating this potentially deadly disease.

Foxes tend to eat whatever is most easily available to them. Their diet includes invertebrates (for example, earthworms, centipedes, insects), fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, small mammals, carrion, fruit and other plant material. The actual make-up of the diet in a particular area varies seasonally and depends on which foods are most available at the time. For example, where rabbits are numerous, they usually constitute the major food. Foxes have a habit of burying excess food for later use.

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The red fox ( Vulpes vulpes) is a native of the northern hemisphere where it occurs throughout most of Europe, Asia, North America and the northern coast of Africa. The red fox was first introduced from Britain into Victoria, for hunting with foxhounds, as early as 1845.

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Feral cats threaten the survival of over 100 native species in Australia. They have caused the extinction of some ground-dwelling birds and small to medium-sized mammals. They are a major cause of decline for many land-based endangered animals such as the bilby, bandicoot, bettong and numbat. Many native animals are struggling to survive so reducing the number killed by this introduced predator will allow their populations to grow.

Feral cats can carry infectious diseases which can be transmitted to native animals, domestic livestock and humans.

Feral cats are the same species as domestic cats, however they live and reproduce in the wild and survive by hunting or scavenging. They are found all over Australia in all habitats, including forests, woodlands, grasslands, wetlands and arid areas. The map illustrates the estimated abundance of feral cats across the country.

Feral cats are predominantly solitary and nocturnal, spending most of the day in the safety of a shelter such as a rabbit burrow, log or rock pile. They are carnivores, generally eating small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects depending on their availability.

More information on feral cats:

Key threatening process under the EPBC Act

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 ( EPBC Act) provides for the identification and listing of key threatening processes. A key threatening process threatens or may threaten the survival, abundance or evolutionary development of a native species or ecological community. Predation by feral cats is listed as a key threatening process.

Once a key threatening process is listed under the EPBC Act a threat abatement plan can be put into place if it is shown to be 'a feasible, effective and efficient way' to abate the threatening process. A feral cat threat abatement plan has been made to address this key threatening process.

Threat Abatement Plan

The threat abatement plan for predation by feral cats (2015) sets out a national framework to guide and coordinate Australia's response to the impacts of feral cats on biodiversity. It identifies the research, management and other actions needed to ensure the long-term survival of native species and ecological communities affected by predation by feral cats.

Cat eating a crimson rosella
Copyright C Potter

Feral Cat Taskforce

The Feral Cat Taskforce is a national advisory, coordinating and informal oversight group tasked with providing information and support to the Threatened Species Commissioner and the Department on implementing the feral cat actions and targets in the Threatened Species Strategy. Members from the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments, NGOs and key feral cat researchers:

1. Advise on implementing the 'Tackling feral cats and their impacts' targets in the Threatened Species Strategy;

2. Advise on feral cat management actions which are most likely to be successful at protecting priority species;

3. Monitor and report on feral cat management activities in their jurisdiction or organisation;

4. Encourage partnerships between governments, NGOs, and the community; and

5. Champion innovative feral cat management solutions.

National declaration: feral cats as pests

At the Meeting of Environment Ministers (Melbourne, 15 July 2015), Ministers endorsed the National declaration of feral cats as pests. As part of this declaration, Ministers agreed to review arrangements within their respective jurisdictions and, where necessary, to remove unnecessary barriers to effective and humane control of feral cats. Ministers also agreed to consider feral cat management as a priority in threatened species recovery programs, and to pursue the development of a national best practice approach to the keeping of domestic cats.

Jurisdictions have made considerable progress to remove unnecessary barriers to effective and humane control of feral cats. Future meetings of Environment Ministers will provide a platform to continue work on a coordinated national approach to maintain momentum on this agreement.

Controlling feral cats

Control tools available for feral cats are shooting, trapping, fencing, baiting and a grooming trap.

Control of feral cats is challenging as they are found in very low densities over large home ranges and are shy, making them difficult to locate. They are also extremely cautious in nature.

Shooting cats is labour intensive and requires a lot of skill. Trapping of feral cats using cage traps is permitted everywhere in Australia and trapping using soft-jawed leg-hold traps is permitted in some states and territories. There are best practice standard operating procedures for shooting and trapping.

Predator-proof fenced areas are an effective way to control feral cat impacts (in restricted areas), as is the eradication of feral cats from offshore islands. As such safe havens can be costly and require ongoing biosecurity measures, their establishment needs to be carefully considered.

The most effective form of feral cat control over large areas is poison baiting.

Baiting

Poison baits intended for feral cats must be laid on the ground (as cats, unlike other feral species such as foxes, will not dig up a buried bait).

There are two types of bait currently available for use in Australia - Curiosity ® and Eradicat ®.

Curiosity ® : the Australian Government led the $5.9 million project to develop the Curiosity ® bait for feral cats. The Curiosity ® bait for feral cats is a small meat-based sausage containing a small hard plastic pellet encapsulating a humane toxin. It is designed to minimise the risk of native animals being poisoned by a low dose of the toxin and a design to minimise uptake of the hard plastic pellet.

Eradicat ® bait for feral cats is only for use in Western Australia. This bait comprises a small meat-based sausage injected with a synthetic toxin known as 1080 which replicates a naturally-occurring poison found in some plant species in Western Australia. Many native animals in the region have developed resistance to this toxin. In some parts of Australia, the Eradicat ® and Curiosity ® baits may present a significant hazard to wildlife species.

The Department is developing a third bait for feral cats called that is designed to minimise this hazard.

Felixer® Grooming Trap

The Felixer ® Grooming Trap is a novel and automated tool to help control feral cats and foxes. The traps use rangefinder sensors to distinguish target cats and foxes from non-target animals and sprays target species with a measured dose of toxic gel. The solar-powered Felixer can hold 20 sealed cartridges of toxic gel and automatically resets after firing. Felixers photograph all animals detected (including non-target animals that are not fired upon) and can be programmed to play a variety of audio lures to attract feral cats and foxes. The Australian Government is currently supporting the commercialisation of the Felixer trap - for more information on the Felixer including future availability and order placement contact:

FERAL CAT SCAN - Free app

Record Feral Cat activity

Have you seen a feral cat recently? Record feral cat management activities, including feral cat sightings, eradication and impacts on native species via FeralCatScan - a free app available for download onto iPhone and Android devices.

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Feral cats threaten the survival of over 100 native species in Australia. They have caused the extinction of some ground-dwelling birds and small to medium-sized mammals. They are a major cause of decline for many land-based endangered animals such as the bilby, bandicoot, bettong and numbat.

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Cloudy Bay Beach on Bruny Island off Tasmania certainly lives up to its name. But clouds aren't the only thing that make their home here. Huge numbers of sea birds also flock to these shores. But they in turn attract something else.

This is Bernard, a parks and wildlife officer, and he makes his way here twice a day. His Job? To check six feral cat traps set in the dunes. He's trying to catch the cats responsible for hunting these little birds called Hooded Plovers. They breed on the beach just above high tide mark, so they're easy targets for feline hunters.

Unfortunately there is none today, but Bernard often has more success. And he isn't the only one fighting kitties on the Island. Many people lend a hand.

HARKO WERKMAN: We had a visitor. The trap's been sprung. Nobody is home.

This is Harko and he looks after trapping on private land. Some years they get up to 70 cats but the problem is, nobody knows how many are still out there.

HARKO: The bait looks good. Fill it fresh. Just reset it.

HARKO: I have been running an education program so I will speak to residents, I've given talks to schools, we prepare a brochure on responsible cat ownership and fairly soon we hope to have a web page up and running on the issue of feral cats.

And it's a similar story right around Australia, where ferals do enormous damage to native wildlife. But what has responsible cat ownership got to do with it?

NATHAN BAZLEY, REPORTER: Well it's cat owners that are a big part of the problem! Not all of them are looked after like this one. Each year, thousands of cats are dumped or run away.

Many find their way to animal shelters like these, but it's the ones that aren't caught that are the big issue for native wildlife.

Ingrid runs this cat centre in Tasmania and says a big part of the solution is mandatory de-sexing. That's when pussycats have minor surgery so they can't ever have babies. Putting microchips in kittens so they can be identified could also help.

But there are other options being considered by governments too. Night curfews could be brought in to stop your pets going out hunting at night. And some people even want councils to be able to take any cats that wander away from home.

Whatever the solution, most people agree the feral cat problem is one that needs to be put on a leash as soon as possible. Because this should not be the native environment for cats in Australia. This should be!

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Nowadays cats are still really popular - but not all of them. One government estimate says there are 12 million feral cats in Australia and that's a huge problem for native animals. One Island off Tasmania is looking very closely at the issue.

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AUSSIE MAMMAL STUDY

A new study's found many of Australia's animals are really struggling. Populations of threatened mammals like koalas and quolls have fallen by more than a third in the past 20 years. Researchers found a bunch of reasons why, but some of the main factors are pests, like feral cats and foxes, and habitat loss.

But the good news is some of the things we're trying to do to help, are working. When animals have had protected environments to live in with people monitoring them mammal populations have boomed. In some places, they've increased by 500 per cent. Researchers hope the database will encourage more conservation. So here's hoping over the next 20 years, we'll see more populations on the up.

BONDI OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Good news for you surfers and swimmers in Sydney, Bondi Beach is reopening. It was closed last month to help with COVID-19 physical distancing, but the local council has decided to open it from 7am to 5pm during the week. Bronte and Tamarama beaches will be open too. They'll all be closed on weekends, sunbaking will still be banned and if people break the rules they could be shut again. You'll be able to hit the surf from next Tuesday.

SCHOOL OF THE AIR

With more of you at home and learning online, we thought we'd get some tips from students who have already been doing it for a long, long time. I guess you could call them learning from home experts. They've all been studying from home due to sporting commitments, living far away, or their parents can't get them to school. They have a bunch of tips for working well at home, from wearing your uniform to setting up a nice clean study space.

CAPTAIN TOM MOORE

Do you remember Captain Tom Moore? He walked a hundred laps of his front garden for his hundredth birthday to raise money for health care workers. Well, he's been incredibly busy ever since. He's opened hospitals, recorded a song, and even had a Lego stop-motion made about him!

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Australia's Threatened Mammals are in Trouble and, Tips from the 'Learning from Home' Experts

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A new study's found many of Australia's animals are really struggling. Populations of threatened mammals like koalas and quolls have fallen by more than a third in the past 20 years. Researchers found a bunch of reasons why, but some of the main factors are pests, like feral cats and foxes, and habitat loss.

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Follow our guide to helping an injured animal

Rescuing wildlife is done so at your own risk. The information outlined on this website should only be used as a guide and where possible you should contact a wildlife rehabilitation centre for further advice. WA Wildlife assumes no responsibility for injuries as a result of attempts made to rescue sick, injured or orphaned native wildlife. Please assess the situation for your own safety when rescuing or containing the animal.

The steps below give you general advice on what to consider when rescuing, and what to be careful of:

You can bring sick or injured native animals to the WA Wildlife Hospital, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, from 8.30am to 7.00pm.

Animal first aid

Our first aid information is basic and simply covers important steps to maximise the animal's chance of survival. Please read all of our information carefully and do not provide further care or keep the animal for an extended period of time without seeking help from and experienced rehabilitator or veterinarian.

Please do not try and look after a sick, injured or orphaned animal yourself. The faster they are passed onto an experienced rehabilitator the better chance they will have of surviving.

Safety first!

Your safety is important. If you think the situation is dangerous or unsafe, please contact Native ARC.
DO NOT attempt to handle the following animals under any circumstance:

Snakes: Even dead snakes can result in envenomation if handled incorrectly.

Bats: Can carry a wide range of potentially fatal zoonotic diseases.

Adult Kangaroos: Can break bones and cause serious injuries if they feel threatened.

Birds of prey: Talons can cause severe injuries and some have extremely strong, "Bone Crushing" beaks.

When handling any animal it is important to use proper forms of protection. Gloves, towels, bags or blankets can all be used to protect you from being bitten or scratched. You may wish to consider carrying a "rescue pack" in your car which consists of a box, towel, gloves, eye protection, hand sanitiser and a list of emergency contacts.

Approaching an animal

Always be careful when approaching an animal. Approach slowly and observe its body language and posture. Try not to make any sudden movements. Grabbing the animal suddenly can cause it to run off or attack.

Catching animals

If you feel an animal is sick or injured and needs medical help, there are a few methods of catching certain animals. For birds, a towel or blanket can be used to throw over them. If they are a large bird, putting the towel over their head and wings will minimise stress and escape.

The same approach can be used for lizards; however, a pair of gardening gloves to pick them up is easier. Small mammals can easily be caught with a towel or pillow case by placing it over their entire body and picking them up. For advice on catching larger animals, contact WA Wildlife or the Wildcare Helpline.

Stress can kill an animal so be aware to minimise stress by reducing handling and keeping the animal in a quiet dark container with no external noise. Do not attempt to feed or provide fluids.

Dead animals

If you see a dead animal on the road, safely pull over and assess the situation. If it is safe for you to remove the animal, drag it off the road. This will stop other prey animals from getting injured or killed by traffic as they feed on the carcass. If the animal is a marsupial (bandicoot, possum, kangaroo etc.) check to see if it has a pouch. If so, there could be a joey in the pouch. If you find a joey, please contact WA Wildlife.
Never handle deceased snakes or bats.
Warmth

One of the best ways to maximise an animal's chance of survival is to keep it warm and quiet from the outset. Hot water bottles wrapped in towels, heat packs or even body heat are great sources of heat until a rehabilitator or veterinarian can be contacted. Do not overheat and keep a constant check on the animal's temperature.

Food and water

Do not give food or water to an animal unless instructed to by an experienced rehabilitator/veterinarian. Giving an animal food without proper hydration can lead to death especially in baby birds. Seek help from WA Wildlife or Wildcare immediately.

Transport

Cardboard boxes lined with newspapers and towels are a very efficient means of transporting animals. Other transportation methods are pet packs, shoe boxes, bird cages and plastic tubs with ventilation. Large animals such as water birds and kangaroos need to be transported with specialised equipment so please call WA Wildlife or Wildcare Helpline for assistance.

Found a baby bird?

Spring is 'kidnapping' season for many baby birds who are 'rescued' by well-meaning humans.

If a baby bird has fallen out of it's nest and is not injured try and put it back. If the nest is too high an ice cream container with holes and a bit of leaf bedding placed as high as possible into the tree works. Then quietly wait around from a distance to see if the parents return. This may take a few hours.

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Follow our guide to helping an injured animal Rescuing wildlife is done so at your own risk. The information outlined on this website should only be used as a guide and where possible you should contact a wildlife rehabilitation centre for further advice. WA Wildlife assumes no responsibility for injuries as a result of attempts [...]

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What are foxes?

The red fox ( Vulpes vulpes) was introduced into Australia in the 1870s for recreational hunting. Within 20 years, populations had expanded to such an extent that the fox was declared a pest. Foxes are now found in all states and territories except Tasmania.

Why are foxes a pest?

Foxes are nocturnal and territorial. They are highly efficient hunters and resourceful scavengers and may kill more prey than they can consume. This is known as surplus killing behaviour.

Foxes are a pest animal because they:

threaten biodiversity by hunting and killing native wildlife

have contributed to the extinction of several species of small mammals and birds

threaten livestock including poultry, lambs and goat kids

may pose a health risk to humans and pets, through transmission of diseases such as distemper, parvo virus and mange.

The introduction of the red fox has contributed to regional declines and extinctions of a wide range of native animals, particularly among medium-sized ground-dwelling and semi-arboreal mammals, ground-nesting birds and freshwater turtles.

The spread of foxes across southern Australia in the late 1800s and early 1900s coincided with regional extinctions of several species of bettong, the greater bilby, numbat, bridled nail-tail wallaby and the quokka.

Many of these species persist only on islands or areas of the mainland where foxes are rare or absent.

Similarly, foxes have been linked to regional extinctions of four species of ground-nesting birds from western New South Wales and the decline of a further seven such species.

Recent studies have shown that foxes continue to suppress populations of several species of rock-wallabies, the eastern grey kangaroo, brush-tailed bettong, long-nosed potoroo and the numbat. Several species of bandicoots, common brush-tail possum, common ringtail possum and the Murray River turtle are also affected. Numerous attempts to reintroduce threatened native fauna into areas of their former range have also failed because of foxes.

Predation by the European red fox has been listed as a key threatening process by the NSW Scientific Committee.

Managing foxes in our national parks

As foxes are widespread, management focuses on the reduction of impacts in priority areas. We prioritise fox control for the protection of biodiversity as identified in the NSW Fox Threat Abatement Plan 2010 (Fox TAP). Priorities recommended in the Fox TAP have now been incorporated into the Saving our Species (SOS) program.

Control methods include baiting, trapping and shooting. Read about our guidelines for fox control.

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The red fox ( Vulpes vulpes) was introduced into Australia in the 1870s for recreational hunting. Within 20 years, populations had expanded to such an extent that the fox was declared a pest. Foxes are now found in all states and territories except Tasmania. Foxes are nocturnal and territorial.

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Introduction

Eastern gambusia (Gambusia holbrooki - also known as plague minnow, gambusia and mosquito fish) are native to south-eastern USA. They were initially introduced into NSW waters sometime during the 1920s because of their reputation for mosquito control. However, since that time their ability to control mosquito larvae has been shown to be no greater than that of small native fish that feed on insects. Eastern gambusia are now common in NSW waters and throughout Victoria, Queensland, Western and South Australian waterways. They have impacted several threatened fish species in NSW directly through competition and predation.

Identification

Key features:

small fish; females with deep rounded belly

livebearers

single dorsal fin, that starts well behind the anal fin

rounded tail fin

large eyes and a flattened head

lower jaw protrudes further than upper jaw

males a lot smaller than females; with modified elongated anal fin (gonopodium)

Size: Females to about 60 mm, males to about 35 mm.

Similar species

Similar non-native species

The female guppy Poecilia reticulata, which is also a non-native species, may be confused with female Eastern gambusia. The common guppy is commonly traded in the ornamental fish industry.Distinguishing features include:

anal fin in males not as long as in Eastern gambusia

anal fin starts (directly) below the dorsal fin (not behind)

Similar native species

Eastern gambusia may also be confused with female and juvenile Pacific blue-eyes Pseudomugil signifer, which have a similar shape and body colour, and it is only the forked tail-fin of the Pacific blue-eye that distinguishes them as a different species. Small native fish such as the Midgely's carp-gudgeon Hypseleotris spp. are similar in size and appearance to Eastern gambusia and may also be confused with Eastern gambusia.

The native Pacific blue-eye Pseudomugil signifier (top photo) and Midgely's carp-gudgeon (bottom photo) are similar in size and appearance to Eastern gambusia and may be confused with Eastern gambusia.

Where are they in NSW?

Eastern gambusia are widespread throughout NSW and thrive in shallow slow flowing waterbodies. They can tolerate a wide range of temperatures and water quality. Eastern gambusia can reproduce several times a year throughout the warmer months. Eggs are fertilised inside the female and take 3 or 4 weeks to develop. About 50 young are born live and reach maturity in less than 2 months, which means populations of Eastern gambusia can grow rapidly.

What are the impacts on native fish?

Eastern gambusia has been implicated in the decline of several threatened species in NSW including for example, Oxleyan Pygmy Perch, Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon, Southern Pymgy Perch, Murray Hardyhead and Olive Perchlet. For further information view the listed threatened species, populations, ecological communities and key threatening processes page.

Eastern gambusia have been associated with the decline of abundance or range of 35 fish species worldwide, including at least 9 Australian native species such as gudgeons, hardyheads and some rainbow fish.

Competition

Eastern gambusia are known to compete with native species for food and resources. They can behave aggressively towards other species by chasing and fin nipping, which can lead to secondary bacterial or fungal infections and potentially death of other fish. Eastern gambusia feed on a wide variety of foods, including insects such as ants and flies as well as aquatic beetles, bugs and other fauna. The high reproductive rate and extended breeding season of Eastern gambusia, along with broad feeding habits can enable this species to overwhelm suitable habitats with juveniles and deplete food supplies.

Predation

Eastern gambusia are known to prey upon the eggs and juveniles of other fish species. They have also been linked to the decline of frog species, through the predation of tadpoles and adult frogs.

What is DPI doing?

The introduction of fish to fresh waters within a river catchment outside their natural range is listed as a key threatening process in NSW. A list of strategies have been adopted for minimising the impacts of this threatening process and are set out in the NSW DPI Priorities Action Statement. ​For further information view the Priorities Action Statement - Actions for introduction of fish to freshwaters within a river catchment outside their natural range (KTP)​ page.

While control options are limited for introduced pest fish species, there are some options that improve the odds for native species, like habitat rehabilitation, stocking native fish and, movement restrictions. It is illegal to translocate live fish between waterways in NSW - and heavy penalties apply.

NSW DPI discourages the sale and possession of these pests through its ongoing advisory program, that educates key stakeholders and the general public about the threats associated with pest fish, how to reduce their spread, as well as information on NSW prohibited and notifiable fish listings.

On 1 July 2017 the NSW Government implemented the new Biosecurity Act 2015 (the Act). Under the Act people are expected to have a basic level of knowledge about the biosecurity risks they might encounter in their normal work and recreational activities. All community members have a responsibility to consider how actions, or in some cases lack of action could have a negative impact on another person, business enterprise, animal or the environment. We must then take all reasonable and practical measures to prevent or minimise the potential impact of biosecurity threats on the economy, community and the environment.

What can I do to stop the spread of aquatic pests?

Well-established pest fish species are difficult to control. However, there are some options for their management and improving the odds for native fish.

Environmental management and rehabilitation

Management of issues such as water quality, environmental flows, fish passage and snags can maintain or return conditions to those that best suit native fish. This improves the ability of native fish to compete and creates conditions less suitable for pest fish species. More information on habitat management and rehabilitation.

Restricting the spread

The spread of pest fish species has often been associated with their use as bait. For this reason, use of live fish as bait in freshwater is illegal in NSW.

Other things you can do!

Give unwanted aquarium fish to friends or a pet shop, rather than letting them go in the wild (Note: it is illegal to release live fish into NSW waterways without a permit, and penalties apply).

Design backyard ponds carefully to prevent the unwanted release of fish during heavy rains - for example, by using screens on overflow areas. Wherever possible stock backyard ponds with native species endemic to your local area.

Be on the look out for new species in your local waterways. If you find a fish that you think might not be native to the area, freeze the fish whole and report it to DPI.

Report it!

If you find what you believe is a new sighting of a pest fish, freeze it whole and Report it!

References and further reading

Harris, JH and Gehrke, PC (eds). 1997. Fish and Rivers in Stress. The NSW Rivers Survey. NSW Fisheries Office of Conservation and the Cooperative Research Centre for Freshwater Ecology in association with NSW Resource and Conservation Assessment Council.

Lintermans M. 2007. Fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin: An introductory guide.
Macdonald, J. and Tonkin, Z. (2008). A review of the impact of eastern
gambusia on native fishes of the Murray-Darling Basin. Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Heidelberg, Victoria.

Pyke, G. (2008) Plague minnow or mosquito fish? A review of the biology and impacts of introduced Gambusia species. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 39:171-191. (PDF, 179.76 KB)

Pyke, G. (2005) A review of the biology of Gambusia affinis and G. holbrooki. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 15: 339-365. (PDF, 372.68 KB)

Young, WJ. (eds) 2001. Rivers as Ecological Systems: The Murray-Darling Basin. Murray-Darling Basin Commission. Canberra. (PDF, 3198.69 KB)

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Eastern gambusia (Gambusia holbrooki - also known as plague minnow, gambusia and mosquito fish) are native to south-eastern USA. They were initially introduced into NSW waters sometime during the 1920s because of their reputation for mosquito control.

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NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: They're down your street every week, picking up the stuff you chuck out. But where does all your general waste end up?

Well, once it's taken from your bin it goes to this place, a transfer station. The idea here is to reduce the amount of rubbish that goes on to landfill.

REPORTER: Alright Simon, so what's going on here?

SIMON JENNER, TRANSPACIFIC: Basically, all the waste trucks come through here. The materials that have the recycling will get put in a pile and we've got a big yellow excavator sitting there - he'll sit through and sift through and pick up all the waste and try to get a lot of recyclables out of there and also pull out materials that are banned from landfill, so he'll pull out concrete and steel, a lot of metals, lot of cardboard, a lot of that sort of thing. The remaining waste gets loaded up gets operated on with some of the machines we have at this site, compacted and then loaded into a truck for disposal for landfill.

REPORTER: I can see there are a lot of seagulls here are they annoying or are they okay?

SIMON: We can work around the seagulls. The seagulls have been living here for many, many years, they're a bit of a pain but that's okay.

From here, the trucks travel to a landfill site. This one's about an hour out of the city.

REPORTER: Alright Simon, so we're at the landfill site now. What's going on over here?

SIMON: Okay so the trucks which have come in have ejected their waste, we now have two machines which are operating within these large net structures. We've got the bulldozer which is pushing the waste out where it needs to go and then we've got this landfill compactor. The landfill compactor's job is to drive over that waste all day everyday making sure it's nicely compacted. This net here keeps the birds from getting in and keeps the litter from getting out.

The waste here is buried about 16 metres underground. There can be up to 8 layers of rubbish stacked on top of each other with a layer of soil in between. Once an area is filled in, trees, shrubs and grass can be planted over it, so you wouldn't necessarily know it was a landfill site.

REPORTER: Now I understand there's a little bit of gas that comes out from here as well. Can you tell me a bit about of that?

SIMON: That's right. So as the waste decomposes it generates what's called landfill gas which is mainly made up of methane and carbon dioxide.

REPORTER: And I've heard of other countries using it - methane - for electricity as well. Is that the case?

SIMON: In the future we'll be getting enough gas out that we'll be able to generate electricity from it as well.

Landfill sites like this are designed to last around 50 years. After that they need to find new places for waste. So next time you chuck something out, have a think about whether it can be recycled or not. Otherwise it will end up in landfill sites like this!

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Where does your general waste end up? We visit a landfill to learn more.

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SARAH LARSEN, REPORTER: Ah, rain. In many parts of Australia it's a welcome sign, bringing that precious water we've all been waiting for. Wait, where is it going? When rain falls on city streets it can't soak into the ground.

REPORTER: So most of it ends up going down here; into the drain.

And on it's way it picks up a whole heap of rubbish, chemicals and other nasties.

REPORTER: That's a problem because this is where stormwater drains end up, in rivers, lakes or in the ocean where it doesn't do anyone any good. Seems like a waste, doesn't it?

So let's go back. Why don't we try to catch some more of that storm water and make it work for us?

That's exactly what's happening here in this suburb. All the houses in this new estate have two pipes. There's your regular drinking water from the reservoir and in the purple one there's recycled storm water. That's used for the garden and flushing the loo. It's cheaper than regular tap water and most importantly it's not being taken out of the Murray which is good for the river.

But wait a sec, remember how gross that water was by the time it went down the drain? So, how do they make it clean enough to use? Here's the answer. It's a wetland and besides being a pretty looking place for birds to hang out, it's an all-natural water treatment plant. The reeds remove nutrients from the water, mud takes out some pollution and the sun's rays destroy bacteria.

The water experts here reckon once the water comes in here, it's clean in just a few hours but, to make sure, they keep it there for 10 days. Then to make it extra clean, the water is pumped underground into an aquifer. They're like underground reservoirs that have formed naturally over thousands of years. The water sits in between sand or rock and it's full of tiny organisms that clean it up. So after a while down there it can be pumped back up to the houses and factories.

At the moment it's not used for drinking but the experts here say after a few years of research it will be good enough. But not everyone's keen on drinking water that was once in the drain. There are stormwater recycling schemes in other parts of the country and now the government is giving 200 million dollars to help set up more. These water recyclers hope one day they'll be everywhere and we'll stop sending our most precious resource down the drain.

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Many Australian towns and cities are still struggling with the drought and are desperately trying to find new ways to get water. One of the answers might be under our feet! Every year billions of litres of rain flows down gutters and into drains. The government wants to change that by encouraging councils to recycle stormwater.

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Miyazaki Hayao | Biography, Movies, & Facts

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Miyazaki Hayao: Miyazaki Hayao, influential Japanese anime director whose lyrical and allusive works won both critical and popular acclaim. His notable films included Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle. Learn more about Miyazaki's life and career.

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Studio Ghibli Artist Kazuo Oga Painting Process

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Studio Ghibli Artist Kazuo Oga Painting Process More on IAMAG on http://www.iamag.co

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A north Queensland artist and conservationist has created a life-size wave using thousands of thongs collected from marine debris.

While some people enjoy scouting the beach for aesthetically-pleasing seashells, David Day prefers collecting thongs and various bits of rubbish.

That is because for the past four years he has incorporated marine debris into his artwork.

"When I first started to make stuff out of it, a lot of people would look at it and think it's just a load of rubbish," the Mackay-based artist laughed.

"But when people started saying the fish I was making resembled what I was trying to make, that encouraged me to work a bit harder and make things look more realistic."

The environmentally-conscious artist has since used his artwork to shine a spotlight on marine conservation.

The gigantic wave took more than six months to create.

"I've caught many a wave in my day, and I've been smashed into the sand plenty of times too," he said.

"But when I was a young fellow, if I could have paddled into wave just like that, I would have been pretty happy.

"Ultimately, I would just like people to think about our marine creatures and the ocean, and try and make a cleaner environment for everyone to enjoy so it can keep living long after we're gone."

The stories behind each thong

Mr Day said some of the thongs he had collected had an interesting back story.

"You can see the teeth marks on this one," he said, pointing to one of the 1,400 thongs.

"Looking at the marks, you can tell it would have been a fairly big shark."

He said it was not uncommon to come across thongs that were covered in foreign writing or designs.

"I remember one thong had fishing line wrapped around it," Mr Day said.

He said someone had obviously gone to a lot of trouble to repair it.

"You wonder where it came from because people here probably wouldn't go to that much effort to repair their thongs," he said.

Lighters ignite artist's work

Mr Day recalls the day his artwork ignited out of concern for the environment.

"I live right on the beach at Shoal Point, so I see directly what litter is washed onto our shores and how constantly it appears," he said.

"Me and my son go for beach walks, and one afternoon we spotted a load of trash on the high-tide shoreline, and we started having a competition to see how many cigarette lighters we could find.

"In less than an hour we collected 22 cigarette lighters off one section of the beach.

"An alarm bell rang in my head and I thought 'If this is just one section of the beach, what is going on everywhere else?'"

Hoping to raise further awareness regarding his environmental concerns, Mr Day created a ABC Open video about his work, which received international attention.

"There are lots of places and different islands that I've never even heard of that have friended me on Facebook and given me words of encouragement," he said.

"That's what the translation says anyway," he said, tongue-in-cheek.

Mr Day's most recent artwork will be on display at the Mackay beach races later this month.

He said he was grateful to the Mackay Regional Council to receive RADF funding that gave him the chance produce an art piece that had an important environmental message.

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Artist creates giant wave using thousands of thongs

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A north Queensland artist and conservationist has created a life-size wave using thousands of thongs collected from marine debris. While some people enjoy scouting the beach for aesthetically-pleasing seashells, David Day prefers collecting thongs and various bits of rubbish. That is because for the past four years he has incorporated marine debris into his artwork.

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For our first walk (the orange trail on maps below) we explored the centre of Northbridge. We started at Chinatown where there are numerous artworks within the restaurant precinct. The artist I am the Wong chose a Chinese expression 'If people are of one heart, even the yellow earth can become gold' for his mural. This expression underpins the idea that when people stick together, anything can be achieved. As an example the Chinese community banded together and created their own place in Perth in spite of the White Australia Policy and anti-Asian attitudes on the goldfields.

Other art featured in the precinct:

From Chinatown we explored Nick's Lane to Roe Street and the little laneway that links Nick's Lane to the car park to see the gorgeous AMOK sugar glider and the curious creature by CURIOT.

At the back of the Roe Street carpark you will find Border Crossing. Get up close and you'll see that the background notations are actually beautiful lines of poetry and a recipe for lime pickle! This beautiful mural, commissioned in 2012, formed part of the original Art City Walking Trail.

From there we wandered past the DAEK murals at Arcade 189 (William Street).

We then followed William Street to James Street where we took the laneway between the Alex Hotel and the Alexander Library. Just be aware these laneways run behind restaurants and nightclubs so they can be a little confronting or unsavoury depending on when you are there.

Reaching Francis Street follow the adjacent laneway to see Memory of the Land, a massive mural on the side of the TAFE building. The artist, Aec explains that the mural is symbolic of Australian history and nature and touches on eternity.

Another standout is Migration, another enormous mural on the TAFE building.

Continuing along Aberdeen Street you come across Baba Yaga's Houses. Inspired by a character in Eastern European folklore these funny little sculptures capture Baba Yaga, a witch who flies around in a mortar, wields a pestle, and lives in a hut that stands on dancing chicken legs.

This side of the TAFE building does not disappoint with another massive mural Rainbow Serpent, based on the Aboriginal mythological tale of the creator figure the Waugyl . The mural also features a numbat, a balga and a red tailed black cockatoo.

And one more! Also on TAFE is Self Protection of the Immigrant in Ourself ' . Opposite is a mural featuring Perth rapper and Hip Hop artist, Robert Hunter - aka MC Hunter. Hunter died at the age of 36, after losing a two year battle with cancer.

This is where we leave the orange trail and follow the blue trail, continuing along Aberdeen Street past the beautiful kaleidoscope style mural by Perth artist Ian Williams and these wiry characters relaxing outside the TAFE Art and Design Centre.

Continuing along Beaufort Street past Weld Square we turned down Little Parry Street where we found some remarkable artworks dotting this laneway.

As we emerged back on William Street we could see the eye catching black and white mural on the wall behind the Good Fortune Roast Duck House , an uplifting mural on the walls of the Salvation Army and the very pretty Red Tail and White Tail Cockatoos mural on the corner of Newcastle & William Streets.

Here you can also find The Ballad Of Gary Hayes on the side of The Moon - Cafe. Do you recognise what is now Elizabeth Quay!

You can spend quite some time taking in all the detail of these wonderful murals by Melski.

Heading down Lake Street, past the wild animals at Holey Moley, we detoured along Francis Street where a couple of murals caught our attention before doubling back to look at the Arch sculpture featured in the roundabout at James and Lake Street..

In Northbridge Piazza we found the swan and lady mural by - I wonder what she is thinking? - before continuing down Lake Street to Roe Street where you can see Anya Brock's colourful murals. This rounded off our walk bringing us back to where we started near Chinatown.

The orange trail only took about an hour to walk....

but the blue trail took us to the outskirts and ended up taking 3 hours. This was an unplanned walk which had us wandering down some laneways with no art and backtracking to others that did have art - all part of the fun of exploring.

If you enjoyed reading this blog you might like to read about more art trails in my Blog or for hiking trails and urban walks head to https://www.outandaboutfnc.com/blog-1

In the spirit of reconciliation Out and About- Family Nature Connection acknowledges the traditional owners of the Wadjak boodjar (Perth land) and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

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This blog is a combination of a planned and an unplanned walk to explore the street art in Northbridge. For our first walk (the orange trail on maps below) we explored the centre of Northbridge. We started at Chinatown where there are numerous artworks within the restaurant precinct.

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Discover more about this format and the key characteristics of Japanese illustration

The word "manga" refers to Japanese comics and graphic novels. The manga industry is huge and a key part of Japanese culture: its reach goes way beyond the country's borders.

In this blog post, we explore the history and main features of this genre.

For those of us who are not from Japan, the word manga refers to the drawing style that makes Japanese comics so recognizable and the particular look of the characters they depict. For us, manga is not as broad a category as it is for Japanese people.

We consider it a unique genre with distinctive qualities and features ranging from the way it is read, how it is serialized, the use of certain colors, and its own beauty standards.

When did manga first appear?

Researchers dispute the time period during which manga first appeared: some say it was during the twelfth century since drawings accompanied by texts from that era have been interpreted as having manga-like characteristics. However, for other scholars, manga is a cultural expression born in the early twentieth century.

What we now call manga first became massively popular in the 1980s, thanks to Japanese animator Osamu Tezuka's series, "Astro Boy". In fact, many of the characteristics that we associate with manga, such as the characters having large glistening eyes, came from him.

While non-Japanese readers see manga as something unique and different from Western genres, Tezuka has actually said that he drew inspiration from American cartoons, such as Betty Boop, and early Disney characters, such as Bambi. Ironically, many important Disney cartoonists have talked about having been heavily influenced by the work of Japanese cartoonists, including Hayao Miyazaki.

For decades, there has been a constant cultural exchange between East and West, each taking each other's output as reference material. Craig McCracken created The Powerpuff Girls for Cartoon Network in the late '90s, using anime as a key reference. Later in Japan, The Powerpuff Girls was reimagined as an anime called Powerpuff Girls Z.

Its influence on a generation

In the 1980s and 1990s, Japanese animation experienced a boom in the West and was broadcast on every children's television channel. Nickelodeon is a key example of this phenomenon-it was an entirely Western production, but its narrative and aesthetic were very similar to anime.

Adults who were children in the 80s and 90s have grown up watching anime such as Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Sakura Cardcaptor. These shows have therefore influenced the visual aesthetic of this generation.

What are manga characters' main features?

-Expressive eyes. Big eyes help to convey the characters' emotions in a powerful way.
-Slender silhouettes. The bodies of the characters usually have a proportion of seven heads or more.
-Very white skin
-Japanese-style school uniforms.
-Pages are read from right to left, like traditional Japanese writing.
-Put cartoonish characters in realistic settings.
-Greater variety of transitions between vignettes.
English version by @eloiseedgington. You may also like:
- Manga Tutorial: Give Eyes Color and Sparkle
- 5 Interesting Facts about Manga
- 10 Great Manga Artists and Their Work

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What Are the Key Characteristics of Manga Illustration? | Blog | Domestika

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Discover more about this format and the key characteristics of Japanese illustration The word "manga" refers to Japanese comics and graphic novels. The manga industry is huge and a key part of Japanese culture: its reach goes way beyond the country's borders. In this blog post, we explore the history and main features of this genre.

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https://www.nicmacillustration.com/#/thegreatplasticwave/

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The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a woodblock print by Japanese artist Hokusai, created in late 1831 during the Edo period of Japanese history. The print depicts three boats moving through a storm-tossed sea, with a large, cresting wave forming a spiral in the centre and Mount Fuji visible in the background.

The print is Hokusai's best-known work and the first in his series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, in which the use of Prussian blue revolutionized Japanese prints. The composition of The Great Wave is a synthesis of traditional Japanese prints and use of graphical perspective developed in Europe, and earned him immediate success in Japan and later in Europe, where Hokusai's art inspired works by the Impressionists. Several museums throughout the world hold copies of The Great Wave, many of which came from 19th-century private collections of Japanese prints.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa has been described as "possibly the most reproduced image in the history of all art", as well as being a contender for the "most famous artwork in Japanese history". This woodblock print has influenced several notable artists and musicians, including Vincent van Gogh, Claude Debussy, Claude Monet, and Utagawa Hiroshige.

Plate used to print ukiyo-e

Ukiyo-e is a Japanese printmaking technique which flourished in the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of subjects including female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; Japanese flora and fauna; and erotica. The term ukiyo-e translates as "picture[s] of the floating world".

After Edo (now Tokyo) became the seat of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate in 1603, the class of merchants, craftsmen, and workers benefited most from the city's rapid economic growth, and began to indulge in and patronise the entertainment of kabuki theatre, geisha, and courtesans of the pleasure districts; the term ukiyo ("floating world") came to describe this hedonistic lifestyle. Printed or painted ukiyo-e works were popular with the chōnin class, who had become wealthy enough to afford to decorate their homes with them.

The earliest ukiyo-e works, Hishikawa Moronobu's paintings and monochromatic prints of women, emerged in the 1670s. Colour prints were introduced gradually, and at first were only used for special commissions. By the 1740s, artists such as Okumura Masanobu used multiple woodblocks to print areas of colour. In the 1760s, the success of Suzuki Harunobu's "brocade prints" led to full-colour production becoming standard, with ten or more blocks used to create each print. Some ukiyo-e artists specialized in creating paintings, but most works were prints. Artists rarely carved their own woodblocks; production was divided between the artist, who designed the prints; the carver, who cut the woodblocks; the printer, who inked and pressed the woodblocks onto hand-made paper; and the publisher who financed, promoted, and distributed the works. As printing was done by hand, printers were able to achieve effects impractical with machines, such as the blending or gradation of colours on the printing block.

Hokusai, self-portrait of 1839

Katsushika Hokusai was born in Katsushika, Japan, in 1760 in a district east of Edo. He was the son of a shogun mirrormaker, and at the age of 14, he was named Tokitarō. As Hokusai was never recognised as an heir, it is likely his mother was a concubine.

Hokusai began painting when he was six years old, and when he was twelve his father sent him to work in a bookstore. At sixteen, he became an engraver's apprentice, which he remained for three years while also beginning to create his own illustrations. At eighteen, Hokusai was accepted as an apprentice to artist Katsukawa Shunshō, one of the greatest ukiyo-e artists of his time. When Shunshō died in 1793, Hokusai studied Japanese and Chinese styles, as well as some Dutch and French paintings on his own. In 1800, he published Famous Views of the Eastern Capital and Eight Views of Edo, and began to accept trainees. During this period he began to use the name Hokusai; during his life, he would use more than 30 pseudonyms.

In 1804, Hokusai rose to prominence when he created a 240-square-metre (2,600 sq ft) drawing of a Buddhist monk named Daruma for a festival in Tokyo. Due to his precarious financial situation, in 1812, he published Quick Lessons in Simplified Drawing, and began to travel to Nagoya and Kyoto to recruit more students. In 1814, he published the first of 15 ; volumes of sketches of subjects that interested him, such as people, animals, and Buddha. He published his famous series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji in the late 1820s; it was so popular he later had to add ten more prints. Hokusai died in 1849 at the age of 89.

According to Calza (2003), years before his death Hokusai stated:

From the age of six, I had a passion for copying the form of things and since the age of fifty I have published many drawings, yet of all I drew by my seventieth year there is nothing worth taking into account. At seventy-three years I partly understood the structure of animals, birds, insects and fishes, and the life of grasses and plants. And so, at eighty-six I shall progress further; at ninety I shall even further penetrate their secret meaning, and by one hundred I shall perhaps truly have reached the level of the marvellous and divine. When I am one hundred and ten, each dot, each line will possess a life of its own.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a landscape-format print that was produced in an size of 25 cm × 37 cm (9.8 in × 14.6 in). The landscape is composed of three elements: a stormy sea, three boats, and a mountain. The artist's signature is visible in the upper left-hand corner.

Detail of the centre of the image. In the background is Mount Fuji in blue with a snow-capped peak.

In the background is Mount Fuji and its snow-capped summit; Mount Fuji is the central figure of the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series, which depicts the mountain from different angles. In The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Mount Fuji is depicted in blue with white highlights in a similar way to the wave in the foreground. The dark colour surrounding the mountain appears to indicate the painting is set in the early morning, with the sun rising from the viewer's vantage point and beginning to illuminate the snowy peak. There are cumulonimbus clouds between the mountain and the viewer; although these clouds typically indicate a storm, there is no rain on Fuji or in the main scene.

The scene shows three oshiokuri-bune, fast barges that were used to transport live fish from the Izu and Bōsō peninsulas to markets in Edo Bay. According to analysis by Cartwright and Nakamura (2009), the boats are located in Edo (Tokyo) Bay off Yokohama in present-day Kanagawa Prefecture, with Edo to the north and Mount Fuji to the west. The boats are facing south, likely to Sagami Bay to collect a cargo of fish for sale in Edo. Each boat has eight rowers who are holding their oars. At the front of each boat are two more relief crew members; 30 men are represented in the picture but only 22 are visible. The size of the wave can be approximated using the boats as a reference: the oshiokuri-bune were generally between 12 and 15 metres (39 and 49 ft) long. Taking into account Hokusai reduced the vertical scale by 30%, the wave is between 10 and 12 metres (33 and 39 ft) high.

The sea dominates the composition, which is based on the shape of a wave that spreads out and dominates the entire scene before falling. At this point, the wave forms a perfect spiral with its centre passing through the centre of the design, allowing viewers to see Mount Fuji in the background. The image is made up of curves, with the water's surface being an extension of the curves inside the waves. The big wave's foam-curves generate other curves, which are divided into many small waves that repeat the image of the large wave. Edmond de Goncourt, a French writer, described the wave as follows:

[Drawing] board that was supposed to have been called The Wave. It is much like that almost deified drawing, [created] by a painter gripped by religious terror of a formidable sea that surrounded his country: a drawing that shows [the wave's] angry ascent to the sky, the deep azure of the curl's transparent interior, the tearing of its crest that scatters in a shower of droplets in the form of an animal's claws.

The wave is generally described as that produced by a tsunami, a giant wave or more likely a rogue wave, but also as a monstrous or ghostly wave like a white skeleton threatening the fishermen with its "claws" of foam. This interpretation of the work recalls Hokusai's mastery of Japanese fantasy, which is evidenced by the ghosts in his Hokusai Manga. An examination of the wave on the left side reveals many more "claws" that are ready to seize the fishermen behind the white foam strip. This image recalls many of Hokusai's previous works, including his Hyaku Monogatari series One Hundred Ghost Stories, produced from 1831 to 1832, which more explicitly depicts supernatural themes. The wave's silhouette resembles that of a dragon, which the author frequently depicts, even on Mount Fuji.

Hokusai's signature

The Great Wave off Kanagawa has two inscriptions. The title of the series is written in the upper-left corner within a rectangular frame, which reads: "冨嶽三十六景/神奈川沖/浪裏" Fugaku Sanjūrokkei / Kanagawa oki / nami ura, meaning "Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji / On the high seas in Kanagawa / Under the wave". The inscription to the left of the box bears the artist's signature: 北斎改爲一筆 Hokusai aratame Iitsu hitsu which reads as "(painting) from the brush of Hokusai, who changed his name to Iitsu". Due to his humble origins, Hokusai had no surname; his first nickname Katsushika was derived from the region he came from. Throughout his career, Hokusai used over 30 names and never started a new cycle of work without changing his name, sometimes leaving his name to his students.

Depth and perspective () work in The Great Wave off Kanagawa stand out, with a strong contrast between background and foreground. Two great masses dominate the visual space: the violence of the great wave contrasts with the serenity of the empty background, evoking the yin and yang symbol. Man, powerless, struggles between the two, which may be a reference to Buddhism (in which man-made things are ephemeral), as represented by the boats being swept away by the giant wave, and Shintoism (in which nature is omnipotent).

Hokusai faced numerous challenges during the composition of The Great Wave off Kanagawa. In 1826, whilst in his sixties, he suffered financial difficulty, and in 1827 apparently suffered a serious health problem, probably a stroke. His wife died the following year, and in 1829 he had to rescue his grandson from financial problems, a situation that pushed Hokusai into poverty. Despite sending his grandson to the countryside with his father in 1830, the financial ramifications continued for several years, during which time he was working on Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Cartwright and Nakamura (2009) interpret Hokusai's tribulations as the source of the series' powerful and innovative imagery. Hokusai's goal for the series appears to have been depicting the contrast between the sacred Mount Fuji and secular life.

After several years of work and other drawings, Hokusai arrived at the final design for The Great Wave off Kanagawa in late 1831. Two similar works from around 30 years before the publication of The Great Wave can be considered forerunners: Kanagawa-oki Honmoku no Zu and Oshiokuri Hato Tsusen no Zu, both of which depict a boat (a sailing boat in the former, and a rowing boat in the latter) in the midst of a storm and at the base of a great wave that threatens to engulf them. The Great Wave off Kanagawa demonstrates Hokusai's drawing skill. The print, though simple in appearance to the viewer, is the result of a lengthy process of methodical reflection. Hokusai established the foundations of this method in his 1812 book Quick Lessons in Simplified Drawing, in which he explains that any object can be drawn using the relationship between the circle and the square: "The book consists of showing the technique of drawing using only a ruler and a compass ... This method starts with a line and the most naturally obtained proportion". He continues in the book's preface: "All forms have their own dimensions which we must respect ... It must not be forgotten that such things belong to a universe whose harmony we must not break".

Hokusai returned to the image of The Great Wave a few years later when he produced Kaijo no Fuji for the second volume of One Hundred Views of Fuji. This print features the same relationship between the wave and the mountain, and the same burst of foam. There are no humans or boats in the latter image, and the wave fragments coincide with the flight of birds. While the wave in The Great Wave moves in the opposite direction of the Japanese reading - from right to left - the wave and birds in Kaijo no Fuji move in unison.

Inverted image, which allows for interpretation in the manner a Japanese person normally would

The Japanese interpret The Great Wave off Kanagawa from right to left, emphasising the danger posed by the enormous wave. This is traditional for Japanese paintings, as Japanese script is also read from right to left. Analyzing the boats in the image, particularly that at the top, reveals the slender, tapering bow faces left, implying the Japanese interpretation is correct. The boats' appearances can also be analysed in Hokusai's print Sōshū Chōshi from the series ("Oceans of Wisdom"), in which the boat moves against the current in a rightward direction, as shown by the boat's wake.

The concept of perspective prints arrived in Japan in the 18th century. These prints rely on a single-point perspective rather than a traditional foreground, middle ground, and background, which Hokusai consistently rejected. Objects in traditional Japanese painting and Far Eastern painting in general were not drawn in perspective but rather, as in ancient Egypt, the sizes of objects and figures were determined by the subject's importance within the context.

Perspective, which was first used in Western paintings by Paolo Uccello and Piero della Francesca, was introduced to Japanese artists through Western - particularly Dutch - merchants arriving in Nagasaki. Okumura Masanobu and especially Utagawa Toyoharu made the first attempts to imitate the use of Western perspective, producing engravings depicting the canals of Venice or the ruins of ancient Rome in perspective as early as 1750.

Toyoharu's work greatly influenced Japanese landscape painting, which evolved with the works of Hiroshige - an indirect student of Toyoharu through Toyohiro - and Hokusai. Hokusai became acquainted with Western perspective in the 1790s through Shiba Kōkan's investigations, from whose teaching he benefited. Between 1805 and 1810, Hokusai published the series Mirror of Dutch Pictures - Eight Views of Edo.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa would not have been as successful in the West if audiences did not have a sense of familiarity with the work. It has been interpreted as a Western play seen through the eyes of a Japanese. According to Richard Lane:

Western students first seeing Japanese prints almost invariably settle upon these two late masters [Hokusai and Hiroshige] as representing the pinnacle of Japanese art, little realizing that part of what they admire is the hidden kinship they feel to their own Western tradition. Ironically enough, it was this very work of Hokusai and Hiroshige that helped to revitalize Western painting toward the end of the nineteenth century, through the admiration of the Impressionists and Post-impressionists.

The "blue revolution"

Kōshū Kajikazawa, "Kajikazawa in Kai Province", aizuri-e style

During the 1830s, Hokusai's prints underwent a "blue revolution", in which he made extensive use of the dark-blue pigment Prussian blue. He used this shade of blue for The Great Wave off Kanagawa with indigo, the delicate, quickly fading shade of blue that was commonly used in ukiyo-e works at the time.

Prussian blue, also known in Japanese at the time as Berlin ai (, abbreviated to bero ai (ベロ藍), literally "Berlin indigo"), was imported from Holland beginning in 1820, and was extensively used by Hiroshige and Hokusai after its arrival in Japan in large quantities in 1829.

The first 10 prints in the series, including The Great Wave off Kanagawa, are among the first Japanese prints to feature Prussian blue, which was most likely suggested to the publisher in 1830. This innovation was an immediate success. In early January 1831, Hokusai's publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudō) widely advertised the innovation, and the following year published the next 10 prints in the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series, and unique for their predominantly-blue style, with Kōshū Kajikazawa ("Kajikazawa in Kai Province") being a notable example. In addition to the extensive use of Prussian blue, the outlines on these 10 supplementary prints, known collectively as ura Fuji ("Fuji seen from behind"), are sumi black with India ink.

About 1,000 copies of The Great Wave off Kanagawa were initially printed, resulting in wear in later editions of print copies. It is estimated approximately 8,000 copies were eventually printed.

The first signs of wear were in the pink and yellow of the sky, which fades more in worn copies, resulting in vanishing clouds, a more uniform sky, and broken lines around the box containing the title. Some of the surviving copies have been damaged by light, as woodblock prints of the Edo period used light sensitive colourants. As of 2022, about 100 copies of The Great Wave off Kanagawa are known to survive; some of these copies are housed at Tokyo National Museum, the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum in Matsumoto, the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Sackler Gallery in Washington D.C., the Giverny Museum of Impressionisms in Giverny, the Musée Guimet and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France both in Paris, the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art in Genoa, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, the Civico museo d'arte orientale in Trieste, the Museo d'arte orientale in Turin, and the Bavarian State Library in Munich. Some private collections such as the Gale Collection also have copies of The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

Nineteenth-century private collectors were frequently the source of museum collections of Japanese prints; for example, the copy in the Metropolitan Museum came from Henry Osborne Havemeyer's former collection, which his wife donated to the museum in 1929. The copy in the Bibliothèque nationale de France came from the collection of Samuel Bing in 1888, and the copy in the Musée Guimet is a bequest from Raymond Koechlin, who gave it to the museum in 1932.

In 2023, one of the prints that had been held by a private family since the early 1900s and for a time was displayed at the Glyptotek, Copenhagen, was sold for a record price, 2.8 million dollars.

Original 1905 cover of Claude Debussy's La Mer

After the 1868 Meiji Restoration, Japan ended a long period of isolation and opened to imports from the West. In turn, much Japanese art was exported to Europe and America, and quickly gained popularity. The influence of Japanese art on Western culture became known as Japonisme. Japanese woodblock prints inspired Western artists in many genres, particularly the Impressionists.

As the most famous Japanese print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa influenced great works: in painting, works by Claude Monet; in music, Claude Debussy's ; and in literature, Rainer Maria Rilke's . Claude Debussy, who loved the sea and painted images of the Far East, kept a copy of The Great Wave off Kanagawa in his studio. During his work on La Mer, he was inspired by the print and asked for the image to be used on the cover of the original 1905 score.

Henri Rivière, a draughtsman, engraver, and watercolourist who was also an important figure behind the Paris entertainment venue Le Chat Noir, was one of the first artists to be heavily influenced by Hokusai's work, particularly The Great Wave off Kanagawa. In homage to Hokusai's work, Rivière published a series of lithographs titled The Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower in 1902. Rivière was a collector of Japanese prints who purchased works from Siegfried Bing, Tadamasa Hayashi, and Florine Langweil.

Vincent van Gogh, a great admirer of Hokusai, praised the quality of drawing and use of line in The Great Wave off Kanagawa, and wrote it had a "terrifying" emotional impact. French sculptor Camille Claudel's (1897) replaced the boats in Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa with three women dancing in a circle.

Wayne Crothers, the curator of a 2017 Hokusai exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, described The Great Wave off Kanagawa as "possibly the most reproduced image in the history of all art" while the Wall Street Journal's Ellen Gamerman wrote it "may be the most famous artwork in Japanese history". Hiroshige paid homage to The Great Wave off Kanagawa with his print The Sea off Satta in Suruga Province while French artist Gustave-Henri Jossot produced a satirical painting in the style of The Great Wave off Kanagawa to mock the popularity of Japonisme.

Many modern artists have reinterpreted and adapted the image. Indigenous Australian artist Lin Onus used The Great Wave off Kanagawa as the basis for his 1992 painting Michael and I are just slipping down the pub for a minute. A work named Uprisings by Japanese-American artist Kozyndan is based on the print; the foam of the wave is replaced with rabbits. On computer operating systems designed by Apple Inc., the emoji character for a water wave strongly resembles the wave depicted in the print.

In 2022, the Bank of Japan announced a redesign of Japan's banknotes to begin circulation in 2024. Among other redesigns and security enhancements, the engraving of Mt. Fuji on the obverse of the 1,000 yen banknote will be replaced by a reproduction of the Great Wave, including the portion of the print which depicts Mt. Fuji in the background.

Special television programmes and documentaries about The Great Wave off Kanagawa have been produced; these include the 30-minute, French-language documentary La menace suspendue: La Vague (1995) and a 2004 English-language special programme part of the BBC series The Private Life of a Masterpiece. The Great Wave off Kanagawa is also the subject of the 93rd episode of the BBC radio series A History of the World in 100 Objects produced in collaboration with the British Museum, which was released on 4 September 2010. A replica of The Great Wave off Kanagawa was created for a documentary film about Hokusai released by the British Museum in 2017.

1. ^ "Hokusai "Mad about his art" from Edmond de Goncourt to Norbert Lagane". Guimet Museum. Archived from the original on 14 October 2010.

2. ^ ""The Wave" by Hokusai and "The Jingting Mountains in Autumn" by Shitao". CNDP.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 3 October 2009.

3. ^ Rüf, Isabelle (29 December 2004). "La "Grande vague" du Japonais Hokusai, symbole de la violence des tsunamis". (in French). Archived from the original on 21 October 2008.

4. ^ Graham, John (September 1999). "Hokusai and Hiroshige: Great Japanese Prints from the James A. Michener Collection at the Asian Art Museum". UCSF Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009.

5. ^ "浮世絵の風景を刷新した「ベロ藍」誕生秘話" [The obscure origin of "Berlin indigo", the color that revolutionized scenes in ukiyo-e]. www.adachi-hanga.com (in Japanese). 日本ではその発祥地の名前をとって、「ベルリン藍」と呼びました。「ベルリン藍」を省略した「ベロ藍」の呼び名も広く知られています。[In Japan it was called "Berlin indigo", after its place of invention. The abbreviated form "bero ai" is also well known.]

6. ^ Korenberg, Capucine. "The making and evolution of Hokusai's Great Wave" (PDF). British Museum. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 June 2022.

7. ^ "Bavarian State Library Acquires Katsushika Hokusai's Iconic Artwork 'The Great Wave". ArtDependence. 29 August 2023.

8. ^ "Letter 676: To Theo van Gogh. Arles, Saturday, 8 September 1888". Van Gogh Museum. Archived from the original on 5 December 2016.

9. ^ ""The Great Wave" by Hokusai". Fulmartv.co.uk. 17 April 2004. Archived from the original on 22 July 2010.

Ashcroft, Bill (26 July 2013). "Hybridity and Transformation: The Art of Lin Onus". Postcolonial Text. 8 (1). Archived from the original on 19 June 2021.

Bayou, Hélène (2008). Hokusai 1760-1849 - "L'affolé de son art" d'Edmond de Goncourt à Norbert Lagane (in French). Paris: Réunion des Musées Nationaux. ISBN 978-2-7118-5406-6.

Estampes japonaises: images d'un monde éphémère (in French). Bibliothèque nationale de France. 2008. ISBN 978-84-89860-93-3.

Bickford, Lawrence (1993). "Ukiyo-e Print History". Impressions (17): 1. JSTOR 42597774.

Cartwright, Julyan H. E.; Nakamura, Hisami (20 June 2009). "What kind of a wave is Hokusai's Great wave off Kanagawa?". Notes and Records of the Royal Society. 63 (2): 119-135. doi:10.1098/rsnr.2007.0039. S2CID 35033146.

Dudley, J. M.; Sarano, V.; Dias, F. (2013). "On Hokusai's Great wave off Kanagawa: localization, linearity and a rogue wave in sub-Antarctic waters". Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London. 67 (2): 159-164. doi:10.1098/rsnr.2012.0066. ISSN 0035-9149. PMC . PMID 24687148.

Goncourt, Edmond de (15 September 2015). Hokusai. Parkstone International. ASIN B016XN14YS.

Guth, Christine (2011). "Hokusai's Great Waves in Nineteenth-Century Japanese Visual Culture" (PDF). The Art Bulletin. 93 (4): 468-485. doi:10.1080/00043079.2011.10786019. ISSN 0004-3079. PMID 00043079. S2CID 191470775. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 July 2020.

Harris, James C. (January 2008). "Under the Wave off Kanagawa". JAMA Psychiatry. 65 (1): 12-13. doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2007.21. PMID 18180422. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022.

Hillier, Jack (1970). Gale Catalogue of Japanese Paintings and Prints in the Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Gale. Vol. 2. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-7100-6913-9.

Honour, Hugh; Fleming, John (1991). A World History of Art. Tres Cantos, Madrid: Laurence King Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85669-000-3. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022.

Kikuchi, Sadao; Kenny, Don (1969). A Treasury of Japanese Wood Block Prints (Ukiyo-e). Crown Publishers. OCLC 21250.

Lane, Richard (1962). Masters of the Japanese Print, Their World and Their Work. Creative Media Partners, LLC. ISBN 978-1-01-530023-1.

Ornes, Stephen (2014). "Science and Culture: Dissecting the "Great Wave"". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 111 (37): 13245. Bibcode:2014PNAS..11113245O. doi:10.1073/pnas.1413975111. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC . PMID 25228754.

Penkoff, Ronald (1964). Roots of the Ukiyo-e; Early Woodcuts of the Floating World (PDF). Ball State Teachers College. OCLC 681751700. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2022.

Salter, Rebecca (2001). Japanese Woodblock Printing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-2553-9. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022.

Singer, Robert T. (March-April 1986). "Japanese Painting of the Edo Period". Archaeology. Archaeological Institute of America. 39 (2): 64-67. JSTOR 41731745.

Weston, Mark (2002). Giants of Japan: The Lives of Japan's Greatest Men and Women. Kodansha International. ISBN 978-1-56836-324-0.

Media related to The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai at Wikimedia Commons

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The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a woodblock print by Japanese artist Hokusai, created in late 1831 during the Edo period of Japanese history. The print depicts three boats moving through a storm-tossed sea, with a large, cresting wave forming a spiral in the centre and Mount Fuji visible in the background.

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Can plastic waste become an element of art? Oddly enough, but yes. You can reuse it to create something beautiful, as the artist Veronika Richterovà did.

The problems related to the use (and abuse) of plastic are well known. While experts warn that, at this rate, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea, some people have found a way to reuse the offending material in a very creative way. Indeed, better: making something beautiful out of it. It is done by the Czech artist Veronika Richterovà. Let's discover her creations.

The (real) art of Recycle

"PET-art" is how the artist defines her works. PET is the abbreviation of polyethylene terephthalate, the material of which plastic bottles are mainly composed. Since 2004, Veronika has travelled to over 76 countries and collected thousands of bottles that she has turned into pieces of display art. Indeed, there have been many exhibitions in which she has participated, both individually and together with other contemporary artists. Her brilliant intuition was to realize that the heated plastic becomes moldable and any shape can be obtained.
"The principle is very simple: every PET bottle tends to become smaller when heated. However, in my experience, it is difficult to adjust the process since the different types of bottles are of different quality and their behaviour is often unpredictable. The work is always full of adventures, the final sculpture is usually the result of many experiments. The biggest advantage is that there is a lot of free material all over the world. I have a special house full of bottles that I find, which is my 'treasure' where I can go to choose what I want to work with".
Creations that help the Environment

Born as a visual experiment, it has become a real mission. Cut, heat and shape. What? Several sculptures, but we show you in particular one of the most surprising collections of Richterovà. It's called "Pet Luminaries" and consists of a series of chandeliers made by recycling plastic bottles collected around the world. Elaborate compositions, with a retro taste, almost regal as some works recall the great chandeliers of the 18th and 19th century ballrooms.

An example that can be inspirational: recycling plastic, and many other materials and objects of our daily life, not only it's a gesture of respect for the environment and can reduce waste and save money. It can also be beautiful, fun and bring amazing results.

Have you ever tried do-it-yourself to recycle materials? Share your ideas. And if you want to start, you can take inspiration from this simple activity that we proposed a few weeks ago. Enjoy yourself by freeing your creative ecological spirit!
Cover image: LEAPING GREY MULLETS-detail, 2006, detail

Author: Lucia Anastasi

Student, manager-to-be, travel lover. It doesn't matter where, but go, never stop. Thanks to this belief, I've learned the value of being environmental friendly and I try to be a responsible citizen and traveller. I think that the best way to live in our constantly changing world is to be open-minded, to catch all the opportunities that come on our way.
More posts by Lucia Anastasi →

This entry was posted in curiosity and tagged art, creative reuse, ecofriendly, ecology, plastic, plastic bottles, recycle, recycling, upcycle. Bookmark the permalink.

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PET-art: Turning Plastic Waste into Art - Ecobnb

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The problems related to the use (and abuse) of plastic are well known. While experts warn that, at this rate, by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea, some people have found a way to reuse the offending material in a very creative way.

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Find out more about Amoebic meningitis (brain eating bacteria) https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/F_I/How-safe-are-natural-waterways

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Swan River health warning

The FAQs below are in relation to toxic Alexandrium algal blooms which have previously impacted the Swan River.

Lower Vasse River health advice

The fact sheet below provides general health advice regarding cyanobacterial (blue-green algae) blooms that commonly occur on the Lower Vasse River in Busselton.

What are algae and 'blue-green algae'?

Algae are plants with a very simple cell structure, are mostly aquatic (living on, in or near water) and usually very small (microscopic) in size.

However, some can form visible filaments (strings) and mats and some can grow quite large and appear plant-like (for example, kelp). Some algae may float or attach to rocks, shells, and other plants.

Blue-green algae, known as cyanobacteria, are actually an aquatic type of bacteria. They are microscopic but can create visible scums. They are a natural part of our rivers, marine environments and estuaries (where freshwater from rivers and streams flow into the ocean).

What is an algal bloom?

Occasionally, algae can grow very fast or 'bloom' into thick, visible patches near the surface of the water. Blooms do occur naturally, but excessive nutrients and certain environmental conditions can cause larger growth.

Some blooms may be referred to as 'red tides' because of their colour while other can look like a green mat or even an oily sheen.

How can I tell if there is an algal bloom?

Signs that may indicate that there is an algal bloom include:

brightly coloured water

blue-green scums on the water surface

brown discoloured water

oily films on the water surface.

If you notice any of these signs it is recommended that you do not enter the water until the situation has been clarified. It should be noted that some algal blooms may not affect how the water looks.

Are algal blooms a health hazard?

Most types of algae do not cause health problems, but some algal blooms can be a public health threat. Contact with an algal bloom may cause a number of health problems including:

Certain types of algae can also produce toxins (poisons) that can contaminate shellfish and make them unsafe to eat. Find out more about the risks of collecting wild shellfish.

Large numbers of dead fish (fish kills) can also occur when algal blooms decrease the level of oxygen in a water way. Dead fish should not be collected to eat or be fed to pets.

If you have been exposed to an algal bloom, wash off any of the plant material.

Seek medical advice if you suffer any reaction from the contact or from consuming wild shellfish.

Testing for algal blooms

The Department of Water (external site) tests a number of waterways in Western Australia for algae, including the:

Swan River

Canning River

Murray River

Peel-Harvey estuary

Serpentine River

Vasse River.

When are waterways tested?

Testing programs vary but generally occur from early spring through to late autumn when harmful algal blooms are most common.

The Swan and Canning Rivers are tested more frequently than other waterways.

Monitoring cannot be carried out in all waterways. Just because one part of a waterway is free of an algal bloom at a particular time, it does not mean that another part of the waterway will not be affected.

What is the water tested for?

Water samples are tested for different types of algae and blue-green algae and their levels. The results of the tests are compared with nationally approved guidelines to determine the risk to the public health.

Public health warnings

The Department of Health will provide information if it considers an algal bloom may pose a health risk to people. Public warnings may be issued via television, radio, local or regional newspapers and online.

Prominent health warning signs are usually placed in areas where people commonly access the water. Look for these warning signs and follow the advice.

Local government environmental health officers will also be able to advise of algal bloom warnings for local waterways. Find out how to contact local government (external site).

You can also check the following websites:

What if I think there may be an algal bloom?

Contact the following agencies if you think there is an algal bloom in a waterway:

Your local government environmental health officer

The water body management agency such as:

This publication is provided for education and information purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Information about a service, product or treatment does not imply endorsement and is not intended to replace professional advice. Readers should note that over time currency and completeness of the information may change. All users should seek advice from a qualified professional for answers to their questions.

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Algae are plants with a very simple cell structure, are mostly aquatic (living on, in or near water) and usually very small (microscopic) in size. However, some can form visible filaments (strings) and mats and some can grow quite large and appear plant like (for example, kelp).

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JAMES BARTOLD, REPORTER: We've all seen it clinging to trees and drifting along footpaths. After all we drive in it, we talk on it, we sit on it and we even package our food in it.

Plastic is an everyday part of our lives. Almost half of this plastic we use though is only used once and then it's chucked out. So the majority of our unwanted plastic heads here to landfill. Some other plastic is recycled but they're not the only places it's ending up.

The ocean has become a home for our plastic. It's estimated three point five million pieces of new plastic enter the world's oceans every day and that's not good for the creatures that live there.

Thousands of birds and marine animals die each year because they swallow plastic or get caught up in it but how is all this plastic is getting into the ocean? Well that's what this group of researchers is trying to find out.

This is Lord Howe Island off the east coast of Australia. It's a place that's unspoilt, and beautiful, but it's also a place where wild life is dying.

Plastic can be found within seconds on this deserted island beach and it's by studying this rubbish that the researchers hope they'll find out how it's got all the way over here.

DR BRITTA DENISE HARDESTY: "So as we go out on these beaches and we pick up rubbish on our shores, we say OK, 'This is the debris that's come here. We can then use oceanographic models that tell us, you know, what are the winds, what are the currents? These bits of garbage that ended up here where did they most likely come from?"

REPORTER: Once plastic gets into the water currents send it sailing around the world. So to keep track of all this plastic, where it came from and where it's going the researchers have teamed up with school kids all over Australia to try to build a complete picture.

With the extra hands the research project has already made it more than three quarters of the way around the continent.

Around the country there are other things people are doing to try to stop plastic making its way into the ocean. Devices like these on mouths of rivers or waterways trap things like plastic bottles.

REPORTER: These reeds have been especially planted here by the council. They're here to stop rubbish that comes down the waterways making its way out into the sea.

Some places have gone even further than that.

In 2009 South Australia banned places like supermarkets from giving away light-weight plastic bags. And South Australia also encourages people to recycle plastic bottles by giving ten cents back on every drink bottle you take to a recycling centre.

DR BRITTA DENISE HARDESTY: "Observationally we do not find full plastic bottles or cans or glass bottles in, in South Australia and I would likely attribute that to the, to the container deposit scheme that they have there."

REPORTER: So what can you do to help? Well if you go shopping use green bags or recyclable instead of plastic, and buy containers that can be used more than once. Because if each of us can use less plastic in our lives it means one less piece that can end up here!

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Each day millions of pieces of new plastic get into our oceans.

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CARL SMITH REPORTING: For years, plastic has been slowly choking our oceans. Each day around three and a half million pieces of plastic wash into the sea. Once there, they can harm marine animals that mistake plastic for food or get tangled in it. But where is all that plastic coming from?

CARL: Well it often starts here. We've all seen it caught on plants or blowing down the street and occasionally we've accidentally dropped it ourselves.

This plastic rarely just stays on the street though. Instead it often gets washed into waterways.

CARL: Some plastic does get filtered out in drains like these before it gets into our rivers or waterways.

But the rest of it keeps floating. And because plastic can take hundreds of years to break down you might be surprised at just how far it can travel.

CARL: In year or two a bit of rubbish like this here in Adelaide could wash all the way to New Zealand.

After that much time in the water it could start to break down and eventually turn into this: tiny little specs called micro-plastics that animals can mistake for food.

And that isn't the end of this plastic's journey either. Its next stop is the largest dump in the world.

This is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - a giant part of the Pacific Ocean bigger than New South Wales filled with floating plastic. We know this patch is a big problem but cleaning it up has been either too tricky or too expensive.

That was until this guy came along. At just 16 years old Boyan Slat from the Netherlands started thinking up a solution.

Boyan Slat: I realised, back in High School, there might be an alternative.

For a school project he designed a system of floating barriers that would be up to 100 kilometres long. They would sit in the path of ocean currents, in a v-shape, to capture and funnel any floating plastic. Then these giant towers would suck it all up.

Boyan Slat: Instead of going after the plastic, you could simply wait for the plastic to come to you!

Five years after coming up with the idea, his organisation the Ocean Clean-up is getting ready for a big trial of the technology off the coast of Japan.

Boyan Slat: yes, it works!

But even if they can grab all that plastic floating on the surface he says his organisation still couldn't fix the problem completely.

Boyan Slat: It is of course essential to first close the tap, to prevent any more plastic from reaching the oceans in the first place

So he's calling on everyone to lend a hand.

CARL: Just a single bit of plastic like this can break up into lots of little parts that hang around for ages and cause a lot of damage.

So the best thing you can do is just throw it in the bin!

And who knows how many lives you might save with that one simple act.

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CARL SMITH REPORTING: For years, plastic has been slowly choking our oceans. Each day around three and a half million pieces of plastic wash into the sea. Once there, they can harm marine animals that mistake plastic for food or get tangled in it. But where is all that plastic coming from?

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Come to a place like this and you'll see loads and loads of rubbish.

CARL: But it could be the trash you haven't seen that's causing the biggest problems.

CARL: Those little bright flecks you can see down there are called microplastic and researchers say this miniature rubbish is causing some major problems.

Microplastics can form when bigger bits of plastic break down into smaller bits.

They can even break off our clothes when we wash them! But some companies actually make them too. You probably have some microbeads at home right now in your scrubs or shampoos.

CARL: In fact scientists reckon there are about 300,000 of them in the average bottle of face scrub!

CARL: 300-thousand in a bottle!?

CARL: Yep, and even some toothpastes have plastic microbeads in them too!

Scientists say these microplastics are becoming a really big issue, especially in our oceans.

DR MARK A BROWNE: It is a huge problem. So if you look at the amount of plastic in the environment, over 85% of that is microplastic.

In case you missed that, he said 85 per-cent of plastic in our environment is tiny bits of microplastic! That's really bad news especially for marine animals because those little flecks look a lot like food to them!

Just imagine sitting down for lunch and munching away, only to realise a bunch of what you're eating isn't really food. It's the same colour the same size and it looks a whole lot like the regular food you might eat! But it's actually plastic! That's basically what's happening to creatures that see microplastic floating in our oceans. It can get stuck in their stomach making it harder for them to digest food.

Another big problem is that plastic often has dangerous chemicals in it and they can seep into the animal's body. This not only causes issues for them, but can also be a real danger for the animals that eat them - including humans!

CARL: Unlike other rubbish, microplastic is just too small to get filtered out in water treatment plants like this one, and that means they just end up floating straight out to sea.

So, many people reckon the best way to stop them is just to get rid of them altogether. And in the US that's exactly what they've decided to do!

NEWS READER: President Obama signed a bipartisan bill to phase out microbeads...

Here in Australia our two major supermarkets say they won't stock any products with microbeads past the end of 2017 and the government and scientists are looking for ways to tackle the problem too.

But for those who still like the idea of having little beads like these to wash your face with, many cosmetics companies are now looking at natural biodegradable solutions, things like seeds or other small bits of rough material.

There's still a long way to go, but the fight against this almost invisible enemy has well and truly begun.

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Tuesday the 22nd of March is World Water Day. So we're going to take a closer look at a threat to our oceans that you might not have heard of before. We've all visited the beach and seen heaps of rubbish lying around. But scientists say there's also trash there that we can't see.

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European Rabbit - Photo © DAFWA
The European ...

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Water quality monitoring occurs on a weekly basis in the Swan Canning Estuary and fortnightly in its catchment.

Sampling informs understandings of:

hydrodynamic conditions within the waterway

microalgae activity

estuarine and catchment water quality

Microalgae Activity

A weekly Microalgae Activity Report (MAR) is prepared to inform the public on microalgae activity levels, the probability of discoloration and/or scum formation, and potential warnings. This is based on data collected at 20 routine monitoring sites throughout the Swan Canning river system.

Concentrations of chlorophyll- a, a plant pigment, are used to estimate microalgal activity. This is presented by the use of low, medium and high activity categories. An alert category may be used where an algal species occurs at concentrations that may be harmful to aquatic life or human health and requires public advice.

Key

Low levels of microalgae with no likely visible impact

Possibility of discolouration and/or scum formation

High probability of discolouration and/or scum formation

Presence of species potentially harmful to aquatic life, OR human health requiring public advice

This week's Microalgae Activity Report
Week starting: Monday 14th March 2022 (next update scheduled for 24th March 2022)

Microalgae activity was high upstream from East Perth to Woodbridge (excepting near Ashfield) in the Swan, and from Salter Point to Shelley in the Canning this week.

Dolphins often form resting groups in the middle reaches of the estuary. Keep an eye out for dolphins, and slow down if you spot any.

Help keep our rivers healthy by using slow-release fertiliser to prevent excess nutrients entering the river.

See the map below to view this week's microalgae activity levels. Select the map icons for more information. Trouble viewing the map below? View in a new window.

Estuarine and catchment water quality

Data collected from monitoring in the Swan Canning Estuary and its catchment is compiled into annual reports to inform management. More information on monitoring, evaluation and reporting of the estuarine condition is available on the Parks and Wildlife Service website.

Hydrodynamic conditions

Extensive water quality monitoring is conducted in the Swan River from Fremantle to West Swan, and the Canning River from Mount Pleasant to Langford. Parameters measured include salinity, oxygen content and water temperature.

Water quality profile reports are prepared weekly to convey information on the prevailing conditions within the waterway. Recent reports are available for download at the bottom of this page. Older reports are available on the Parks and Wildlife Service website for the Swan River and the Canning River.

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Water quality monitoring occurs on a weekly basis in the Swan Canning Estuary and fortnightly in its catchment. Sampling informs understandings of: hydrodynamic conditions within the waterway microalgae activity estuarine and catchment water quality A weekly Microalgae Activity Report (MAR) is prepared to inform the public on microalgae activity levels, the probability of discoloration and/or scum formation, and potential warnings.

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The Swan Canning Riverpark is a highly producti...

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The Parramatta River Catchment Group's youngest Riverkeeper, Hannah, sent us this Rookie Report on her research into water quality and why stormwater canal naturalisation is important for water quality and ecological health of rivers.
Hannah has entered her research into a school science competition last year and was a finalist winner. She also won the Keep Australia Beautiful Award as a Young Environment Legend in the 2020 awards.

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Down the Drain - why naturalised stormwater canals are important?

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The Parramatta River Catchment Group's youngest Riverkeeper, Hannah, sent us this Rookie Report on her research into water quality and why stormwater canal naturalisation is important for water quality and ecological health of rivers. Hannah has entered her research into a school science competition last year and was a finalist winner.

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Bandalong Litter TrapTM is designed to float in waterways in order to capture litter before it flows further downstream by using the current to guide debris into the trap.

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Bandalong Litter TrapTM is designed to float in waterways in order to capture litter before it flows further downstream by using the current to guide debris into the trap.

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Here's 40 ways to...

Promote the message, change your behaviour or get great tips for protecting our waterways and keeping marine life safe. Click on the icons to find out more.

1. Spread the Clean Marine message by talking to people who litter around you or have some Clean Marine information on hand to pass on. Download the Clean Marine Fact Sheet.

2. Give friends presents of useful things for fishing and boating which will help them manage their litter, like butt bins, fishing bucket or reusable cups. Click here for some great gift ideas that impact positively on the environment and protect marine life.

3. Carry a container with you for your butts and your rubbish. Order online here.

4. Promote the anti-litter message by carrying the Clean Marine sticker on your fishing tackle box, esky or boat. For your free sticker email kabc@kabc.wa.gov.au.

5. Teachers: involve your students! Classroom presentations and educational materials are available from Keep Australia Beautiful. Order your free resources here.

6. Interact with amazing Western Australian marine life every day of the week. Download beautiful photos for your desktop .

For local governments

7. Contact KAB WA to obtain the Clean Marine media pack and look for ways to spread the Clean Marine message to your residents.

8. Access the Clean Marine signage templates for use in developing signs for local jetties and boat ramps.

9. Talk to KAB WA community education staff for advice and support to develop an anti-litter campaign in your community.

10. Use the Clean Marine campaign materials to add value to other marine and river based activities run through your shire or local government.

11. Contact KAB WA to organise a free guest speaker to present to your group on Clean Marine and other anti-litter programs.

12. Join the Tangaroa Blue Foundation whose goal is to create awareness in the community of marine environmental and conservation issues through marine environmental science projects; and to proactively participate in removing marine debris from the environment.

13. Join the Litter Report Scheme - Become a litter reporter and join the 9000 other WA litter reporters who report littering from boats and vehicles.

14. Adopt-a-Spot - adopt your local fishing/boating spot and receive free tools and support to keep it litter-free.

15. Join the WA Beach Cleanup event and partcipate with others around the state in October each year. More details at www.tangaroablue.org.au.

16. Report injured or dead marine animals or other wildlife to the Wildlife Carers Hotline on 9474 9055.

17. Connect with conservation agencies and learn more protecting our marine life. http://saveourmarinelife.org.au/

18. Stow it, don't throw it .Waste should be stored onboard and discharged ashore in a proper reception facility.

19. Fishing gear should never be deliberately discarded but taken ashore for proper disposal. Recycle monofilament fishing line or place in bins. DO NOT throw it overboard.

20. Take steps to avoid losing line by snagging. If possible, rig your line with a light leader so it breaks close to the hook if you do get snagged.

21. Use biodegradable fishing equipment and bait bags (http://www.greentackle.com/)

22. Always bin your fishing litter! See more information on the new fishing line bin disposal units along the Swan River, including locations.

23. Be a green boater: Protect the boating experience along with the ocean. A little spill makes a big difference - be especially careful with oil, petrol, solvents, and sewage. Refuelling is where most spills happen. Recycle used oil and oil filters.

24. Bring your litter back to shore. Bring your food containers, cigarette butts (filters are not biodegradable, contain toxic chemicals, and persist for years), and other waste back to shore and recycle when possible.

25. As Captain, take charge - do not allow any debris to be thrown overboard. You can be fined if the law is violated aboard your boat. Educate passengers about the law, as well as the impacts of improperly discarded litter on the marine environment.

26. If an item is washed or blown overboard, go back and retrieve it.

27. Bring portable toilets ashore for proper disposal. Use readily biodegradable and environmentally friendly chemicals for cleaning and maintenance. If you must pump out greywater at sea, make sure you're as far as possible from reefs and islands.

28. Keep street gutters and drains clear of leaves as they can block drains and cause flooding. Rotting organic matter can contribute to nutrient overload in the rivers.

29. Prevent contaminated runoff. No matter where you live, ocean and rivers are downstream. Only apply fertiliser when it's needed in spring or early autumn, and never over water.

30. Grow local native plants in your garden. They need less water and fertiliser and attract native birds, lizards and insects.

31. Wash your car on the lawn to keep detergents out of the stormwater drainage system.

32. One litre of oil can contaminate one million litres of water. Use council drop-off centres who will take leftover oil and any excess solvent and paint.

33. Dog waste that washes into stormwater drains and waterways increases nutrients in the rivers. Use a dog scoop bag or put waste in your garden.

34. Reduce: Since packaging materials account for much of the litter we generate, they provide a good opportunity for reducing waste - consider items with less, reusable, or recyclable packaging. See tools to reduce your waste here.

35. Reuse: Choose reusable shopping bags, coffee mugs, and food containers (http://products.planetark.org/paproducts/).

36. Recycle: If you can't reuse it, recycle it. Check online or with your local council to see what you can and can't give back, and recycle everything possible.

37. Talk to your local government if a local area needs infrastructure to help contain litter.

38. Marinas: Set up recycling bins for staff and customers and talk about the dangers of marine debris. Promote and use waste and oil recycling at your dock, marina, or port.

39. Provide special collection bins for hazardous items like batteries and flares to keep them from being discarded in the water.

40. Signage - Let people know that fishing litter discarded in the water is dangerous for wildlife.
Clean Marine is a joint initiative between government and community partners. Link here to Clean Marine resources.

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1. Spread the Clean Marine message by talking to people who litter around you or have some Clean Marine information on hand to pass on. Download the Clean Marine Fact Sheet. 2. Give friends presents of useful things for fishing and boating which will help them manage their litter, like butt bins, fishing bucket or reusable cups.

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The mechanical stomach powering homes by digesting old food scraps

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Tonnes of food scraps collected from restaurants and supermarkets are being converted into electricity under a green energy initiative powering thousands of homes in Perth.

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How does the greenhouse effect work?

As you might expect from the name, the greenhouse effect works ... like a greenhouse! A greenhouse is a building with glass walls and a glass roof. Greenhouses are used to grow plants, such as tomatoes and tropical flowers.

A greenhouse stays warm inside, even during the winter. In the daytime, sunlight shines into the greenhouse and warms the plants and air inside. At nighttime, it's colder outside, but the greenhouse stays pretty warm inside. That's because the glass walls of the greenhouse trap the Sun's heat.

The greenhouse effect works much the same way on Earth. Gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, trap heat similar to the glass roof of a greenhouse. These heat-trapping gases are called greenhouse gases.

During the day, the Sun shines through the atmosphere. Earth's surface warms up in the sunlight. At night, Earth's surface cools, releasing heat back into the air. But some of the heat is trapped by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. That's what keeps our Earth a warm and cozy 58 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celsius), on average.

How are humans impacting the greenhouse effect?

Human activities are changing Earth's natural greenhouse effect. Burning fossil fuels like coal and oil puts more carbon dioxide into our atmosphere.

NASA has observed increases in the amount of carbon dioxide and some other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Too much of these greenhouse gases can cause Earth's atmosphere to trap more and more heat. This causes Earth to warm up.

What reduces the greenhouse effect on Earth?

Just like a glass greenhouse, Earth's greenhouse is also full of plants! Plants can help to balance the greenhouse effect on Earth. All plants - from giant trees to tiny phytoplankton in the ocean - take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen.

The ocean also absorbs a lot of excess carbon dioxide in the air. Unfortunately, the increased carbon dioxide in the ocean changes the water, making it more acidic. This is called ocean acidification.

More acidic water can be harmful to many ocean creatures, such as certain shellfish and coral. Warming oceans - from too many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - can also be harmful to these organisms. Warmer waters are a main cause of coral bleaching.

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Learn more about this process that occurs when gases in Earth's atmosphere trap the Sun's heat.

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Air pollution happens when solid and liquid particles-called aerosols -and certain gases end up in our air. These particles and gases can be bad for the planet and for our health, so keeping track of them is important.

Where do aerosols come from?

Any particle that gets picked up into the air or is formed from chemical reactions in the air can be an aerosol. Many aerosols enter the atmosphere when we burn fossil fuels-such as coal and petroleum-and wood. These particles can come from many sources, including car exhaust, factories and even wildfires. Some of the particles and gases come directly from these sources, but others form through chemical reactions in the air.

Aerosols can come from other places, too, such as ash from an erupting volcano. Dust, pollen from plants and mold spores are also examples of aerosols.

What else causes air pollution?

Certain gases in the atmosphere can cause air pollution. For example, in cities, a gas called ozone is a major cause of air pollution. Ozone is also a greenhouse gas that can be both good and bad for our environment. It all depends where it is in Earth's atmosphere.

Ozone high up in our atmosphere is a good thing. It helps block harmful energy from the Sun, called radiation. But, when ozone is closer to the ground, it can be really bad for our health. Ground level ozone is created when sunlight reacts with certain chemicals that come from sources of burning fossil fuels, such as factories or car exhaust.

When particles in the air combine with ozone, they create smog. Smog is a type of air pollution that looks like smoky fog and makes it difficult to see.

How does air pollution affect Earth's climate?

Aerosols can impact how the Sun's light hits Earth. For example, some aerosols reflect sunlight while others absorb sunlight. It depends on the color of the particle.

Dark surfaces-whether it's a black t-shirt or a dark particle in the atmosphere-absorb the Sun's heat. Lighter-colored surfaces reflect heat from the Sun.

A white t-shirt reflects the Sun on a hot day, making you feel cooler. In the same way, light-colored particles that reflect the Sun's light and heat away from Earth can make the global temperature cooler. Dark-colored particles that absorb the Sun's light can make the global temperature warmer.

How does air pollution affect our health?

Breathing in polluted air can be very bad for our health. Long-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with diseases of the heart and lungs, cancers and other health problems. That's why it's important for us to monitor air pollution.

How is NASA monitoring air pollution?

NASA uses satellites orbiting Earth to keep an eye on air pollution. In fact, air quality forecasters use information about aerosols from NASA's Aqua, Terra and Suomi-NPP satellites.

NASA also is developing a new instrument called the Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols, or MAIA, to fly aboard a future spacecraft mission. MAIA will help scientists understand the size, makeup and quantity of aerosols in our air. Eventually, scientists will be able to compare this information with health records. This can help us better understand the relationship between aerosol pollution and human health.

Related NASA Missions

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Air pollution is caused by solid or liquid particles and certain gases suspended in the air. These particles and gases can come from car and truck exhaust, factories, dust, pollen, mold spores, volcanoes and wildfires.

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The difference between air pollution and greenhouse gases is easy to understand:

Air Pollution refers to presence of substances in the atmosphere that have a detrimental effect on humans and other living organisms

Greenhouse Gases are gases that have the ability to absorb and trap heat. This causes a greenhouse effect on earth. Examples of such gases include water vapor, methane and carbon dioxide.

Hence, air pollution is bound to be detrimental for human health while greenhouse gases are not (in lower concentrations of course). In fact, greenhouse gases are required for life on earth as they provide insulation from the cold vacuum of space.

Main Articles:

Frequently Asked Questions on Air pollution and Greenhouse gases

Explore more about details about air pollution, greenhouse gases or other related topics by registering with BYJU'S Biology.

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What is the difference between air pollution and greenhouse gases?

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The difference between air pollution and greenhouse gases is easy to understand: Air Pollution refers to presence of substances in the atmosphere that have a detrimental effect on humans and other living organisms Greenhouse Gases are gases that have the ability to absorb and trap heat. This causes a greenhouse effect on earth.

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Global Warming Definition

"Global warming is a gradual increase in the earth's temperature generally due to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants. "
Table of Contents
What is Global Warming?

Global warming is the phenomenon of a gradual increase in the temperature near the earth's surface. This phenomenon has been observed over the past one or two centuries. This change has disturbed the climatic pattern of the earth. However, the concept of global warming is quite controversial but the scientists have provided relevant data in support of the fact that the temperature of the earth is rising constantly.

There are several causes of global warming, which have a negative effect on humans, plants and animals. These causes may be natural or might be the outcome of human activities. In order to curb the issues, it is very important to understand the negative impacts of global warming.

For More Information On Global Warming, Watch The Below Video:

Let us have a detailed study of global warming, its causes and its effects.
Also Read: Environmental Issues
Causes of Global Warming

Following are the major causes of global warming:

Man-made Causes of Global Warming

Deforestation

Plants are the main source of oxygen. They take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen thereby maintaining environmental balance. Forests are being depleted for many domestic and commercial purposes. This has led to an environmental imbalance, thereby giving rise to global warming.

Use of Vehicles

The use of vehicles, even for a very short distance results in various gaseous emissions. Vehicles burn fossil fuels which emit a large amount of carbon dioxide and other toxins into the atmosphere resulting in a temperature increase.

Chlorofluorocarbon

With the excessive use of air conditioners and refrigerators, humans have been adding CFCs into the environment which affects the atmospheric ozone layer. The ozone layer protects the earth surface from the harmful ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun. The CFCs have led to ozone layer depletion making way for the ultraviolet rays, thereby increasing the temperature of the earth.

Industrial Development

With the advent of industrialization, the temperature of the earth has been increasing rapidly. The harmful emissions from the factories add to the increasing temperature of the earth.

In 2013, the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change reported that the increase in the global temperature between 1880 and 2012 has been 0.9 degrees Celsius. The increase is 1.1 degrees Celsius when compared to the pre-industrial mean temperature.

Agriculture

Various farming activities produce carbon dioxide and methane gas. These add to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and increase the temperature of the earth.

Overpopulation

An increase in population means more people breathing. This leads to an increase in the level of carbon dioxide, the primary gas causing global warming, in the atmosphere.

Natural Causes of Global Warming

Volcanoes

Volcanoes are one of the largest natural contributors to global warming. The ash and smoke emitted during volcanic eruptions goes out into the atmosphere and affects the climate.

Water Vapour

Water vapour is a kind of greenhouse gas. Due to the increase in the earth's temperature, more water gets evaporated from the water bodies and stays in the atmosphere adding to global warming.

Melting Permafrost

Permafrost is frozen soil that has environmental gases trapped in it for several years and is present below Earth's surface. It is present in glaciers. As the permafrost melts, it releases the gases back into the atmosphere, increasing Earth's temperature.

Forest Blazes
Also Read: Bergmann's Rule
Forest blazes or forest fires emit a large amount of carbon-containing smoke. These gases are released into the atmosphere and increase the earth's temperature resulting in global warming.

Effects of Global Warming

Following are the major effects of global warming:

Rise in Temperature

Global warming has led to an incredible increase in earth's temperature. Since 1880, the earth's temperature has increased by ~1 degrees. This has resulted in an increase in the melting of glaciers, which have led to an increase in the sea level. This could have devastating effects on coastal regions.

Threats to the Ecosystem

Global warming has affected the coral reefs that can lead to the loss of plant and animal lives. Increase in global temperatures has made the fragility of coral reefs even worse.

Climate Change

Global warming has led to a change in climatic conditions. There are droughts at some places and floods at some. This climatic imbalance is the result of global warming.

Spread of Diseases

Global warming leads to a change in the patterns of heat and humidity. This has led to the movement of mosquitoes that carry and spread diseases.

High Mortality Rates

Due to an increase in floods, tsunamis and other natural calamities, the average death toll usually increases. Also, such events can bring about the spread of diseases that can hamper human life.

Loss of Natural Habitat

What is global warming?

Global warming is the phenomenon of gradual increase in the average temperature of earth . It is caused by the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, CFCs etc. into the atmosphere.

What do CFCs stand for? What is the role of CFC in global warming?

CFCs stand for chlorofluorocarbons. Ozone layer is responsible for protecting the surface of the earth from the sun's harmful radiations. CFCs destroy the ozone layer of the atmosphere. This makes the way for the ultraviolet rays to reach the earth, thus, increasing the temperature which leads to global warming.

How does global warming affect climate change?

The change in climatic conditions is a result of global warming. The burning of fossil fuels, cutting down of trees etc. causes the temperature of the earth to increase. High temperature changes the weather patterns, causing the dry areas to get drier and wet areas to get wetter. Thus, increasing the frequency of disasters like floods, droughts etc.

How can we control global warming?

The release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is the major cause of global warming. It can be reduced by setting a high price of carbon, increasing the biofuels production from organic waste, use of renewable energy like solar and wind power, safeguarding forests and improving energy efficiency and vehicle fuel economy.

A global shift in the climate leads to the loss of habitats of several plants and animals. In this case, the animals need to migrate from their natural habitat and many of them even become extinct. This is yet another major impact of global warming on biodiversity.

Frequently Asked Questions

To know more about global warming, its definition, causes and effects, keep visiting the BYJU'S website or download BYJU'S app for further reference.

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What Is Global Warming? - Definition, Causes & Effects

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"Global warming is a gradual increase in the earth's temperature generally due to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants. " Table of Contents What is Global Warming? Global warming is the phenomenon of a gradual increase in the temperature near the earth's surface.

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Effects of Air Pollution | Center for Science Education

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Air pollution affects all things. It is harmful to our health, and it impacts the environment. Greenhouse gas pollution affects the entire planet.

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Air pollutants have an impact on our planet's climate, but not all pollutants have the same effect. Some types of air pollution cause the climate to warm, while others have a temporary cooling effect that lasts a few days or weeks.

Some Air Pollutants Cause the Climate to Warm

Energy from the Sun reaches Earth's surface and is radiated back into the atmosphere as heat. Greenhouse gases prevent some of that heat from leaving the atmosphere. The recent increase in greenhouse gas pollution is trapping excess heat and causing the climate to warm.
Koshland Science Museum
Air pollution includes greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Greenhouse gases cause the climate to warm by trapping heat from the Sun in the Earth's atmosphere. Greenhouse gases are a natural part of Earth's atmosphere, but their increasing amounts in our atmosphere since the early 1900s are causing the climate to warm. The increase comes from vehicle exhaust, pollutants released from smokestacks at factories and power plants, emissions from agriculture, and other sources. Scientists predict that Earth will warm more this century than it did in the 20th century.

According to a NASA study, an increase in ozone pollution, or smog, is causing warming in the Arctic regions. Ozone in the troposphere is a greenhouse gas and also a health hazard. Ozone pollution created in the Northern Hemisphere is transported toward the Arctic during winter and spring months, which leads to warming. Ozone pollution has the greatest impact on the region where it originates, which means some areas are warming more than others. The Arctic is currently warming faster than any other region on Earth, partly because of ozone pollution, but also because of positive feedback loops, where warming melts snow and ice, which changes the Earth's surface and leads to more warming. The warming climate is causing drastic changes to Arctic ecosystems.

Some Air Pollutants Cause Cooling

Burning fossil fuels releases tiny particles into the atmosphere called aerosols. Most of these particles naturally get into the atmosphere through volcanoes, dust, or sea spray, while others enter the atmosphere as air pollution from cars, vehicles, and smokestacks. Aerosols have an impact on climate. While not all aerosols affect the atmosphere in the same way, they have a cooling effect overall.

Visible particulate pollution over Beijing, China can increase cloud cover and deflect energy from the Sun back into space.

Aerosols in the atmosphere can change the amount of solar energy reflected away from Earth. Some types of aerosols, such as sea salt particles from the ocean, reflect sunlight back out into space, which can help to cool the climate. Others, such as black carbon particles from burning wood or fossil fuels, absorb most of the sunlight that hits them, which leads to warming.

Aerosols also help clouds form, which has an impact on climate. The millions of tiny water droplets that make up a cloud each need a particle, like an aerosol, for the water to condense upon. Air pollutants that increase the amount of aerosols in the atmosphere can also cause more clouds to form. Scientists are still exploring the impacts of different kinds of clouds on climate, but in general low clouds reflect incoming solar radiation back out to space, which has a cooling effect, and high clouds trap heat within the atmosphere, which has a warming effect.

Greenhouse gases remain in the atmosphere for years, much longer than aerosols can stay in the atmosphere. Thus, the warming effect of greenhouse gases is larger than the cooling effect of aerosols. Computer models indicate that, worldwide, the tiny aerosols cause about half as much cooling as greenhouse gases cause warming.

Warming Affects Air Quality, Too

Air pollution is causing the climate to change, and climate change is also causing air quality to change. Because of climate warming, the Earth experiences more extreme weather, such as heat waves and drought, which can negatively impact air quality. Heat waves cause an increase in ground-level ozone pollution because the chemical reactions that create ozone in the atmosphere occur more often in hot temperatures.

Higher pollen concentrations and longer pollen seasons are influenced by the changing climate. Airborne allergens, like pollen, decrease air quality and cause health problems.

During heat waves, areas of high pressure create stagnant air that concentrates air pollutants in one area. Prolonged high temperatures due to climate warming often lead to drought conditions where forest fires, which release carbon monoxide and particulates, become more common. Dry, dusty air during periods of hot weather also increases the amount of particulate pollution.

On a related note, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that causes the climate to warm also causes plants to grow. Increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide leads to an increase in the plants that cause allergies, which increases the amount of airborne allergen pollutants. The warming climate also extends the growing season in some areas, which increases the number of days with high pollen concentrations. Airborne allergens degrade both outdoor and indoor air quality and cause respiratory problems such as asthma and allergies. This establishes an unhealthy cycle where air pollution leads to climate warming, which then leads to more air pollution.

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Air pollutants have an impact on our planet's climate. Some pollutants cause the climate to warm, while others cause a temporary cooling effect.

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This content is more than 3 years old

Bushfire season in Australia is getting worse and worse. These fires directly affect Australians in more ways than we can count - thousands of homes have been lost, communities are being flattened, and tragically, lives have been claimed. While many brave firefighters and everyday Australians have been battling the blaze in their own backyards, others have experienced the fires from afar in the form of hazardous smoke.

Since the devastating fires of 2019-20, we've received a lot of questions regarding air quality and the smoke from bushfires, and the impact of climate change on air quality overall. Here, we've answered a few of those questions, and provided some tips on looking after your health when air quality is poor.

How does climate change impact air quality?

Climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions released from the burning of fossil fuels: coal, oil, and gas. Burning fossil fuels not only drives dangerous warming, it also has a significant impact on air quality and human health. In Australia, air pollution-primarily from burning fossil fuels-already causes about 3,000 premature deaths per year.

Climate change affects air quality in a range of ways, including through its influence on pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter (fine particles in the air), and aeroallergens, such as pollens and moulds. Climate change also indirectly influences particulate matter levels by increasing the frequency and severity of bushfires and dust storms in regions that are projected to be hotter and drier. Bushfires and dust storms are the main cause of extreme pollution events in areas such as Sydney.

How does poor air quality affect health?

Poor air quality, especially from bushfire smoke, creates a range of health problems, especially for those with pre-existing heart or lung conditions. Bushfire smoke contains very fine particles and carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) such as formaldehyde and benzene. Fine particulate matter is particularly damaging to health because it can travel deep into the lungs and even into the bloodstream. As smoke can travel for thousands of kilometres and cover large areas - like we've seen across Australia during the current bushfire crisis - large populations can be exposed to it.

S moke from bushfires blankets Manly Beach in Sydney

Who is most vulnerable to the impacts of bushfire smoke and poor air quality?

People with existing heart or lung conditions such as asthma, children under the age of 14, people over the age of 65, and pregnant women are among the groups most vulnerable to the impacts of bushfire smoke and poor air quality.

Anyone who develops breathlessness, wheeziness, chest tightness, or a persistent cough should seek medical attention immediately.

Recent conditions in Australian cities

New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia have all faced dangerous air quality conditions this bushfire season. Bushfire smoke haze has been affecting the air quality for millions of people, including those in major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra. In November 2019, parts of Sydney experienced air quality more than 12 times the hazardous level of 200. On 1 January 2020, the air quality index in parts of Canberra (Monash) reached 4,650 - more than 23 times the hazardous threshold.

The best way to stay up to date on the conditions in your location is to consult your local air quality information. The Bureau of Meteorology provides links to smoke and air quality information for each state and territory. The free AirRater app provides information and updates on air quality covering most states and territories. Some states and territories also provide real-time air quality updates that you can subscribe to on your phone.

How can I protect my health in poor air quality conditions?

The best way to protect your health from bushfire smoke and poor air quality is to limit your exposure when conditions are dangerous. This includes staying indoors with the doors and windows shut, and avoiding vigorous exercise outdoors. When conditions are rated as 'hazardous', avoid exercise outdoors. As a rule of thumb, even healthy people should avoid exercising outside when there is visible smoke in the air. People in vulnerable groups or who are particularly sensitive to the smoke should take extra care.

What must our leaders do to address our worsening air quality?

Worsening climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of bushfires and their associated impacts on health and air quality. While the Federal Government is failing to adequately respond to the climate crisis and the escalating bushfire threat, Australians from all walks of life are demanding action, including doctors and other health professionals. The main sources of air pollution are also the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions, which are driving climate change. Acting on climate change and reducing these emissions is key to ensuring healthy air for our communities.

The government must develop an urgent plan to:

1. Prepare Australian communities and health and emergency services for escalating fire danger; and

2. Rapidly phase out the burning of coal oil and gas, which is driving more dangerous bushfires and their associated air quality and health impacts.

Air quality resources by state and territory
New South Wales Queensland Victoria South Australia
SA Health - Bushfires
https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/Public+Content/SA+Health+Internet/Protecting+public+health/Bushfires/#bushfiresection Western Australia Tasmania
Bushfire Smoke and Your Health - https://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/publichealth/air/bushfire_smoke
Australian Capital Territory
Air Quality in the ACT: https://www.health.act.gov.au/about-our-health-system/population-health/environmental-monitoring/monitoring-and-regulating-air
Northern Territory Australia Wide
Air Pollution in Australia: Real- time Air Quality Index Visual Map - https://aqicn.org/map/australia/

Air Quality Australia -
https://air-quality.com/country/australia/59ae3071?lang=en&amp;standard=aqi_us Global
Global forecasting of air quality (WACCM): https://www.acom.ucar.edu/waccm/forecast/

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Air Quality | Explainer | Climate Council

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Since the fires escalated back in November 2019, we've received a lot of questions regarding air quality and the smoke from bushfires, and the impact of climate change on air quality overall. Here, we've answered a few of those questions, and provided some tips on looking after your health when air quality is poor.

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This was published 7 years ago

By Allen Newton

Updated first published

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A little brown Aussie battler is clinging on its battle for survival in Perth's ever-expanding suburban sprawl.

Quendas, also known as southern brown bandicoots are maintaining numbers in some Perth suburbs, particularly in the hills.

Despite the odds against it, the Quenda is hanging on in Perth's suburbs. Credit:Simon Cherriman

A large survey, relying heavily on the input of local residents shows that despite habitat loss across much of the metropolitan area there are some suburbs where quendas are holding their own.

Quendas are a rabbit-sized native Australian digging marsupial that plays an important role in the health of bushland by improving soil aeration, aiding water penetration, dispersing beneficial fungi and even helping to reduce fire fuel loads.

But urbanisation has seen numbers decline in some areas in recent years.

According to WWF-Australia spokeswoman Katherine Howard, quendas are an important species that is surviving against all odds to hang on in Perth's outer suburbs.

"Quendas really are little Aussie battlers but they need our help if they are to survive," she said.

WWF-Australia and the Western Australian Department of Parks and Wildlife released the results of their Community Quenda Survey on Boxing Day.

The survey had nearly a thousand participants since it began in 2012.

It showed that in the more urbanised suburbs of Perth, particularly north of the river, quendas have either been gone for a long time or have declined since a similar survey was conducted by Parks and Wildlife in the early 1990s.

However, large numbers of quendas were reported in some suburbs of the Perth Hills, in particular Roleystone, Mundaring, Kalamunda and Gooseberry Hill. These suburbs are in local government areas where large areas of natural bushland have been retained.

"While quendas have declined in heavily urbanised parts of Perth, what the survey indicates is that they can survive and even thrive in the suburbs as long as they have access to large, connected areas of native bushland," Ms Howard said.

The survey also collected data on threats to the quenda.

Parks and Wildlife ecologist Dr Geoff Barratt said it wasn't surprising that habitat destruction for urban development is having a major impact on quendas, along with vehicle strikes and attacks from cats, dogs and foxes.

"We were surprised to discover that swimming pools and ponds can be a big problem for quendas, with many people reporting drowning incidents," he said.

"But given southern brown bandicoots have practically disappeared from other large cities such as Melbourne and Sydney, it is remarkable that they are still surviving in parts of the Perth metropolitan area."

Ms Howard added: "We now have an opportunity to prevent the kind of local extinctions we've seen in other cities from happening in Perth, through smarter, denser urban planning that protects natural bushland and wetlands".

"The positive response to the survey shows that West Australians have a great deal of affection for the little Aussie diggers," she said.

"It was like we opened a floodgate for people who had been waiting for the chance to talk about their favourite family of quendas. We're continuing to receive quenda sighting reports almost every week.

"Everyone can help provide a safe home for wildlife in our suburbs by maintaining and planting native vegetation, keeping their eyes peeled for animals crossing roads, keeping their cats indoors and walking their dogs on leads, especially near bushland or wetland sites," she said.

Follow WAtoday on Twitter

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Quendas: Battling bandicoots hang on in Perth suburbs

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This was published 7 years ago By Allen Newton Updated first published Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size A little brown Aussie battler is clinging on its battle for survival in Perth's ever-expanding suburban sprawl. Quendas, also known as southern brown bandicoots are maintaining numbers in some Perth suburbs, particularly in the hills.

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Noongar Names: Quenda Scientific Name: Isoodon fusciventer Conservation Status: Threatened Threats: Habitat loss and predation by cats and foxes Will they

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South-western Snake-necked turtle • ReWild Perth

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Noongar Names: Choonya (Booyi) Scientific Name: Chelodina oblonga Conservation Status: Vulnerable Threats: Predation by cats and foxes Will they visit?: