Careel Bay (33° 37’ S; 151° 20’ E) is located on the eastern shore of Pittwater, 40 km ______

of Sydney. Careel Bay is the most significant area of intertidal (or estuarine) wetlands in
Pittwater. It contains a combination of natural features rare in the Sydney region which
provide _________ for a variety of marine life and bird species, including over 27 species of
wading and migratory birds, including the Bush Stone-Curlew, endangered in NSW, and the
migratory Eastern Curlew, a vulnerable threatened species worldwide.
Careel Bay is about 2.5 km long and covers an area of 1.5 km2. It is a ____________ (<5 m in
depth) and sheltered bay with intertidal mudflats exposed approximately twice daily. It has
three main ecological zones - ______________, ______________ and ________________.
Since 1940 the saltmarsh habitats of Careel Bay have been significantly __________ in size,
while the mangrove habitat of the bay has expanded, in both a landward direction,
encroaching upon the saltmarsh habitats, and a seaward direction. _______ regional sea
level, increased sedimentation & nutrient levels, increased freshwater delivery, and human
activities have led to these mangrove and saltmarsh changes, partly due to influences of the
________________ of the catchment.
Pittwater Council, in association with the state government and interested members of the
community, are managing the area to maintain its environmental, recreational and
educational _______.
Intertidal wetlands provide many _________ services such as providing habitat for animals
and plants, protecting shores from _____ action, reducing the impacts of floods, absorbing
pollutants, and improving water quality due to their unique ability to trap sediments and
filter__________.
Intertidal wetlands are at or near the bottom of catchments. For this reason, they can suffer
badly from upstream mismanagement. The ecological communities rely very much on the
quality of water emitted from the ____________ drain via Careel Creek, the main source of
fresh water to Careel Bay. Human-induced nitrogen and phosphate enrichment enters these
habitats, from landfill/ soil leachate, gardening ________, stormwater/ sewage overflow,
urban detergent use, & dog faeces.
________________ of intertidal bays results when nutrient inputs from catchments and
recycling from bottom sediments are large. Increased nutrients such as phosphorus from
garden fertiliser entering the catchment can result in excessive production of blue-green
algae which can asphyxiate seagrass and other marine life, soaking up the light and the
_________ they need to survive.
Mangroves and seagrass help _______ pollutants, absorb excess nutrients from runoff, and
trap ____________, helping to increase the clarity and quality of waters
In intertidal wetlands the majority of natural stress comes from salinity and tidal movements.
The wetlands must be able to survive extreme conditions of mainly _____ water at high tide,
fresh water at low tide and times of flood and brackish water at other times.
High salt levels in soils make them more susceptible to erosion; mangroves cope with the
unstable nature of the soils by having shallow, widespread _____ systems. Due to the lack of
oxygen within the soil, mangroves have developed specialised structures to facilitate the
_____________ of oxygen into their root systems, known as __________________ which
grow vertically and rise above the ________ (oxygen-deficient), waterlogged soils to absorb
oxygen from the air at low tide.
The grey mangrove, common at Careel Bay, has __________ to saline conditions by excluding
salt in the root system, salt glands in the leaf, and waxy leaves to minimise water loss.
The increased concreting/ hard surfaces of urban environments can lead to increased
amounts of _____ water entering the wet land system, affecting salinity levels harming
saltmarsh. Increased freshwater levels impact on salt marshes, contributing to their decline,
often at expense of mangroves which are less __________ to freshwater.
Localised depletion of top ____________ by recreational fishers has resulted in an increase in
herbivorous crab numbers. This results in excess consumption of saltmarsh ___________.
The saltmarsh at Careel bay has been reduced in size and ______________ due to past use as
landfill, now reclaimed as sports fields. Human recreational activities such as BMX riding and
walking has caused erosional damage to the saltmarsh area via ‘scarring’ due to trampling.
Seagrass is particularly sensitive to degradation due to agricultural runoff as well as industrial
and domestic pollution. It is also affected by hydrological/ salinity changes. Swing
__________ of marina boats scrape and scour out the seagrasses.
Pollution such as litter, sewerage and oil/fuel leaks from ______, as well as toxic paint from
anti-fouling boat maintenance has entered the ecosystem and bio-accumulated.
The wading and migratory birds are disturbed while feeding and roosting by people, off-leash
dogs and night prowling cats, increasing their ____________.
If relative sea level is ________ and sedimentation within intertidal wetlands does not keep
pace, then there will be loss of intertidal wetlands from the seaward edge, with survival of
the ecosystems only possible if they can retreat inland. When retreat is not possible, the
wetland area will decline in response to the “squeeze” experienced (saltmarsh vulnerable to
mangrove ___________).
Mangroves are generally more ___________ than saltmarshes which have very specific
growing conditions and are less elastic in their ability to recover and regain ___________
equilibrium. Mangroves demonstrate greater ___________ and resilience as they are fast to
recolonise after damage. Mangrove forests can grow rapidly on newly deposited sediments
and recovery from storms and other disturbances can be fairly quick.
The future expected sea level rise will continue to cause changes to the ______________ of
ecological communities in Careel Bay. Increasing flooding, tidal inundation, the flow of
sediments to the bay, increased storms, ____________ of the mangrove zone and continued
landward migration and possible loss of the saltmarsh are expected.