Groundwater a significant source of pollution on Great Barrier Reef, study shows – the Guardian

The Great Barrier Reef, (by Steve Parish courtesy of Lock the Gate Alliance CC BY 2.0 DEED via Flickr).

Scientists say they have discovered large flows of pollution are reaching the Great Barrier Reef after soaking into underground water, a finding that could have implications for policymakers focused on cutting pollution from river catchments. The new research claims almost a third of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and two-thirds of dissolved inorganic phosphorus in the reef’s waters are coming from underground sources – an amount previously undocumented…

The way of water: Can anything be done to save our disappearing beaches? – WA Today

Freemantle Beach, Australia (by Graeme Churchard CC BY 2.0 via Fliickr).

South Beach is a far cry from those wide-open ultra-Aussie surf destinations such as Scarborough and Trigg (the bit in front of Wilson Park is barely a kilometre long)…So you can imagine my shock when I recently popped down for a jog and a swim to discover that a good chunk of the white stuff that was so fundamental to my experience of Fremantle had disappeared…

A 7m wall has gone up on a Sydney beach: are we destroying public space to save private property? – The Guardian

Coastal Erosion along Old Bar Beach, Australia (photo © SAF)

“We really didn’t want to build a wall,” says Bob Orth.

But Orth is one of 10 residents of Collaroy, on Sydney’s northern beaches, who have each paid $300,000 to do just that.

And not just any wall. Construction began in December on a seven-metre-high sheer concrete structure below the residents’ properties, which overlook a beach that has become notorious for dramatic erosion every time there is a big storm.