2017 Scientific Consensus Statement: land use impacts on the Great Barrier Reef water quality and ecosystem condition, Chapter 3: the risk from anthropogenic pollutants to Great Barrier Reef coastal and marine ecosystems

Abstract

In this chapter, we applied an ecological risk assessment approach to assess the likelihood of exposure and potential risks from land-based pollutants to Great Barrier Reef coastal (floodplain wetlands and floodplains) and marine (coral reefs and seagrass meadows) ecosystems. Ecological risk is defined as the product of the likelihood of an effect occurring and the consequences if that effect was to occur.