Lort River
Encyclopedia
Lort River is a river located in the Goldfields-Esperance region and the Eastern Mallee
sub-region of Western Australia
.
The headwaters of the Lort River begin in the Peak Charles National Park
and its surrounding vacant Crown land
. The river flows in a south westerly direction and enters farmland area for a distance of 45 kilometres (28 mi) with a reserve that is an average of 500 metres (1,640 ft) wide containing riparian vegetation. The river then enters the Stokes National Park
before discharging in to the Stokes Inlet
.
Both the river and the inlet were named by John Septimus Roe
while exploring and surveying the area in 1848 after his friend Admiral
John Lort Stokes
.
The catchment of the river has been extensively cleared for Agricultural purposes. It is estimated that 60% of the catchment has been cleared; this has led to increased sedimentation
, eutrophication
and salinity
levels of the river.
Eastern Mallee
Eastern Mallee is an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia subregion in southern Western Australia.-Geography:Eastern Mallee is roughly defined as the eastern half of the Mallee biogeographic region. It has an area of around 46,000 square kilometres, and is very sparsely populated....
sub-region of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
The headwaters of the Lort River begin in the Peak Charles National Park
Peak Charles National Park
Peak Charles National Park is a national park in Western Australia , east of Perth and north west of Esperance.The park is named for one of the main features, Peak Charles, which is an ancient granite peak with an elevation of...
and its surrounding vacant Crown land
Crown land
In Commonwealth realms, Crown land is an area belonging to the monarch , the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it....
. The river flows in a south westerly direction and enters farmland area for a distance of 45 kilometres (28 mi) with a reserve that is an average of 500 metres (1,640 ft) wide containing riparian vegetation. The river then enters the Stokes National Park
Stokes National Park
Stokes National Park is a national park in Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia , 538 km south-east of Perth.The National Park is located west of Esperance on the southern coast...
before discharging in to the Stokes Inlet
Stokes Inlet
Stokes Inlet is an inlet in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.The inlet is situated from Esperance in Stokes National Park and is set is a large river valley with permanent deep water and high dunes located on either side. Thick bushland and paperbark trees surround the inlet...
.
Both the river and the inlet were named by John Septimus Roe
John Septimus Roe
John Septimus Roe was the first Surveyor-General of Western Australia. He was a renowned explorer, and a Member of Western Australia's Legislative and Executive Councils for nearly 40 years.-Early life:...
while exploring and surveying the area in 1848 after his friend Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
John Lort Stokes
John Lort Stokes
Admiral John Lort Stokes, RN was an officer in the Royal Navy who travelled on HMS Beagle for close to eighteen years.Stokes grew up in Scotchwell near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. He joined the Navy on 20 September 1824...
.
The catchment of the river has been extensively cleared for Agricultural purposes. It is estimated that 60% of the catchment has been cleared; this has led to increased sedimentation
Sedimentation
Sedimentation is the tendency for particles in suspension to settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained, and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the forces acting on them: these forces can be due to gravity, centrifugal acceleration...
, eutrophication
Eutrophication
Eutrophication or more precisely hypertrophication, is the movement of a body of water′s trophic status in the direction of increasing plant biomass, by the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system...
and salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
levels of the river.