Are acidic mine lakes usable as regional water resources? After the de-commissioning of open-cut mines, the voids frequently fill with water. In Australia, hundreds of mine lakes will develop over the next ten years and beyond. When the base mineralogy is pyritic the water can become highly acidic with high concentrations of dissolved metals. These mine lakes frequently exist in regions where water resources are in short supply. This project will investigate possible strategies to remediate such ....Are acidic mine lakes usable as regional water resources? After the de-commissioning of open-cut mines, the voids frequently fill with water. In Australia, hundreds of mine lakes will develop over the next ten years and beyond. When the base mineralogy is pyritic the water can become highly acidic with high concentrations of dissolved metals. These mine lakes frequently exist in regions where water resources are in short supply. This project will investigate possible strategies to remediate such lakes and assess the possibility of using mining lakes as valued water resources in these regions. The primary outcome of the research will be improved management of the lakes for optimal long term water quality.Read moreRead less
A Basic Study of Mixing and Dispersion in Riverine and Estuarine Systems in South-East Queensland. Dispersion of matter in natural river systems is of considerable importance, particularly in relation to the transport of nutrients, sediment and toxicants into ecosystems as a result of stormwater runoff and wastewater discharges. The project aims to improve our basic understanding of mixing and dispersion processes in tropical and subtropical rivers and estuaries, and to develop improved predicti ....A Basic Study of Mixing and Dispersion in Riverine and Estuarine Systems in South-East Queensland. Dispersion of matter in natural river systems is of considerable importance, particularly in relation to the transport of nutrients, sediment and toxicants into ecosystems as a result of stormwater runoff and wastewater discharges. The project aims to improve our basic understanding of mixing and dispersion processes in tropical and subtropical rivers and estuaries, and to develop improved predictive models to assist with the management of natural ecosystems. This will be achieved through a Ph.D. research project integrating basic water engineering and environmental sciences.Read moreRead less
Design Rationale for Gated Canal Estates. This project will provide new knowledge on how to design gated canal estates to maximise their water quality and avoid events leading to the development of poor, and even harmful, water quality. It will document this new knowledge as Engineering Design Guidelines, which can be implemented to minimise adverse water quality impacts. A User Manual will also be developed to document the application of water quality decision support systems for use in designi ....Design Rationale for Gated Canal Estates. This project will provide new knowledge on how to design gated canal estates to maximise their water quality and avoid events leading to the development of poor, and even harmful, water quality. It will document this new knowledge as Engineering Design Guidelines, which can be implemented to minimise adverse water quality impacts. A User Manual will also be developed to document the application of water quality decision support systems for use in designing canal estates. This project will foster technology transfer from the research environment to the private and public sectors, also enabling a student to complete a PhD program.Read moreRead less
Riparian rehabilitation and ecohydraulics: interactions between flow, sediment, vegetation and bank erosion in longstem tubestock rehabilitation works. Riparian lands are important for maintaining viable ecosystems, improving water quality and reducing sediment yields in rivers and streams. Research in Australia has shown that streambank erosion is the most significant processes in the continuing physical and ecological degradation of riparian zones. The recently developed longstem tubestock sys ....Riparian rehabilitation and ecohydraulics: interactions between flow, sediment, vegetation and bank erosion in longstem tubestock rehabilitation works. Riparian lands are important for maintaining viable ecosystems, improving water quality and reducing sediment yields in rivers and streams. Research in Australia has shown that streambank erosion is the most significant processes in the continuing physical and ecological degradation of riparian zones. The recently developed longstem tubestock system has shown promise in controlling streambank erosion using native vegetation. However, rehabilitation practices rely on ad-hoc recipes without a thorough scientific understanding of near-bank processes. This research will fill this gap by combining field and laboratory experiments on tubestock plantings in order to develop guidelines and predictive tools for riparian zone management.Read moreRead less
Role of vegetation patchiness and self organisation in the ecohydrologic response of water limited ecosystems to climate variability and change. The semi-arid Australian rangelands are some of the most sensitive regions to degradation and climate change, particularly with respect to hydrology and ecology. Our predictive ability in these environments is quite poor, however, climatic change (particularly changes in rainfall regimes) are expected to intensify vegetation patterning, intensify erosi ....Role of vegetation patchiness and self organisation in the ecohydrologic response of water limited ecosystems to climate variability and change. The semi-arid Australian rangelands are some of the most sensitive regions to degradation and climate change, particularly with respect to hydrology and ecology. Our predictive ability in these environments is quite poor, however, climatic change (particularly changes in rainfall regimes) are expected to intensify vegetation patterning, intensify erosion and reduce runoff. This project will develop a modelling framework to better understand the impact of these natural (climate variability and change) and anthropogenic (grazing, deforestation) disturbances on runoff and erosion in these regions.Read moreRead less
Carbon, nutrient and sediment dynamics in a semi-arid catchment. Carbon, nutrient and sediment dynamics has a large impact on stream ecology so our ability to better understand and manage disturbance in a catchment is essential if we are to better manage our resources and natural systems. The project will provide fundamental data and insight into carbon, nutrient and sediment dynamics in a semi-arid region.
Optimal trade-offs for managing environmental water in inland wetlands. This project aims to optimise long-term water trade-offs in inland wetlands on managed catchments, without compromising their environmental value. These managed wetlands compete for water allocations with irrigation and other uses. Realistic predictions of wetland status will be achieved through the development and integration of an ecohydrological model and a water management decisions model. Application of the tools will i ....Optimal trade-offs for managing environmental water in inland wetlands. This project aims to optimise long-term water trade-offs in inland wetlands on managed catchments, without compromising their environmental value. These managed wetlands compete for water allocations with irrigation and other uses. Realistic predictions of wetland status will be achieved through the development and integration of an ecohydrological model and a water management decisions model. Application of the tools will improve existing decision support models to help analyse the effects of individual local management decisions on the long-term evolution of the system and the effects of changes in operation policies and climate over the long term. The project will provide critical new information for the improved prediction of wetlands evolution and as a consequence better management.Read moreRead less
Sources of phosphorus promoting cyanobacteria in subtropical reservoirs. Water managers around Australia are currently considering various strategies to deal with water shortages. Many of these management actions have potential to impact water quality, through altering the nutrient balance within reservoirs and hence affecting nutrients available for cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria blooms pose an increasing threat to water supplies, with economic, social and environmental costs of $150M pa in Aus ....Sources of phosphorus promoting cyanobacteria in subtropical reservoirs. Water managers around Australia are currently considering various strategies to deal with water shortages. Many of these management actions have potential to impact water quality, through altering the nutrient balance within reservoirs and hence affecting nutrients available for cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria blooms pose an increasing threat to water supplies, with economic, social and environmental costs of $150M pa in Australia. The project will provide tools to water quality managers to assess how changes to subtropical reservoirs, such as water recycling, catchment land-use changes and increased drawdown are likely to affect nutrient budgets and cyanobacteria blooms.Read moreRead less
Wetland regeneration for effluent reuse, acid sulfate soil management and carbon credits. This project will research and develop a full-scale effluent reuse wetland to manage acid sulfate soils, regenerate wetlands and sequester atmospheric carbon. Many rural communities worldwide are affected by acid sulfate soils, unsustainable effluent disposal and wetland degradation, and the Greenhouse Effect threatens all coastal areas worldwide. This project is located at Byron Bay, a coastal and predomin ....Wetland regeneration for effluent reuse, acid sulfate soil management and carbon credits. This project will research and develop a full-scale effluent reuse wetland to manage acid sulfate soils, regenerate wetlands and sequester atmospheric carbon. Many rural communities worldwide are affected by acid sulfate soils, unsustainable effluent disposal and wetland degradation, and the Greenhouse Effect threatens all coastal areas worldwide. This project is located at Byron Bay, a coastal and predominantly rural electorate in northern NSW that is strongly affected by this combination of environmental stresses, causing serious degradation of water quality culminating in regular fish kills. The technology developed from this project will be readily transferable to other rural coastal communities worldwide.Read moreRead less
Hydrologic effects of human and climatic stresses in water-limited areas: role of coevolving runoff, vegetation and landforms for adaptive management. Semiarid rangelands cover over 70 per cent of the Australian continent. These areas already face serious degradation problems. Observed trends in rainfall variability indicate that high rainfall pulses and dry periods will intensify, with serious implications for hydrology and erosion. The impact of these trends in addition to increasing human pre ....Hydrologic effects of human and climatic stresses in water-limited areas: role of coevolving runoff, vegetation and landforms for adaptive management. Semiarid rangelands cover over 70 per cent of the Australian continent. These areas already face serious degradation problems. Observed trends in rainfall variability indicate that high rainfall pulses and dry periods will intensify, with serious implications for hydrology and erosion. The impact of these trends in addition to increasing human pressures could have devastating socioeconomic consequences for these areas. This project, by examining in detail the hydrologic and soil transport processes in semiarid rangelands, will lead to: better understanding of the dryland response to anthropogenic and climatic stresses; and, improvement of strategies and methods for the management and restoration of these areas.Read moreRead less