An integrated modelling approach for efficient management of irrigated landscapes. Northern Victoria's irrigators use a substantial portion of water from the Murray-Darling Basin, which is under mounting pressure to satisfy competing economic, social and environmental needs for water in the face of climate change. Up to 20 per cent of this water may be on-farm surface runoff and deep percolation, with poorly known spatial distributions. This project will provide reliable temporally and spatially ....An integrated modelling approach for efficient management of irrigated landscapes. Northern Victoria's irrigators use a substantial portion of water from the Murray-Darling Basin, which is under mounting pressure to satisfy competing economic, social and environmental needs for water in the face of climate change. Up to 20 per cent of this water may be on-farm surface runoff and deep percolation, with poorly known spatial distributions. This project will provide reliable temporally and spatially distributed information on surface runoff and deep percolation for Northern Victoria irrigation regions. This will inform decisions which improve water use efficiency, agricultural productivity and environmental values through optimisation of irrigation infrastructure and by better management of groundwater resources and salinity.Read moreRead less
Active-passive microwave soil moisture remote sensing: Towards sustainable land and water management from space. Soil moisture is a highly critical resource for the Australian agricultural economy which is stressed by climate change. Daily monitoring of paddock scale soil moisture from space represents a powerful tool to inform land management, allowing accurate crop yield and pasture growth predictions. At the continental scale, soil moisture information will result in better weather, climate a ....Active-passive microwave soil moisture remote sensing: Towards sustainable land and water management from space. Soil moisture is a highly critical resource for the Australian agricultural economy which is stressed by climate change. Daily monitoring of paddock scale soil moisture from space represents a powerful tool to inform land management, allowing accurate crop yield and pasture growth predictions. At the continental scale, soil moisture information will result in better weather, climate and extreme flood prediction skill and the ability to assess the effects of future climate change on Australia. It is therefore imperative that active-passive soil moisture retrieval algorithms be developed specifically for the Australian environment in order to take full advantage of the SMAP remote sensing mission when it is launched in 2012.Read moreRead less
High resolution mapping of surface and root zone soil moisture. Knowledge of the spatial and temporal variation of surface and root zone soil moisture content at high spatial resolution is critical to achieving more efficient water utilisation practices in agriculture. Australia's main river basins are under mounting pressure to satisfy a wide range of competing economic, social and environmental needs for water, particularly in terms of environmental flows and efficient irrigation. A better u ....High resolution mapping of surface and root zone soil moisture. Knowledge of the spatial and temporal variation of surface and root zone soil moisture content at high spatial resolution is critical to achieving more efficient water utilisation practices in agriculture. Australia's main river basins are under mounting pressure to satisfy a wide range of competing economic, social and environmental needs for water, particularly in terms of environmental flows and efficient irrigation. A better understanding of the soil moisture distribution at sub-farm scales will allow farmers to better utilise both the moisture in their soil and their limited allocation for irrigation. This will help alleviate soil moisture related problems in some of the nation's key catchments, such as the Murray Darling Basin.Read moreRead less
Fate of engineered nanoparticles: Challenges in informing human and ecological health risk assessments. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have generated significant public and scientific excitement due to their unique properties. This has led to their application in a wide variety of industries (for example, in composite materials and drug delivery). However, there is concern that some ENPs can have detrimental environmental impacts. This project aims to quantify, for the first time, the fate of E ....Fate of engineered nanoparticles: Challenges in informing human and ecological health risk assessments. Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) have generated significant public and scientific excitement due to their unique properties. This has led to their application in a wide variety of industries (for example, in composite materials and drug delivery). However, there is concern that some ENPs can have detrimental environmental impacts. This project aims to quantify, for the first time, the fate of ENPs that have leached out of commercial products in groundwater systems. This information is expected to assist regulators in developing appropriate legislation to balance the tremendous benefits and potential risks of nanotechnology.Read moreRead less
A study of turbulence and influence of anthropogenic inputs in small subtropical estuaries. This project aims to improve our basic understanding of mixing and dispersion processes in small subtropical estuaries, and to develop improved predictive models to assist with the management of natural ecosystems. This will be the first comprehensive study of mixing processes and the influence of anthropogenic inputs in small subtropical estuaries.
Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution model ....Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. Advancing water pollution emissions modelling in cities of the future. This project aims to advance stormwater pollution modelling and enhance its link with urban development. Management of stormwater pollution by industry often results in inadequate strategies and, crucially, sub-optimal financial investments. Since this is unlikely to improve in light of urban growth and climate change, addressing decade-old pollution modelling knowledge gaps and the lack of a multidisciplinary approach to stormwater pollution management is urgent. The anticipated outcome is a modelling tool which industry can use to manage stormwater pollution in changing cities through smarter and economic technology and policy.Read moreRead less
Sources, sinks and processes of faecal contamination in urban estuaries: a case study of the lower Yarra River estuary. The Yarra River estuary is highly contaminated with faecal pollution, reducing the useability of Melbourne’s most iconic feature. This project will provide the necessary understanding to help mitigate faecal sources, with the ultimate aim of reducing the risks to users of this estuary.
Robust streamflow predictions by improving the identification of hydrological model structure. This project aims to provide Australian environmental agencies, design engineers and policy-makers with robust methods that better utilise observed environmental data and process understanding to produce hydrological models with stronger scientific basis and improved operational predictive ability in gauged and ungauged catchments.
Optimum aeration strategies for shallow tidally flushed lakes. Shallow tidally flushed lakes frequently suffer from water quality problems which include catastrophic fish kills. Frequently these events are related to the response of a highly modified system to a natural event. One event is the change from a saline to a fresh environment with seasonal freshwater inflow, in which case the salt tolerant algal species dies. The balance between photosynthesis, sediment uptake, surface oxygen transfer ....Optimum aeration strategies for shallow tidally flushed lakes. Shallow tidally flushed lakes frequently suffer from water quality problems which include catastrophic fish kills. Frequently these events are related to the response of a highly modified system to a natural event. One event is the change from a saline to a fresh environment with seasonal freshwater inflow, in which case the salt tolerant algal species dies. The balance between photosynthesis, sediment uptake, surface oxygen transfer and flushing is lost, with the result that the lake quickly becomes anoxic, resulting in fish kills. This project examines some aeration solutions to this problem.Read moreRead less
Dynamic Release Mechanisms for Phosphorus in Shallow Ponds and Lakes. Phosphorus release from submerged sediments is controlled by the physical and chemical environment. The mechanisms are well understood where thermal stratification is persistent but the behaviour during transient episodes has not been properly addressed. The aim is to study a dynamic chemical and hydraulic environment and develop a model of phosphorus release under these conditions. Algal blooms, which rely on high nutrient co ....Dynamic Release Mechanisms for Phosphorus in Shallow Ponds and Lakes. Phosphorus release from submerged sediments is controlled by the physical and chemical environment. The mechanisms are well understood where thermal stratification is persistent but the behaviour during transient episodes has not been properly addressed. The aim is to study a dynamic chemical and hydraulic environment and develop a model of phosphorus release under these conditions. Algal blooms, which rely on high nutrient concentrations, pose a significant threat to waterways yet a process-based description of phosphorus release is not yet possible. The outcome will be a verified model of phosphorus release mechanisms suitable for a range of water bodies.Read moreRead less