Optimisation of catchment management: stable isotope studies of water storage and yield. Focusing on the Cotter catchment, this project will establish how the water content of soils and tree stems regulates the amount of water used by trees in sub-catchments, and thus how much reaches streams and dams. Small areas supply most of the water yield and this project will help identify where managers should focus efforts to increase yield.
Nutrient generation from rural land and delivery to streams in the Sydney Drinking Water Catchments. The Sydney Catchment Authority must manage pollution arising from land within its catchments. There have been few local studies of nutrient losses from rural land, the major land use, and the understanding of some important processes involved in nutrient generation and delivery is weak. Therefore model predictions are uncertain. This project will quantify nutrient losses from key land uses, ev ....Nutrient generation from rural land and delivery to streams in the Sydney Drinking Water Catchments. The Sydney Catchment Authority must manage pollution arising from land within its catchments. There have been few local studies of nutrient losses from rural land, the major land use, and the understanding of some important processes involved in nutrient generation and delivery is weak. Therefore model predictions are uncertain. This project will quantify nutrient losses from key land uses, evaluate alternative loss pathways, and provide insight into the effects of scale, providing a foundation for improved modelling of nutrient sources and transport. The outcome will be the capacity to prioritise land uses and parts catchments for remedial action, whilst providing a modelling approach relevant to the SCA and other catchment managers.Read moreRead less
Water, carbon, and economics: resolving complex linkages for river health. By linking landscapes into our emerging low-carbon economy, this project will investigate how land management practices can be improved through payments for ecosystem services. With a focus on water and carbon, the main goal is to develop mechanisms to support integrated land and water management at the catchment scale.