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
Geo-hydrodynamic modelling and estuarine evolution. We have accumulated considerable knowledge of the geomorphology, sedimentology and hydrodynamics of estuarine systems in southeastern Ausralia. This project represents the first rigorous attempt to combine these diverse factors to provide a process-based mathematical model of long- to medium-term sedimentation that can be used for environmental management. To be predictive the model has to use documented changes in the sedimentation histories o ....Geo-hydrodynamic modelling and estuarine evolution. We have accumulated considerable knowledge of the geomorphology, sedimentology and hydrodynamics of estuarine systems in southeastern Ausralia. This project represents the first rigorous attempt to combine these diverse factors to provide a process-based mathematical model of long- to medium-term sedimentation that can be used for environmental management. To be predictive the model has to use documented changes in the sedimentation histories of different estuary types over the past 8000 years in order to predict their evolution over the next 1000 years. The models that are developed can be applied to estuarine systems both nationally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Computer simulation and field application of tidal buffering and sub-surface alkaline barrier techniques to enhance acid sulphate soils management. In low-lying coastal areas, groundwater drawdown due to deep flood mitigation drains and prolonged droughts has exacerbated sub-surface pyrite oxidation, forming sulphuric acid. The distribution of acid following rainfall affects soil-water quality. The pressures of urban development in the Shoalhaven floodplain (civil infrastructure, agriculture, aq ....Computer simulation and field application of tidal buffering and sub-surface alkaline barrier techniques to enhance acid sulphate soils management. In low-lying coastal areas, groundwater drawdown due to deep flood mitigation drains and prolonged droughts has exacerbated sub-surface pyrite oxidation, forming sulphuric acid. The distribution of acid following rainfall affects soil-water quality. The pressures of urban development in the Shoalhaven floodplain (civil infrastructure, agriculture, aquaculture and recreational industries) necessitate the accurate prediction of acid migration. Therefore, the key challenge will be the development of comprehensive numerical models, which include complex estuarine hydrogeology and tidal dynamics, supported by field monitoring. Using these models, the novel concepts of 2-way floodgates that promote tidal flushing and the effectiveness of sub-surface alkaline barriers can be tested in the Shoalhaven, and subsequently applied globally.Read moreRead less