The response of soil and river processes to climate change and human activity in Australia. This project will provide a much needed quantitative understanding of how soils and rivers have responded and adapted to climate change and human activity in Australia. The outcomes will inform models to predict how our environment is likely to adapt to new conditions in the future as a result of indirect (global warming) and direct (intensive land use) human-related stresses. This project will assess the ....The response of soil and river processes to climate change and human activity in Australia. This project will provide a much needed quantitative understanding of how soils and rivers have responded and adapted to climate change and human activity in Australia. The outcomes will inform models to predict how our environment is likely to adapt to new conditions in the future as a result of indirect (global warming) and direct (intensive land use) human-related stresses. This project will assess the extent and rate of depletion of soil resources in Australia and also contribute to the innovative character of Australian research through the development and implementation of a new approach to study soil and river processes.Read moreRead less
Representing low-frequency variability in hydro-climatic simulations for water resources planning and management in a changing climate. Simulating local hydro-climatology under likely climate change allows risk assessment of existing and future water infrastructure, along with the planning protocols needed to adapt to the changes ahead. This study aims to develop the tools needed to simulate local hydro-climatology, providing a basis for securing water for the generations to come.
A framework for model emulation and ensemble modelling. For improved water resource management there is a need for further development of appropriate hydrologic models. This project will undertake a collection of hydrologic modelling activities performed at multiple catchments in Australia. A modeling framework that is flexible, extendible and accounts for potential forecast uncertainties will be developed.
Development of a generic catchment classification framework in hydrology. Hydrologic models play a vital role in water resource planning and management, but identification of a suitable model for a given catchment remains a basic problem. This research develops a generic framework to classify catchments into groups and sub-groups, and will offer a significantly better way for hydrologic model development and application.
Multi-variable based vegetation monitoring and prediction during droughts. This project aims to reduce the uncertainties in characterizing and predicting drought impacts on Australian ecosystems. This project is expected to better understand how vegetation responded to hydro-meteorological conditions from the onset to termination stages during Australian droughts in the past 40 years, by investigating the newly developed first global long-term vegetation water content record from satellites. Exp ....Multi-variable based vegetation monitoring and prediction during droughts. This project aims to reduce the uncertainties in characterizing and predicting drought impacts on Australian ecosystems. This project is expected to better understand how vegetation responded to hydro-meteorological conditions from the onset to termination stages during Australian droughts in the past 40 years, by investigating the newly developed first global long-term vegetation water content record from satellites. Expected outcomes of this project will be the enhanced capacity to better identify early warning signals and more accurately predict vegetation responses to future droughts. This should provide significant benefits in developing drought mitigation strategies for national agricultural production and water resource allocation.Read moreRead less
Hydrologic modelling for a changing world. Realistic modelling of streamflow under climate change requires development of new hydrologic modelling techniques that are robust under changing conditions. This project will develop and test those new techniques and apply them to the latest climate change projections to assess the likely climate change impact on Australia’s water resources.
Water sensitive mining. The project aims to provide tools that can identify how mining projects, including associated land use and infrastructure, can play a positive role in sustainable water management. This will be based on new knowledge about mine-land-water relationships, novel approaches to modelling mine site hydrology within regional models and greater emphasis on risk evaluation. This work is essential if resource-rich regions in Australia and beyond are to be developed with sustainabil ....Water sensitive mining. The project aims to provide tools that can identify how mining projects, including associated land use and infrastructure, can play a positive role in sustainable water management. This will be based on new knowledge about mine-land-water relationships, novel approaches to modelling mine site hydrology within regional models and greater emphasis on risk evaluation. This work is essential if resource-rich regions in Australia and beyond are to be developed with sustainability as a goal, and for mining to live comfortably alongside other strategically important water and land users. The main outcome aims to be the development of new tools for predicting and optimising the regional water management opportunities provided by mining.Read moreRead less
Catchment-scale and riparian zone stormwater retention: can it restore stream hydrology? This project will test whether or not stormwater retention systems dispersed throughout a catchment can restore pre-development streamflows in peri-urban streams. It will provide a new model for the design of stormwater drainage systems which both protect aquatic ecosystems and reduce the demand for imported water in cities.