Stories of science from the Australian Rivers Institute
By Deputy Director David Hamilton Read Time: 421 words, 5 minutes. Recent funding from Water Research Australia to support a consortium of researchers to work on the effect that low reservoir levels has on water quality is providing impetus to better understand the effects of climate change of water storages. These storages are vital for [...]
"We tend to use our ironic acronym loosely, habitually, with limited regard for our listeners’ comprehension: it’s the ‘hour of comfort’, when everyone, worldwide, wants to turn on a tap, go to the toilet, wear clean clothes, and yes, wash. Bodies, faces, children, hands, to wash. Water to drink. A safe and dignified place to defecate. We all need Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)."
"Often during flood events, water from agricultural catchments will erode productive agricultural soils and carry large loads of sediment and nutrients to downstream estuaries and coastal areas. This can threaten the provision of safe drinking water for humans and the ecology of marine ecosystems, as well as sometimes necessitating costly sediment dredging and disposal operations."
By PhD candidate Sebastian Lopez-Marcano Read Time: 416 words about 3 minutes. Data creates magic. In ecology, data is necessary to make targeted management decisions. New tools (i.e. deep learning / computer vision) are allowing data to be processed at vast rates which is making data more accessible and useful. However, converting raw data into meaningful insights for ecological research can be challenging. Data nodes. Photo: Akamai. Through the years, ecologists have become familiar [...]
Dr Ryan Pearson Read Time: 503 words about 3 minutes. The effects of COVID-19 on the world has been profound. We're now re-evaluating intergovernmental, trade and personal relationships, and rethinking our consumer needs. Environmental groups have been encouraging people to 'eat more fish' in response to this pandemic. Consumer surveys during the pandemic have also highlighted [...]
Australian Rivers Institute Director, Stuart Bunn. We welcome you back to another edition of the Australian RiversInstitute (ARI) Magazine. (Link). Over the past few months our staff have been active in strengthening research partnerships and establishing new connections across the globe. The importance of connections, not only with fellow researchers, industry and government but also [...]
By Ryan Burrows Article Read Time: 623 words about 4 minutes. Groundwater upwelling to rivers not only sustains surface flow but also delivers nutrients and creates favourable conditions for algae growth, importantly algae is a critical food source for aquatic animals. The Fitzroy River is located in the West Kimberley region of Western Australia. Geikie [...]
By Dr Vanessa Reis In the face of dramatic degradation of the Amazon ecosystems, a new conservation planning framework can help safeguard the floodplain wetlands. Floodplain wetlands are unique ecosystems often highly influenced by seasonal variation in their connection to rivers. They contribute to the Amazons high biodiversity and are used by the local people [...]
By Tim Jardine NOTE: This is a guest article written by Dr Tim Jardine from the School of Environment and Sustainability and Toxicology Centre at the University of Saskatchewan. So I’ve heard it said. And there’s some truth to it. Unless you’re camped on the top of a mountain peak, you’re going to be downstream of [...]
Author: Laura Griffiths Emergent is a five-part blog series that takes a fresh look at ARI’s early career researchers – a group of driven, passionate people with a shared sense of responsibility about our changing world. These emerging scholars are developing skills and applying them to real world issues. Some are even taking [...]
Catchment to Coast 