Stories of science from the Australian Rivers Institute
By Professor Michele Burford Reading Time: 537 words, about 3 minutes. Algal blooms are a major issue for water security globally and in Australia. We have seen the damage algal blooms have had on Murray-Darling Basin and the issues Florida have had with the recent 'red tide' epidemic. As our climate changes, we can expect [...]
By Mark Kennard Read Time: Words 518 about 3 mins Native freshwater fish diversity in the Murray-Darling Basin could be under serious threat from climate change in coming decades. This potential loss of biodiversity could result in a further decline in the health of the Basin. Murray Darling Basin. Photo: iStock Freshwater fishes are highly [...]
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 PhD student Yota Harada Climate driven mass die-back is causing significant changes in mangrove ecosystems. Numerous marine species, including crabs, prawns and fish, rely on mangroves for nurseries, refuges and food. Mangrove forests support global fisheries and the livelihood's of people, but large-scale mortality of mangroves is anticipated due to climate change and associated [...]
Sediment plume washing over The Great Barrier Reef, 2019. Photo Credit: Matt Curnock. By Dr Melanie Roberts Read Time: 1000 words about 6 mins. Climate change and poor water quality are placing unprecedented pressures on the reef, and it is imperative that these stressors are eased to provide the reef with an opportunity to recover. [...]
By Dr Ryan Pearson Techniques for tracking marine animals and objects have long been evolving; gaining in accuracy and reliability. However, most techniques rely on accessing an animal prior to tracking and few techniques are capable of retracing historical movements. Along with conservation efforts for threatened species, marine tragedies (where vehicles disappear in the ocean) [...]
By Mischa Turschwell Predator-prey interactions between fishes are important ecological processes that help maintain healthy populations and ecosystems. But often we don’t know if predators control prey numbers (top-down control) or if the number of prey available controls predator numbers (bottom-up control). We also don’t know how these interactions might change if environmental conditions like [...]
ARI Emeritus Professor Angela Arthington, Attending the 21st International Riversymposium (IRS) held in Sydney (Darling Harbour) earlier this year was a personal highlight. This symposium is famous for its diverse and inclusive program on the theme of global river basin science and management. Delegates come from far and wide, from river managers to policy developers, [...]
“Metal toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics in developing anurans: how metamorphosis influences metal burdens”
Catchment to Coast 