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 [...]
"By altering the environment, are humans tricking animals into making poor life choices?"
Rivers, lakes, and wetlands support extraordinary diversity. Such bodies of water host more species per square kilometre than forests or oceans. Yet they are losing this biodiversity two to three times faster than forests and oceans. Populations of freshwater animals, including river dolphins, sturgeon, beavers, crocodiles, and giant turtles, have already plummeted by 88%.
"Pesticides are usually detected at chronic concentrations (low but persistent) in coastal waters and they can impact non-target organisms."
By PhD Candidates Carolina Olguin Jacobson and Nur Arafeh Dalmau (Guest Co-Author) Read Time: 449 words about 3 minutes. Extreme climatic events, such as marine heatwaves, are threatening one of the most productive (but often forgotten) marine ecosystems; kelp forests. Sea lions among kelp forest in a remote island Cedros, in Baja California, Mexico. Photo by: Nur Arafeh Dalmau. The importance of terrestrial forests is well known, but their marine counterpart, underwater kelp forests, are [...]
By Dr Mischa Turschwell Read Time: 342 words about 2 minutes. Mangrove forest conservation is increasingly attracting international interest. That’s because mangroves support incredible biodiversity, enhance fisheries, protect vulnerable coastal communities from storms, and reduce climate change by storing carbon. Lone Mangrove Sunset. Photo: Unknown. Unfortunately, mangrove forests remain one of the worlds most threatened ecosystems. Pressures from forest fragmentation, climate change, increasing exploitation [...]
By Dr Viv Tulloch Read Time: 508 words about 3 mins. Marine ecosystems are increasingly threatened by climate change, human activities in the oceans and on the land, yet significant gaps still exist in managing the impacts of these pressures around the world. Marine Habitat Destruction. Photo Jeff Yonover. Efficient conservation investment requires linking dominant pressures [...]
Catchment to Coast 