Adapting to climate risks and extreme weather: guide for mining - minerals industry professionals

AbstractExtreme weather events in Australia over recent years have highlighted the costs for Australian mining and mineral processing operations of being under-prepared for adapting to climate risk. For example, the 2010/2011 Queensland floods closed or restricted production of about forty out of Queensland’s fifty coal mines costing more than $2 billion in lost production.Whilst mining and mineral professionals have experience with risk management and managing workplace health and safety, changes to patterns of extreme weather events and future climate impacts are unpredictable. Responding to these challenges requires planning and preparation for events that many people have never experienced before. With increasing investor and public concern for the impact of such events, this guide is aimed at assisting a wide range of mining and mineral industry professionals to incorporate planning and management of extreme weather events and impacts from climate change into pre-development, development and construction, mining and processing operations and post-mining phases. The guide should be read in conjunction with the research  final report which describes the research process for developing the guide and reflects on challenges and lessons for adaptation research from the project.The Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) led the development of the guide with input from the Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, University of Queensland and a Steering Committee from the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy’s Sustainability Committee and individual AusIMM members, who volunteered their time and experience. As the situation of every mining and mineral production operation is going to be different, this guide has been designed to provide general information about the nature of extreme weather events, and some specific examples of how unexpectedly severe flooding, storm, drought, high temperature and bushfire events have affected mining and mineral processing operations. A number of case studies used throughout the guide also illustrate the ways forward thinking operations have tackled dramatically changing climatic conditions.Each section of the guide outlines a range of direct and indirect impacts from a different type of extreme weather, and provides a starting point for identifying potential risks and adaptation options that can be applied in different situations. The impacts and adaptation sections provide guidance on putting the key steps into practice by detailing specific case examples of leading practice and how a risk management approach can be linked to adaptive planning. More information about specific aspects of extreme weather, planning and preparation for the risks presented by these events, and tools for undertaking climate related adaptation is provided in the ‘Additional Resources’ section

Development and testing of a risk indexing framework to determine field-scale critical source areas of faecal bacteria on grassland.

This paper draws on lessons from a UK case study in the management of diffuse microbial pollution from grassland farm systems in the Taw catchment, south west England. We report on the development and preliminary testing of a field-scale faecal indicator organism risk indexing tool (FIORIT). This tool aims to prioritise those fields most vulnerable in terms of their risk of contributing FIOs to water. FIORIT risk indices were related to recorded microbial water quality parameters (faecal coliforms [FC] and intestinal enterococci [IE]) to provide a concurrent on-farm evaluation of the tool. There was a significant upward trend in Log[FC] and Log[IE] values with FIORIT risk score classification (r2 =0.87 and 0.70, respectively and P<0.01 for both FIOs). The FIORIT was then applied to 162 representative grassland fields through different seasons for ten farms in the case study catchment to determine the distribution of on-farm spatial and temporal risk. The high risk fields made up only a small proportion (1%, 2%, 2% and 3% for winter, spring, summer and autumn, respectively) of the total number of fields assessed (and less than 10% of the total area), but the likelihood of the hydrological connection of high FIO source areas to receiving watercourses makes them a priority for mitigation efforts. The FIORIT provides a preliminary and evolving mechanism through which we can combine risk assessment with risk communication to end-users and provides a framework for prioritising future empirical research. Continued testing of FIORIT across different geographical areas under both low and high flow conditions is now needed to initiate its long term development into a robust indexing tool

Groundwater balance modelling with Darcy's Law

The sustainability of groundwater resources is important for the environment, the economy and communities where surface water is scarce. It is a hidden resource, but additional information can be extracted by combining groundwater measurements and lithological information with groundwater flow equations in groundwater models. The models convert data and knowledge about the groundwater systems into information, such as relative inflow and outflow rates and water-level predictions that can be readily understood by groundwater managers. ¶ The development of models to effectively inform groundwater management policies is, however, a complex task that presents a fundamental scientific challenge. This thesis presents methods and results for water balances calculated using groundwater flow models. Groundwater flow modelling methods and approaches are discussed, and their capabilities and limitations are reviewed. Two groundwater systems are studied for the Great Artesian Basin (GAB) and for the irrigation area near Bowen, Queensland. Three approaches to water balance modelling are applied in comprehensive model-development frameworks that take into account model objectives, data and knowledge availability and sensitivity analysis techniques. The three models show numerical methods of increasing complexity..

Adapting to climate risks and extreme weather: a guide for mining and minerals industry professionals

Abstract Extreme weather events in Australia over recent years have highlighted the costs for Australian mining and mineral processing operations of being under-prepared for adapting to climate risk. For example, the 2010/2011 Queensland floods closed or restricted production of about forty out of Queenslands fifty coal mines costing more than $2 billion in lost production. Whilst mining and mineral professionals have experience with risk management and managing workplace health and safety, changes to patterns of extreme weather events and future climate impacts are unpredictable. Responding to these challenges requires planning and preparation for events that many people have never experienced before. With increasing investor and public concern for the impact of such events, this guide is aimed at assisting a wide range of mining and mineral industry professionals to incorporate planning and management of extreme weather events and impacts from climate change into pre-development, development and construction, mining and processing operations and post-mining phases. The guide should be read in conjunction with the research final report which describes the research process for developing the guide and reflects on challenges and lessons for adaptation research from the project. The Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney (UTS) led the development of the guide with input from the Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, University of Queensland and a Steering Committee from the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgys Sustainability Committee and individual AusIMM members, who volunteered their time and experience. As the situation of every mining and mineral production operation is going to be different, this guide has been designed to provide general information about the nature of extreme weather events, and some specific examples of how unexpectedly severe flooding, storm, drought, high temperature and bushfire events have affected mining and mineral processing operations. A number of case studies used throughout the guide also illustrate the ways forward thinking operations have tackled dramatically changing climatic conditions. Each section of the guide outlines a range of direct and indirect impacts from a different type of extreme weather, and provides a starting point for identifying potential risks and adaptation options that can be applied in different situations. The impacts and adaptation sections provide guidance on putting the key steps into practice by detailing specific case examples of leading practice and how a risk management approach can be linked to adaptive planning. More information about specific aspects of extreme weather, planning and preparation for the risks presented by these events, and tools for undertaking climate related adaptation is provided in the `Additional Resources section

National-scale vulnerability assessment of seawater intrusion: summary report

Fresh groundwater stored in Australian coastal aquifers constitutes an important resource for humans and the natural environment. However, many Australian coastal aquifers are vulnerable to seawater intrusion (SWI)—the landward encroachment of sea water into coastal aquifers—which can significantly degrade water quality and reduce freshwater availability. The increasing demands for fresh water in coastal areas and the anticipated impacts of climate change (such as sea-level rise and variations in rainfall recharge) may result in increases in the incidence and severity of SWI. This Waterlines report identifies several opportunities to progress and develop effective resource management and protection of Australia’s coastal aquifers through additional monitoring, research, stakeholder education and communication. An improved awareness and understanding of the key drivers for SWI, the current and emerging SWI vulnerable areas and possible future trends in SWI, will benefit decision makers and groundwater stakeholders across local, state and national levels. Development of a consistent approach for the assessment of SWI vulnerability will assist national, state and regional planning and management strategies. Authored by KM Ivkovic, SK Marshall, LK Morgan, AD Werner, H Carey, S Cook, B Sundaram, R Norman, L Wallace, L Caruana, P Dixon-Jain and D Simon

Proceedings of the 2004 Coal Operators\u27 Conference

Proceedings of the 2004 Coal Operators\u27 Conference. All papers in these proceedings are peer reviewed in accordance with The AUSIMM publication standard

Adaptive management of Ramsar wetlands

Abstract The Macquarie Marshes are one of Australia’s iconic wetlands, recognised for their international importance, providing habitat for some of the continent’s more important waterbird breeding sites as well as complex and extensive flood-dependent vegetation communities. Part of the area is recognised as a wetland of international importance, under the Ramsar Convention. River regulation has affected their resilience, which may increase with climate change. Counteracting these impacts, the increased amount of environmental flow provided to the wetland through the buy-back and increased wildlife allocation have redressed some of the impacts of river regulation. This project assists in the development of an adaptive management framework for this Ramsar-listed wetland. It brings together current management and available science to provide an informed hierarchy of objectives that incorporates climate change adaptation and assists transparent management. The project adopts a generic approach allowing the framework to be transferred to other wetlands, including Ramsar-listed wetlands, supplied by rivers ranging from highly regulated to free flowing. The integration of management with science allows key indicators to be monitored that will inform management and promote increasingly informed decisions. The project involved a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and managers working on one of the more difficult challenges for Australia, exacerbated by increasing impacts of climate change on flows and inundation patterns

Australasian Groundwater Conference: Groundwater in a Changing World

© Copyright is retained by the author/s of each abstract.The Australasian Groundwater Conference (AGC) was held in Brisbane Queensland, 24-27 November 2019. This conference was an epic event filled with informative presentations, entertaining networking events and stunning field trips exploring the sights and sounds that this subtropical dynamic region has to offer. The AGC 2019 featured a stimulating technical program around the theme of “Groundwater in a Changing World” that covered a broad range of applications to resources, infrastructure and environment. The program included stimulating plenary speakers, engaging panel discussions and enticing social events. Over 600 groundwater researchers, industry professionals and policy development specialists from around the region attended this unique event. There were many opportunities on offer for delegates to share their experiences, inform best practice, and identify the steps they can take to bring about lasting improvements to the management of our vital groundwater resources. Our hard working volunteer organisational team wishes to thank sponsors, speakers, delegates, exhibitors and volunteers for making the conference such a huge success

Science Tools to Implement Ecosystem Based Management in Massachusetts (DRAFT)

In this report we provide a framework for implementing ecosystem based management (EBM) and suggest a range of science information tools and their appropriate application to the decision making process. These tools can be broadly classified as modeling tools, decision analysis tools, and indicators. Modeling tools allow the user to organize data, communicate scientific findings to management and stakeholder audiences, and test alternative management scenarios. When used unwisely, however, models can preclude options, present unusable scenarios, generate results in scales that differ from management needs, and impose huge time, data, and technical requirements (Manno et al., 2008). Decision analysis tools can inform management decisions but should not be relied upon solely; they are valuable aids in the process and provide opportunities for all-stakeholder input, visualization, and scenario analysis. Indicators are scientific measurements of ecological or socio-economic phenomena that provide data for monitoring and evaluating the systems being managed. While indicators are by and large widely accepted, their selection is based on expert opinion and involves a level of subjectivity. Inappropriately selected indicators can misinform management decisions. By helping to identify and mitigate lack of information, these science tools can be of great value in the shift to ecosystem based management