Integrating hydrology and ecology models into flexible and adaptive decision support tools: the IBIS DSS

Terminal wetlands in the semi-arid regions of northern NSW are important ecological refuges for native fauna, especially during dry times. Many of these systems have become increasingly stressed by human induced changes in the hydrologic regime of the rivers flowing into the lakes. For example, the Narran Lakes is a Ramsar wetland recognised for its geomorphological significance and the importance of the system as habitat and drought refuges for waterbirds and other species. The high level of regulation in the headwaters of the lake poses considerable obstacles for managers responsible for managing the health of the Narran Lakes

WINTER URBAN HEAT ISLAND MAGNITUDES OF MAJOR AUSTRALIAN CITIES

ABSTRACT: This study seeks to determine the relative magnitude of the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in five major Australian cities during the winter season. To achieve this, the study considers three weather stations in each city: one in a high density urban area, one in a medium density urban area and one in a nearby very low density urban/rural area. For each station, temperature data were collected every 30 minutes over a three day period. The data where then plotted and maximum, minimum, and average temperature differences (and the times of those differences) were recorded. The data show that all of the cities investigated showed a strong winter heat island effect with the magnitude ranging from about 3 o C up to 8 o C. The largest temperature differences typically occurred near dawn (about 6 am) and overnight. It was also observed that during the day, the high and moderate density urban areas could have temperatures either higher or lower than the rural areas, a condition consistent with other global observations of the UHI effect

Vegetation - lignum

Abstract not available

Oral history

Abstract not available

Zooplankton

Abstract not available

Digging Deeper: Contaminants in Urban Farms

Matthew Rayburg, GES460: Environmental Field MethodsFaculty Mentor(s): Professor Elisa Bergslien, Earth Sciences and Science Education The East side of Buffalo, New York is littered with thousands of vacant lots. These vacant lots were not always empty, most if not all at one time had homes and businesses on them. When these were abandoned, buildings were demolished with the waste and rubble often used to fill in the foundation with a small layer of soil being placed on the top. The debris of old construction can often contain harmful heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc. With the recent uptick of urban farm-steading in the region, many of these lots are being purchased and the empty space is being filled with rows of fruits and vegetables. It is likely that some concentrations of these hidden toxic elements can make it into produce grown on these lots via different pathways and that the use of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers can impact the ability of plants to uptake these heavy metals. Several test locations were selected based on their historic and current use. Sites with known debris and sites that have no history of construction are compared. Soil, potatoes, carrots, beans and lettuce were collected and dried. The collected samples were analyzed using microXRF in order to determine how the load in the plants compares to the levels of the heavy metals in the soil, and to assess the safety of plants grown by the urban farms and determine if any risks are present to those who consume them.https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/srcc-sp21-physgeosci/1012/thumbnail.jp

Deflation basin management

Abstract not available

The Narran ecosystem

Abstract not available

A coupled hydraulic-hydrologic modelling approach to deriving a water balance model for a complex floodplain wetland system

Wetlands, particularly those in semi-arid or arid environments, are hotspots of biological diversity and productivity. Water resource managers are therefore increasing their efforts to conserve wetlands from environmental degradation. To do this, they require a thorough understanding of the wetting and drying regimes of these wetlands, and how potential land use, climate change and water resource development might affect inundation patterns. Hydrologic models can help to enhance this understanding, and to predict and assess future impacts. However, for semi-arid environments, data to assist in model construction is scarce. This paper presents a new method for developing a water balance model for a semi-arid wetland, the Narran Lakes ecosystem in eastern Australia. This method combines hydraulic (improving our understanding of water movement through a wetland) and hydrologic (improving our predictive capability for inundation levels) models and satellite imagery (acting as calibration and validation data) to produce a predictive model of wetland inundation. We show that this coupled hydraulic-hydrologic model yields inundation patterns commensurate with those that actually occurred over more than 30 years. The model results indicate that current inundation levels are at historical lows, which is most likely associated with a naturally occurring drought and increasing water resource development upstream