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1
Oswald, Louisa Jane, and n/a. "Usefulness of Macroinvertebrates for In Situ Testing of Water Quality." University of Canberra. Institute for Applied Ecology, 2008. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20090107.130047.
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For various reasons, existing methods for the assessment of aquatic pollution do not always
adequately address the way in which contaminants affect receiving environments and their
component ecosystems. The main advantage of biological assessment over the measurements
of physical and chemical aspects of water quality is that biota provide an integrated response
to all prevailing influences in their environment. Biological assessment protocols have been
developed for a range of test organisms, from bacteria to mammals using measurement from
molecular biomarkers to indicators at the population or community level of organisation.
Macroinvertebrates in particular have been popular for ecological assessment of habitat and
water quality because they are small and straight forward to sample and identify using
relatively simple and inexpensive equipment and readily available taxonomic keys.
However, various biological assessment techniques also have their limitations. Field-based
assessment of biological communities does not provide direct evidence to determine
underlying causal relationships, while laboratory or mesocosm toxicity tests are criticised for
their limited ability to extrapolate to natural field conditions. To help bridge the gap, this
thesis aims to investigate the efficacy of using caged macroinvertebrates in situ to assess the
ecological condition of aquatic environments, and whether a causal relationship can be
established when macroinvertebrates are deployed in situ at sites known to have impaired
water quality. Endpoints employed in this thesis include survival, measurements of
morphology (as a surrogate for growth) and condition and, for trials assessing sites that
receive mine drainage, the tissue concentration of certain trace metals.
Development of an in situ approach to water quality monitoring and assessment will
potentially provide methods for use by resource managers, community groups and aquatic
researchers that are less expensive and faster to run than existing methods and will
complement other approaches employed in the assessment of water quality.
In situ testing of water quality using macroinvertebrates requires the collection, handling,
caging, deployment and retrieval of test organisms at sites of suspected pollutant impact. As
such procedural factors may affect test organisms and potentially confound their responses, it
is important to consider and understand as many of these factors as possible. Aquatic
macroinvertebrates held in finer mesh cages had larger heads than in coarser mesh cages. This
was likely due to increased substrate available for growth of epilithon and periphyton on
which the caged organisms could graze. Caging density had no effect on amphipod mortality
over the trial period, however, individuals held at higher densities increased in size (as
indicated by longer dorsal lengths) more than those held at lower or intermediate densities.
Temporary storage of test organisms in laboratory aquaria may facilitate the collection of
abundances required for in situ trials, however, tanked individuals were smaller and had lower
biomasses than individuals collected and deployed immediately. While this is likely to result
from differences in feeding during the storage period, it is also possible that tank storage and
the ?double handling? deleteriously affected them, or reduced their tolerance.
The effects of transplanting macroinvertebrates between sites varied considerably depending
on the characteristics of "source" and "transplant" sites. Certain taxa suffered marked
mortality within 24 hours even at their source site, indicating an adverse effect of the caging
itself, or perhaps via the change in food, shelter or microclimate which could potentially
render them unsuitable as test organisms in caging studies. Other taxa did not differ in
survival or body size when relocated between sites, with some evidence of increased growth
at sites dissimilar from their source site. In general, organisms relocated to sites that are
"similar" to their source environment performed less well at the transplant site. However,
organisms transplanted to "dissimilar" sites were found to be bigger than those caged and
deployed back to the source site.
When employed to assess known pollution scenarios in and around Canberra,
macroinvertebrate responses were, in some instances, able to be linked to specific
environmental parameters or combinations thereof. In Case Study 1, findings varied in
relation to the response endpoint being examined, and between test species, although
concentrations of metals were significantly higher in tissue of macroinvertebrates deployed at
the impact site downstream of the abandoned Captains Flat mine and increased with time
exposed. In Case Study 2, freshwater shrimp suffered significant mortality within 24 hours of
deployment at the impact sites, with larger individuals more susceptible at sites receiving
urban stormwater runoff. While various biological effects were most closely correlated with
ammonia concentrations at the site, different body size endpoints were affected in opposite
ways. In Case Study 3, body size endpoints for one test organism varied consistently with
respect to site and time factors, but none of the changes could be linked to any of the
environmental data collected. Response variables for a different test species also indicated
significant effects arising from both deployment site and time, however, each endpoint
responded in a different way to the treatment factors, and aligned with different
combinations of environmental data.
In general, linking of macroinvertebrate responses with environmental data was difficult
because of the high variability in the environmental data. However, it was further complicated
by the mismatch in the level of replication between the two datasets. As a consequence of
this, the macroinvertebrate data had to be collapsed to a lower level for comparison with the
environmental data, resulting in a loss of natural variability and analytical power. Since only
the strongest treatment effects, which could be detected above the background "noise", were
detected and modelled against the environmental data, it is possible that other "cause" and
"effect" relationships may have been overlooked.
From these results, it is clear that many macroinvertebrate taxa are suitable for use as
bioindicators in in situ trials, but that criteria used for selection of test species should
definitely include more than just impact-sensitivity and abundance. However, there are
several aspects associated with the experimental set up of field-based protocols involving
caged macroinvertebrates that may limit their usefulness as a rapid and reliable bioassessment
tool, and need to be considered when designing and undertaking these kinds of trials. It is also
apparent that choice of endpoint can greatly influence conclusions, with detection of treatment
effects reported in this thesis varying greatly depending on which morphological endpoint
was examined.
This study clearly demonstrated that there may be significant difficulties in establishing
causal relationships between environmental data and biotic responses of macroinvertebrates
deployed under field conditions. However, it has also shown that deployment of caged
macroinvertebrates in situ may assist in the determination of biological effects arising from
impaired water quality, which can then serve as the basis for more focussed laboratory or
mesocosm studies in which environmental conditions can be more readily controlled or
monitored.
2
Mugford, John S. "Towards an equitable land-use policy in the Mount Bold catchment of South Australia /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1991. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ENV/09envm951.pdf.
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3
Turner, Gregory Thomas, and mikewood@deakin edu au. "The need for effective community participation in catchment planning in Australia." Deakin University. School of Ecology and Environment, 2005. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20051110.122555.
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4
Esfandiari, Baiat Mansour, of Western Sydney Hawkesbury University, of Science Technology and Agriculture Faculty, and School of Agriculture and Rural Development. "Evaluation of furrow irrigation models for south-east Australia." THESIS_FSTA_ARD_EsfandiariBaiat_M.xml, 1997. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/739.
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The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of selected furrow irrigation models for field conditions in south-east Australia. The other important aspects which were examined during this study include: developing a methodology for estimating of infiltrating characteristics, assessing the applicability of the Manning and other similar equations for flows in furrow irrigation, investigating the variation of shape factor during irrigation developing methodology for estimation of recession time and exploring the sensitivity of the models to the input parameters. Field experiments were conducted at Walla Park in northern N.S.W. and on two selected paddocks at the University Farm, Richmond, in western Sydney,Australia, over a period of three years. The validity of the assumption that the shape factor of advancing water front during furrow irrigation varies between 0.7 and 0.8 was investigated using field data collected from irrigation events monitored in the study. It was found that the average values of the shape factor varied from 0.96 to 1.80 at Walla Park site, from 0.56 to 0.80 at Field Services unit paddock site and from 0.78 to 0.84 at Horticulture Farm paddock site. The value of shape factor was affected by uniformity of furrow cross section along the length, the value and uniformity of furrow slope, furrow length and infiltration characteristics of soil. This means it is difficult to recommend a typical value for the shape factor for a given field situation.The performance of the models for prediction of advance and recession characteristics and runoff were evaluated using different indices of performance. In general, it was found that the Walker-HD and ZI model was the most satisfactory for the field conditions encountered in this study. This finding can provide a basis for initiating work on developing design criteria and management strategies for furrow irrigation in south-east Australia.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
5
Spooner, Daniel Ron, and n/a. "Nutrient, organic carbon and suspended solid loadings in two ICOLLs, NSW Australia : biogeochemical responses." University of Canberra. Resource, Environmental & Heritage Sciences, 2005. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20070129.130745.
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Intermittently Closed and Open Lake Lagoons (ICOLLs) are very common along the
southern NSW coastline. Expanding urban populations are expanding and these systems are
under increasing pressure from anthropogenic activities that change landscape processes and
significantly alter the amounts of organic and inorganic constituents entering their waters.
Once efficient cycling of nutrients in ICOLLs is overcome, the symptoms of eutrophication
establish and the entire ecosystem suffers. These systems have great ecological, social, and
economic values that require insightful, well balanced, and educated management to
promote sustainable use of these often-sensitive areas.
Corunna and Nangudga Lake are ICOLLs in the Eurobodalla Shire on the south
coast of NSW. These two ICOLLs receive discharges from catchments covered by native
vegetation and grassland. The primary objective of this research component was to quantify
catchment exports of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), suspended solids (SS),
particulate organic matter (POM) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from three small
coastal sub catchments that deliver constituents into Corunna and Nangudga Lakes. As part
of this investigation the fates of catchment loads in the ICOLLs were established focusing
on the lakes water column response to catchment loads and the biogeochemical cycling of
nitrogen and phosphorus in sediments.
6
Gregory, Stacey J. "The classification of inland salt lakes in Western Australia." Curtin University of Technology, School of Environmental Biology, 2007. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=18037.
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Inland salt lakes in Western Australia have been used by the mining industry for the disposal of excess water generated during the mining process. However, the impact of these operations on the salt lakes is poorly understood. This is mainly due to the lack of information on the biota and chemistry for the lakes. The main aim of this project was to develop a classification system for inland salt lakes of Western Australia based on abiotic and biotic factors such as sediment and water quality, invertebrates and algae to determine lakes with unique or significant features. Water and sediments collected from the salt lakes were generally characterised by an alkaline pH, high salinity and the majority of lakes being dominated by sodium and chloride. Concentrations of some metals were also high, particularly in surface water. A high degree of variation in water and sediment quality was demonstrated both within and between the study lakes. In addition, these parameters were shown to be influenced by geography, geology, stage of the hydrocycle within which the lake was sampled and the occurrence of dewatering discharge. Biota in the salt lakes must be able to cope in a harsh environment, adjusting to temporary water regime, high temperature, and high salinity. As such, the species richness of these systems is generally low. Diatoms (a group of algae) and invertebrates were investigated among the biota. A total of 56 diatom species were recorded from 24 lakes. The most common species were Amphora coffeaeformis, Hantzschia aff. baltica and Navicula aff. incertata. These species were shown to have broad tolerances to environmental variations. Sediment chemistry explained variations in diatom community structure, with zinc, moisture content and cobalt having the greatest and negative influence.In terms of invertebrates, a total of 101 invertebrate taxa were recorded from 13 lakes in this study. Crustacea dominated and the greatest number of taxa was from the genus Parartemia. There were some differences in invertebrate community structure between lakes, most likely reflecting the high degree of speciation, and poor dispersal mechanisms of certain key species. Community structure was influenced by water quality, with phosphorus, bicarbonate and magnesium contributing to the variations in community structure. Among the 43 lakes chosen for this study a total of 17 lakes had received, or are currently receiving dewatering discharge. Sites receiving dewatering discharge generally reported higher concentrations of salts, nutrients and some metals in both water and sediments compared to natural lakes. Species richness of biota such as diatoms and invertebrates was lower at the lakes receiving dewatering discharge. However, the impact was generally localized within the pooled area of dewatering discharge. Also, despite these impacts, there appears to be signs of amelioration by flushing events. Currently there are no guidelines for water and sediment chemistry for inland salt lakes in Western Australia. Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) guidelines are the most relevant available. Concentrations of cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, lead, nickel and zinc in surface water of the natural inland salt lakes were shown to exceed ANZECC guideline values.
Comparison with the relevant ANZECC sediment guidelines showed that they were applicable to the salt lakes, with the exception of nickel and chromium which were naturally high in the salt lake sediments. Classification of data using multivariate analysis was done for both dry and wet phases of the hydroperiod. Six groups were delineated for the sediment and diatom data, and four groups were defined for the water quality and invertebrate data. It was common for sites from particular lakes to fall in more than one group as a result of the variability in these systems. There are a number of practical applications of this system for the mining industry and it may be used as a predictive tool for determining the impact of dewatering discharge and highlighting unique salt lakes within the Goldfields of Western Australia.
7
Murphy, Sarah Elizabeth. "An investigation into the treatment efficiency of a primary pond in the Barker Inlet Stormwater Wetland System, South Australia /." Title page, table of contents and abstract only, 1999. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ENS/09ensm978.pdf.
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Thesis (M.Eng.Sc.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2000?Corrigenda pasted onto front end-paper. The CD contains Excel spreadsheets containing data collected. Bibliography: leaves 209-222.
8
Kobryń, Halina T. "Land use changes and the properties of stormwater entering a wetland on a sandy coastal plain in Western Australia /." Access via Murdoch University Digital Thesis Project, 2001. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20040519.165016.
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Reed, Deborah A. "Spatial and temporal biogeochemical changes of groundwater associated with managed aquifer recharge in two different geographical areas." University of Western Australia. School of Biomedical, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0074.
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[Truncated abstract] Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is a technique that can be used to capture and store water in aquifers for later reuse. This method recycles water that would normally be lost or discarded to the environment. MAR has been observed to have the potential for improving the quality of recharged water through a combination of physical, chemical and biological processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in groundwater microbial population structure during MAR and the major influences that drive these population changes. Biogeochemical MAR studies have the potential to assist in the improved prediction of the removal of contaminants such as nutrients, pathogens and trace organics from the recharged water. Biological clogging during recharge also has the potential to overwhelm an aquifers ability to process wastewater thus reducing the hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer. Therefore further research into the spatial and temporal biogeochemical processes that occur during MAR is required. The geochemical and microbial population dynamics of two contrasting MAR techniques were investigated at two different geographical locations (Perth, Western Australia and Adelaide, South Australia). These MAR sites contained aquifers of dissimilar properties that were recharged with wastewater that contrasted in water quality. The Perth MAR site received secondary treated effluent which continuously infiltrated the unsaturated zone into an unconfined aquifer aided by infiltration galleries. Reclaimed water was extracted from a well at distance from the infiltration gallery. ... Notably the background and recovered water was most dissimilar in microbial and chemical population structure to that described for the infiltration gallery and injection well. Microbial and chemical evidence suggested that the background and extraction well groundwater were unaffected by plume migration. These results suggested that extraction well groundwater was similar in quality to that of ambient groundwater. Significant geochemical and microbial changes of secondary treated effluent during infiltration and lateral movement through aquifer were implicated in addition to the forced hydraulic gradient created from extracting fives time the volume of infiltrating wastewater. This study demonstrated that microbial populations and the geochemical processes associated with MAR can be studied and compared. Multivariate statistical methodology greatly simplified a vast array of dynamic biogeochemical information that could be dissected for meaningful interpretation over distance and time. The study evaluated the major biogeochemical influences which resulted in microbial and geochemical changes where it was noted that microbial populations were more dynamic than geochemical variation over time. Additionally biogeochemical comparative analysis indicated that microbial populations could change in population structure before a shift in aquifer geochemistry was detected. It is anticipated that the results from this study will benefit further research into the biogeochemical processes involved in water quality changes (e.g. nutrient removal, pathogen decay and biodegradation of trace organics) as well as controlling biological clogging of MAR schemes.
10
Pratt, Catherine, and n/a. "Investigations into Faecal Sterols and E.Coli as Indicators of Sewage and Non-Sewage Inputs into a Subtropical Estuarine Embayment System in South Eastern QLD, Australia." Griffith University. School of Environmental and Applied Science, 2006. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20070124.111827.
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Sewage pollution from humans, animal and domestic sources (land and agricultural run-off) are recognized as a major cause of deteriorating water quality along Australia's coastline. Management of water quality has primarily relied on the use of bacterial indicator methods. However the validity and source-specificity of these methods have been met with increasing reservations for several years now. A relatively recent methodology uses a different chemical biomarker approach using 'sterols', a group of compounds related to the common bio-membrane lipid cholesterol and its derivatives. Sterols can offer an additional diagnostic tool to distinguish and discriminate between sources of faecal contamination in marine, freshwater and estuarine environments in both sediments and the water column. This study investigates for the first time, the degradation of coprostanol and selected faecal sterols in 'natural' sediments from a highly mixed (marine and estuarine) sub-tropical environment following a simulated pollution event (primary effluent); the use of faecal sterols as an additional indicator for determining non-point source sewage discharges at popular anchorages in the Moreton Bay and Gold Coast Broadwater system; and the use of sterol ratios in the determination of the fate and transportation of nutrients from a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) point-source outlet pipe during plant malfunction. The microcosm degradation experiment revealed that faecal and selected sterols are continually synthesised and degraded over time by auto- and hetero trophic organisms within the sediment matrix. Coprostanol was the only sterol to degrade continually, with only minor fluctuations over a time period of two months. Results from this degradation experiment further revealed a sharp decline of coprostanol within the first week. From this it could be concluded that, without any further addition, external inputs of coprostanol are reduced to background levels within this time period. Therefore, removal of coprostanol after six days was 94% and 73% in mud and sand, respectively. The removal of coprostanol was much higher in mud than sand, reflecting a higher level of microbial activity in muddy sediments for assimilation of sterols. The field study undertaken at popular anchorages in Moreton Bay and the Gold Coast Broadwater revealed extremely low levels of sterols and bacterial indicators over both a spatial and temporal scale consistent with a shallow, oligotrophic, highly dynamic sand dominated system. Even though sterols analysed were found at extremely low levels (mostly in the nano-gram range), they were found to be highly correlated and were successful in identifying an unexpected once off pollution event from a point source at Moreton Bay Island. Other than this one incident, both sterol and bacterial levels were consistently low even when anchorages were at full capacity. Thus, sewage from recreational vessels was found to have very little, if any, effect on the water quality at anchorages in Moreton Bay and Gold Coast Broadwater. The point-source study conducted during a local sewage treatment plant malfunction revealed that even though absolute concentrations of sterols did not change during this event, the distribution of sterols within the samples changed, hence changing the sterol ratios. Further, nutrients (mainly nitrogen) can be transported several kilometres by currents, flocculate out of the water column and settle out into the sediment in areas with low tidal and hydrological flushing. There, the nutrients can cause in situ production of sterols in sediments changing sterol ratios. Overall, this study revealed that analyses of sterol biomarkers have the potential to indicate nutrient inputs (such as nitrogen) as well as sewage, post-hoc pollution events at extremely low levels/high dilutions in coastal sediments.
11
Livingston, Daniel John Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty of Engineering UNSW. "Institutions and decentralised urban water management." Publisher:University of New South Wales. Civil & Environmental Engineering, 2008. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/41336.
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Physically decentralised water management systems may contribute to improving the sustainability of urban water management. Any shift toward decentralised systems needs to consider not just physical system design but also social values, knowledge frames, and organisations, and their interconnections to the physical technology. Four cases of recent Australian urban water management improvement projects were researched using qualitative methods. Three cases were of decentralised water management innovation. The other was of a centralised system, although decentralised options had been considered. These cases were studied to identify institutional barriers and enablers for the uptake of decentralised systems, and to better understand how emerging environmental engineering knowledge might be applied to overcome an implementation gap for decentralised urban water technologies. Analysis of each case focused on the institutional elements of urban water management, namely: the values, knowledge frames and organisational structures. These elements were identified through in-depth interviews, document review, and an on-line survey. The alignment of these elements was identified as being a significant contributor to the stability of centralised systems, or to change toward decentralised systems. A new organisational home for innovative knowledge was found to be common to each case where decentralised innovation occurred. ??Institutional entrepreneurs??, strong stakeholder engagement, and inter-organisational networks were all found to be linked to the creation of shared meaning and legitimacy for organisational and technological change. Existing planning frameworks focus on expert justification for change rather than institutional support for change. Institutional factors include shared understandings, values and organisational frameworks, and the alignment of each factor. Principles for, and examples of, appropriate organisational design for enabling and managing decentralised technological innovation for urban water management are proposed. This research contributes to the understanding of the institutional basis and dynamics of urban water management, particularly in relation to physical centralisation and decentralisation of urban water management technologies and, to a lesser extent, in relation to user involvement in urban water management. Understanding of factors that contribute to enabling and constraining decentralised technologies is extended to include institutional and organisational factors. New and practical pathways for change for the implementation of decentralised urban water systems are provided.
12
Schmitt, Andrea V., and n/a. "The Influence of Nutrients on Aquatic Primary Production and Food Webs in Subtropical Streams of South East Queensland, Australia." Griffith University. Australian School of Environmental Studies, 2005. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20061010.135700.
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The increasing world population and with it the increased pressure on food production are likely to challenge the availability of quality fresh water resources in the near future. To compound the looming water crisis, caused by an increased demand for water available for agricultural production, the quality of our fresh water resources is also likely to suffer from the consequences of increased population pressure, i.e. urbanization of land and growth of industries, and food production, i.e. agricultural use of land. Moreton Bay, South East Queensland, Australia, is listed under the United Nations Convention on Wetlands and is also a declared Marine Park. The Moreton Bay area, however, is already one of the five fastest growing urban areas in the developed world. Prognoses about future population growth and urban and industrial development in the area, have hence given rise to growing concerns about the future water quality in this international environmentally important area. Therefore the aim of the current study was to investigate the fate of nutrients in freshwater streams in the Moreton Bay area in order to gain a better understanding of nutrient pathways in aquatic systems and assist in refining the National Water Quality Management Strategy to provide better management of our waterways. To achieve this, the effects of land use on water quality were determined at 22 study sites in the Brisbane River Catchment. Within the catchment five main types of land use were identified, including urban, rural residential, cropping, grazing and mixed types of land use. Water quality was sampled during three seasons: the pre-wet (October - November), wet (December - March) and dry (April - August) season. Nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in ambient stream water varied significantly spatially, i.e. types of land use, and temporally, i.e. seasons. At some sites, during certain times of the year, nutrient concentrations were found to exceed the range recommended by the Australian Water Quality guidelines. Nutrient concentrations were particular high in urban areas, especially during the dry season. It was also found that the 15N signatures in aquatic plants, i.e epipelic algae, correlated strongly with in-stream nitrogen concentrations. The large variability of in-stream nutrient concentrations, and the related changes in nitrogen isotopic signatures in aquatic plants, made it obvious to suggest that changes in land use may significantly impact on water quality in the catchment. Other changes in land use, for example riparian vegetation clearing, are also commonly observed in areas under urban, industry and/or agricultural growth pressure. This is of particular concern, given riparian vegetation is important not only in controlling nutrient and other organic matter input into streams, but also in regulating light levels for in-stream primary production. Previously riparian zones have been shown to be a prime source of carbon and energy for aquatic food webs in some studies, whereas other studies suggested the main driver of food webs is in-stream primary production. The current study used stable isotope analysis track carbon and nitrogen pathways through aquatic systems and determine the primary source of carbon and energy in aquatic food webs. Despite large spatial and temporal variability of 13C, aquatic consumers were closely tracking the carbon isotope signatures of plants and it was suggested that epilithic and epipelic algae are the main contributors to the carbon and energy budget of aquatic consumers.In realizing this importance of algae in aquatic systems, the next step in this study was to examine the relative importance of light and nutrient availability to periphyton and the effects of changes of these variables on plant biomass and primary production. In an in-situ experiment the levels of light and nutrients available to periphyton, were altered. Although nutrients and light may have colimited standing crop of periphyton, other variables were clearly limited by light. Parallel to this experiment on periphyton, the nutrient availability to Vallisneria spp. was experimentally altered to investigate the effects of changes in nutrient availability and nutrient limitation on other aquatic plants. The biomass of this submerged macrophyte increased three-fold in nitrogen and phosphorus sufficient areas over nutrient limited treatments. The physiological response, i.e. changes in concentrations of amino acids, of periphyton to changes in environmental conditions was also investigated on a large scale, i.e. spatial and temporal variability of amino acids, and a local scale, i.e. amino acid changes in artificially altered light and nutrient availability. This response was of particular interest in this study, as it was previously shown that physiological changes in plants impact on the quality of plants as food for consumers. The physiological changes in aquatic plants could thus provide an important link between nutrient input into streams (e.g. from terrestrial sources), impacts on aquatic plants (e.g.. nutrient uptake and physiological responses in plants) and effects on aquatic consumers (e.g. changes in food quality of plants and therefore impacts on biomass, growth and overall health of aquatic consumers).
13
Brancho, Jennie. "Review of Regulatory Policies for Copper and Silver Water Quality Criteria." Kent State University Honors College / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1493904025463972.
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French, Rachel. "Modelling urban runoff : volume and pollutant concentration of the Barker Inlet Wetland Catchment." Title page, abstract and contents only, 1999. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ENS/09ensf875.pdf.
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Bibliography :leaves 158-171. A monitoring program, funded by the South Australian government (through the former MFP Development Corporation), was established to monitor the quality and quantity of storm water entering and leaving the wetland. This study formed part of the funded program. Simple regression models were developed; and will assist in the monitoring of performance of the wetland to alleviate the pollutant load into the Barker Inlet.
15
Barrett, Brian Edward. "Water-borne geophysics for Murray River salt-load detection." Title page, contents and abstract only, 2003. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09SM/09smb2741.pdf.
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Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-115) Towed DC Resistivity and Transient Electromagnetic arrays have been trialled for suitability in monitoring salt-loads on the Murray River at Waikerie, South Australia.
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Roe, Brett, and b. roe@cqu edu au. "Ecologically Engineered Primary Production in Central Queensland, Australia - Integrated Fish and Crayfish Culture, Constructed Wetlands, Floral Hydroponics, and Industrial Wastewater." Central Queensland University. Sciences, 2005. http://library-resources.cqu.edu.au./thesis/adt-QCQU/public/adt-QCQU20080717.092551.
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The issue of sustainability has greatest significance in the midst of unilateral bio-socioeconomic degradation resulting from intense and increasing societal pressures placed on the unified global ecology. In such an environment, sustainable development seeks to manage natural resources within a free market economy, aiming to meet the needs of today's population, and to protect and enhance current resource quality and abundance. In this light, techniques of integrated sustainable primary production and wastewater management are the subject matters of this applied research. There are many researchable issues which could be addressed within the subject matter. The first focus in the research scope was driven by the most severe sustainability issue facing Central Queensland (Australia) in 2000: the depletion and degradation of freshwater supplies. Central Queensland (CQ) is an arid sub-tropical region that has suffered from a marked reduction in rainfall and increase in temperature over the last 100 years, {Miles, 2004 #172}, and by the year 2000, conditions had been exacerbated by eight years of severe drought and warmer than average temperatures and resulted in widespread animal and crop failures due to freshwater shortages. Such a problem required a multi-faceted ecological, social, and economic approach. Hence, research centred on investigating the science of integrating regional water-related industries and agribusiness, and biodiverse ecosystems to achieve water and wastewater reuse applications, and associated eco-socioeconomic benefits. Specifically, this research investigates the integration of (a) electrical power station wastewater (b) barramundi culture, (c) red claw culture, (d) constructed wetlands (for water quality management and habitat creation), and (e) hydroponic flower culture. This research produced outcomes of integrated water and wastewater reuse and recycling, marketable agriproducts production (fish, crayfish, and flowers), water and wastewater reuse and conservation, wetland primary production, carbon dioxide sequestration, aquatic pollution control, and biodiversity creation and support. Successful design and management, experimental trialing and evaluation of system components and subjects, and the development of a knowledge base including static and dynamic system models, represent advances in respective research areas, and underpin the emerging discipline of integrated systems approaches to eco-socioeconomic development. Additionally, several gaps in the current body of knowledge regarding integrated systems were filled, and interactive management tools were developed. Apart from this study, the integration of technologies (as described above) has not, to this author's knowledge, been accomplished.
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Huber, Anita. "Internal mixing in a mine lake." University of Western Australia. School of Environmental Systems Engineering, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2007.0103.
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[Truncated abstract] Mine lakes are a water body created after an open-cut mine ceases operating. The lakes develop in the former mine-pit due to the combination of groundwater inflow, surface run-off and, in some cases, due to rapid filling from river diversion. While potentially valuable water resources, these lakes often have poor water quality and managing the water body is an important part of the overall process of mine site rehabilitation. As mine lakes form in man-made pits, they have a bathymetry that is typically quite distinct from natural lakes and this can, in turn, strongly influence the hydrodynamics and hence the water quality of the water body. Despite the potential importance of these water bodies, there have been very few studies on the hydrodynamics of mine lakes. This study describes a field investigation of the hydrodynamics of a former coal mine lake, Lake Kepwari, in south-western Western Australia. In particular, this study examines the hydrodynamic processes in both the surface mixing layers and the internal mixing in the density stratified lake. Wind sheltering in the surface mixing layer occurs due to the presence of the steep walls and lake embankments. A week long field experiment was conducted in December 2003 using a combination of moored thermistor chains with meteorological stations and the deployment of rapid vertical profiling turbulent microstructure instruments and CTD drops from two boats operating on the lake. ... Simulations indicated that inclusion of a site specific sheltering effect, based on the results of the field campaign, significantly improved the models‘ performance in capturing the surface mixed layer deepening associated with episodic strong wind events that occur on the lake. Considerable internal mixing was indicated by the high dissipation rates observed, particularly near the boundaries. Large basin-wide diffusivities were also calculated from the heat budget method over long periods, showed a consistency with time, and were slightly higher in summer than during the Autumn Winter period. Although light, there are persistent winds over the lake and yet little basin-scale internal wave activity or seiching. It is hypothesized that any seiching motion was rapidly damped by strong mixing over the hydraulically rough bathymetry bathymetry created by the remnant benches from the open cut mining operation itself. This boundary mixing, in turn, drives secondary relaxation currents that transport mixed fluid from the boundaries to the interior, resulting in high effective basin-wide diffusivities. A simple boundary mixing model is proposed to describe this process.
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Ma, Ying. "Monitoring of heavy metals in the Bottelary River using Typha capensis and Phragmites australis." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2005. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&.
Full textAbstract:
The aim of this study was to use plants to determine the degree of heavy metal contamination in water and sediments in order to effectively monitor and provide possible recommendation to improve the water quality in the aquatic ecosystem of the Bottelary River.
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Buckley, David, and n/a. "Sediment quality guidelines for Australian waters : a framework for development and use." University of Canberra. Resource, Environmental & Heritage Sciences, 1997. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060619.163639.
Full textAbstract:
The Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) and the Agriculture and Resource Management Council of
Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ) have announced that the 1997
review of the Australian Water Quality Guidelines will include for the first time,
consideration of sediment quality guidelines. For this reason, it is timely to
review the methods for establishing such guidelines, and the manner in which
they could be used in managing the quality of sediments in Australian rivers,
lakes and drainage systems.
In this thesis, the problem of the development of sediment quality guidelines is
introduced and basic questions relating to the development of such guidelines
are addressed. The importance of sediment monitoring and sediment quality
assessment in aquatic ecosystem management is demonstrated, and the role of
sediment quality guidelines in the process of sediment quality assessment is
discussed. The arguments considered in this thesis are illustrated by specific
reference to the setting and use of sediment quality guidelines for heavy metal
contamination.
A number of physico-chemical factors (grain size distribution, pH, redox
potential, alkalinity and hardness, salinity, organic matter) can affect the
bioavailability and toxicity of contaminants in sediments, and these factors may
vary spatially and temporally within and between sediment deposits. Changes
in physico-chemical conditions as a result of natural or anthropogenic
processes may lead to major changes in bioavailability of sediment
contaminants. The variability of these physico-chemical factors has
ramifications for the way in which sediment quality guidelines are derived and
used.
Factors affecting the way in which toxicity is measured (test species chosen,
toxicological end-point measured, duration of test relative to life-cycle), and
toxicity data is interpreted, are also important to the development of useful
sediment quality guidelines. All of these factors must be taken into account in
deriving sediment quality guidelines for Australian conditions.
The large number of factors affecting the sensitivity and efficiency of sediment
quality guidelines means that a simple set of numerical guidelines, as has been
used in the past, is not appropriate. A multi-step assessment procedure will be
required.
Methods of setting sediment quality guidelines that have been used by
authorities in overseas jurisdictions were reviewed. Advantages and
disadvantages of the various methods were compared. None of the methods
used overseas has been shown to be applicable to Australian conditions. In the
absence of a suitable method for deriving Australian sediment quality guidelines
in the short term, the adoption of the Canadian Interim Sediment Quality
Guidelines as interim sediment quality guidelines for Australia is recommended.
Sediment quality guidelines need to be viewed in the context of the overall
environmental management process, of which they form an integral part. The
policy background to environmental management in Australia, and the
management frameworks that have been put in place to implement the policy,
are outlined. The AS/NZS/ISO 14000 series of standards for environmental
management systems provides a framework which is consistent with the
principles and objectives of environmental management in Australia. It
therefore provides an appropriate framework within which to develop and use
sediment quality guidelines.
Within the broad AS/NZS/ISO 14000 policy, a framework for the
development and use of sediment quality guidelines is proposed, which will
provide a technically and legally defensible basis for the management of aquatic
sediments in Australia, in the short term and long term. The proposed
framework involves the setting of Interim Sediment Quality Guidelines for
Australia, based on the best scientific knowledge currently available. The
framework recognises that the factors affecting the bioavailability and toxicity
of sediment contaminants are complex, and that the current level of knowledge
of sediment processes is incomplete. Therefore, a conservative approach to
setting guidelines is taken, and a highly sensitive guideline based on that used in
Canada, is proposed. The framework further recognises that this approach will
lead to over protection of the environment in some cases, so a "Decision
Tree" approach is taken. The "decision tree" allows the consideration of more
complex interactions than can be incorporated into simple numeric guidelines,
while attempting to simplify the assessment process. In keeping with the ISO
14000 series of standards for environmental management, the framework also
explicitly includes steps designed to ensure that monitoring data are regularly
collated, and analysed, and where necessary, guidelines are able to be updated
in light of new knowledge gleaned from the review process.
The proposed framework is appropriate to, and supportive of, the principles of
environmental management as set out in Australian Government policy
documents, inter governmental and international agreements, and legislation.
It provides a basis for the on-going collection of data suited to increasing our
understanding of the factors influencing the behaviour of contaminants in
sediments, and thereby lead to continual improvement in sediment quality
guidelines for use in Australian conditions.
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Johnson, James. "Depositional and palaeoecological characteristics of incipient and submerged coral reefs on the inner-shelf of Australia's Great Barrier Reef." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/32954.
Full textAbstract:
Understanding how coral reefs have developed in the past is crucial for placing contemporary ecological and environmental change within appropriate reef-building timescales (i.e. centennial to millennial). On Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR), coral reefs situated within nearshore settings on the inner continental shelf are a particular priority. This is due to their close proximity to river point sources, and therefore susceptibility to reduced water quality as the result of extensive modification of adjacent river catchments following European settlement in the region (ca. 1850 CE). However, the extent of water quality decline and its impact on the coral reefs of the GBR’s inner-shelf remains contentious and is confounded by a paucity of long-term (> decadal) datasets. Central to the on-going debate is uncertainty related to the impact of increased sediment loads, relative to the natural movement and resuspension of terrigenous sediments, which have accumulated on the inner-shelf over the last ~6,000 years. The main aim of this thesis was to characterise and investigate the vertical development of turbid nearshore coral reefs on the central GBR. This aim was achieved through the recovery of 21 reef cores (3 - 5 m in length) from five proximal turbid nearshore reefs, currently distributed across the spectrum of reef ‘geomorphological development’ within the Paluma Shoals reef complex (PSRC). The recovered reef cores were used to establish detailed depositional and palaeoecological records for the investigation of the (1) internal development and vertical accretionary history of the PSRC; and (2) compositional variation in turbid nearshore coral and benthic foraminiferal assemblages during vertical reef accretion towards sea level. Established chronostratigraphic and palaeoecological records were further used to assess the impact of post-European settlement associated water quality change in a turbid nearshore reef setting on the central GBR. Radiocarbon dating (n = 96 dates) revealed reef initiation within the PSRC to have occurred between ~2,000 and 1,000 calibrated years before present, with subsequent reef development occurring under the persistent influence of fine-grained (< 0.063 mm) terrigenous sediments. The internal development of the PSRC was characterised by discrete reef facies comprised of a loose coral framework with an unconsolidated siliciclastic-carbonate sediment matrix. A total of 29 genera of Scleractinian coral and 86 genera of benthic foraminifera were identified from the palaeoecological inventory of the PSRC. Both coral and benthic foraminiferal assemblages were characterised by distinct assemblages of taxa pre-adapted to sediment stress (i.e. low light availability and high sedimentation). At the genus level, no discernable evidence of compositional change in either coral or benthic foraminiferal assemblages was found, relative to European settlement. Instead, variations in assemblage composition were driven by intrinsic changes in prevailing abiotic conditions under vertical reef accretion towards sea level (e.g. hydrodynamic energy, light availability, and sedimentation rate). These findings therefore highlight the importance for considering reef ‘geomorphological development’ when interpreting contemporary reef ecological status. Furthermore, this research emphasises the robust nature of turbid nearshore reefs and suggests that they may be more resilient to changes in water quality than those associated with environmental settings where local background sedimentary conditions are less extreme (e.g. towards the inner/mid-shelf boundary). To this end, this thesis presents new baseline records with which to assess contemporary ecological and environmental change within turbid nearshore settings on the central GBR.
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Moeller, Anthony. "Best practices in drinking water quality regulation elements of an Australian model." 2001. http://business.unisa.edu.au/waterpolicylaw/documents/thesis.pdf.
Full text
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Gorman, Daniel. "Declining water quality as a driver of changes to subtidal communities." 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/58578.
Full textAbstract:
This body of work examines the influence of land use on nearshore water quality, and how this can drive changes to algal and invertebrate communities along Australia's southern coastline. The overall aim of the thesis was to investigate links between increasing coastal water-column nitrogen concentrations (derived from terrestrial inputs) and the expansion of turf-forming habitats that can alter the structure and function of subtidal ecosystems. I initially tested whether human activities in coastal catchments can increase subsidies of nitrogen to open rocky coasts. I identified landscape-scale variation in the supply of Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) to coastal waters adjacent to natural, agricultural and urban catchments. Compared to natural catchments, subsidies of DIN were 8 - 407 times greater in urban catchments, and 1 - 63 times greater in agricultural catchments. Subsidies of nitrogen from urban catchments were attributed to the release of sewage effluent, as delineated by δ¹ ⁵N isotopic values of transplanted algae. Having made this link, I then assessed whether catchment-scale variation in nitrogen subsidies may predict patterns of subtidal habitat structure, particularly as related to theories of regime shifts from forested landscapes to structurally depauperate turf-forming habitats. I validated this hypothesis, demonstrating that both relative covers and patch-sizes of turfed habitat were greater where the ratio of terrestrial nitrogen inputs to ambient coastal resources was large. An important realisation was that loss of forests may be more strongly related to the size of subsidy (i.e. the relative increases in water column nitrogen concentrations along urban coasts) rather than the size of coastal populations. Together, these data link coastal development with modified land-to-sea subsidies, and indirectly support the model that ecological effects may be proportional to the disparity between donor and recipient resources. Having demonstrated a link between nitrogen subsidies and subtidal habitat change, I then investigated factors likely to initiate and maintain such shifts. My results demonstrate that nutrient elevation can alter the natural phenology of turfs, sustaining dense covers throughout periods of natural senescence (winter). Perennial turf covers are able to accumulate large volumes of sediment; a synergy can impede the winter recruitment of canopy-forming species (kelps and fucoid algae). My observations of reduced forest recovery along urban coasts serve to highlight the complex interaction between elevated nutrients, persistent turf covers and increased sediment accumulation, which can reduce the resilience of coastal ecosystems to disturbance. In recognition that regime shifts are likely to have consequences for higher trophic levels, I compared the diet of invertebrate herbivores from healthy and degraded coastlines using stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N). Dietary modelling showed that turfs contributed more to the diet of consumers along degraded coastlines where turfed landscapes have replaced extensive covers of macroalgal forest. Additionally, there were strong correlations between covers of turfed habitat, herbivore diet and relative densities. Changes to ambient food quality associated with regime shift may be an important aspect of nutrient-driven change along human-dominated coastlines. The final component of my thesis redressed some of the uncertainty about restoration initiatives for urban coasts by demonstrating that regime shifts are not necessarily permanent. I showed that turf removal can facilitate the recovery of degraded forests. Future restoration, therefore, is a possible outcome of polices that aim to decouple the link between nutrient inputs and recalcitrant turfed habitats that prevent forest recovery. Initiatives that reduce nutrient discharge to coastal waters (e.g., wastewater recycling) are likely to restore the resilience of nearshore marine ecosystems and promote their rehabilitation.http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1473469
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009
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Devlin, Michelle. "Spatial and temporal patterns of flood plumes in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia /." 2005. http://eprints.jcu.edu.au/2015.
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Hoefel, Daniel. "Rapid detection and molecular profiling of water-borne bacteria." 2005. http://arrow.unisa.edu.au:8081/1959.8/25003.
Full textAbstract:
In this thesis, detection of active water-borne bacteria was achieved by combining flow cytometry with vital dyes that characterise the metabolic status of cells. Following optimisation, these techniques were applied to investigate the activity of bacteria exposed to disinfection, both in the laboratory and in real systems. Raw and potable waters from various locations around South Australia were then analysed to investigate relationships between numbers of active bacteria and those detected by traditional culture-based techniques. Flow cytometric cell sorting of active bacteria followed by 16S rRNA gene-directed PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was then used to track the survival of bacteria through water treatment and into distribution. In doing so the identification of active bacteria not detected by culture was achieved. Finally, real-time PCR was optimised for detection of ammonia oxidising bacteria. This group of bacteria were responsible for loss of disinfection residual within a chloraminated distribution system.thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2005.
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McNamara, Leslie, University of Western Sydney, College of Health and Science, and School of Natural Sciences. "The role of water quality modelling in decision-making." 2007. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/18899.
Full textAbstract:
Catchment management organisations often use computer-based water quality models to support their decision-making needs. However, literature suggests that model use by catchment managers can be highly problematical. Commonly reported issues that negatively impact upon the effectiveness of modelling for decision-making are data quality and availability, miscommunication between analysts and decision-makers, inappropriate treatment of uncertainty, excessive model complexity (‘sophistication’) or simplicity and poor modelling practice. The challenges that beset catchment managers are usually framed as technical problems that can be overcome by using or communicating the science that underlies the models more effectively. As a result, many of the problems associated with the use of models by catchment managers have not been adequately elucidated from the standpoint of a manager. This thesis examines the problem of modelling for decision-making from a fresh perspective. Systemic approaches to research are commonly used where the research problem is ill-defined, as it is here. ‘Action research’ is one qualitative, systemic methodology, and was used here as the guiding methodology to explore the model related problems faced by catchment managers. Action research involves recurrent cycles of planning, action, observation and reflection. The research was undertaken with the Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA), a New South Wales government agency responsible for water quality and catchment health in the drinking water catchments of Sydney, Australia. The SCA had expressed a particular need for tools to support the assessment of development applications with respect to potential impacts on water quality, and to prioritise rural land for remedial action to improve water quality in the drinking water catchments. The research had two broad aims that were:1.to develop two models differing in sophistication, and to use them to prioritise nutrient pollution sources and calculate nutrient loads; And, through the participatory development of the models, 2.to learn methodological lessons that catchment managers can apply to choose and use models more effectively. In this research, action was in the form of five planned activities, including: i. a review of relevant literature from diverse disciplines; ii. the holding of two workshops; the first exclusively involving SCA managers to identify their modelling needs, and the second involving water quality scientists and modelers to discuss methods for meeting the modelling needs; iii. the development and use of two export coefficient nutrient models; iv. a focus group discussion involving key staff in the SCA; and v. a review of published guidelines for good modelling practice in environmental management. Note was also taken of statements or behaviour at numerous meetings and seminars, mostly with SCA staff, that were relevant to the research questions.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Hewitson, Christopher Michael. "Optimisation of water distribution systems using genetic algorithms for hydraulic and water quality issues / by Christopher Michael Hewitson." 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/19536.
Full textAbstract:
Corrigenda pasted onto front end paper.One folded col. map in pocket on back endpaper.
Bibliography: leaves 348-368.
xx, 368 leaves : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.) ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Develops a framework balancing water quality costs resulting from waterborne disease, disinfection by-product exposure and aesthetic concerns, against hydraulic costs, which include pipes, pumps and tanks. The genetic algorithms developed, successfully obtained the current optimal hydraulic solution, before adapting the model to incorporate water quality issues.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2000
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Wijayanto, Yagus. "Cumulative Effects Assessment (CEA) in spatially unconstrained area using geographical information systems (GIS) and water quality modelling : thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy / Yagus Wijayanto." 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/21817.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliographical references (leaves [268]-285)xiv, 285, [85] leaves : ill. (some folded), maps (col., folded) ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geographical and Environmental Studies, 2002
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Kim, Young-Kil. "Nutrient sources and dynamics in the Parafield stormwater harvesting facility and implication to water quality control." 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/57033.
Full textAbstract:
The quantity of stormwater runoff from the city of Adelaide almost matches the demand for drinking water. It therefore becomes increasingly important as an alternative source for water supply. This research focused at the Parafield Stormwater Harvesting Facility near Adelaide in order to better understand: (1) nutrient dynamics between the water column, sediments and plant community, (2) allochthonous and autochthonous sources of nutrients and (3) nutrient retention capacity of the reed bed. A weekly monitoring programme for the physical and chemical parameters of the water column, sediment and plant community was carried out over three years for specific locations within the reed bed. Ordination and clustering of the time series data revealed distinctive seasonal and spatial nutrient patterns. The concentrations for total nitrogen (TN) showed high concentrations for the summer period (1.04 to 1.86 mg/L) and low concentration for the winter season (0.25 to 0.46 mg/L). For the other nitrogen fractions in form of nitrate (NO₃⁻) and ammonium (NH₄⁺) the seasonal patterns were different to that of TN. In NO₃⁻ the concentrations were high during the summer and winter seasons and NH₄⁺ showed high concentration during the spring. The seasonality for total phosphorus (TP) showed high concentration for the spring period (0.049 to 0.163 mg/L) and low concentration for the other seasons (0.01 to 0.019 mg/L). A similar pattern has been observed for phosphate (PO₄³ ⁻) as well. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations showed high concentrations during the summer period (21.36 to 31.64 mg/L) and low concentration during the winter seasons (5.48 to 7.14 mg/L). The seasonal pattern for the nutrient contents of the plant community showed highest concentrations during summer (5.5 to 34.2 gTN/kg) and lowest concentrations in winter (0.2 to 7.7 gTN/kg). Nutrient concentrations in the sediments were highest during the non-growing seasons (autumn and winter). This result indicated that the function of sediments changes seasonally from being a sink during the non-growing season by accumulating both allochthonous and autochthonous nutrients in the rainy season, and becoming a source during the growing seasons due to nutrient release from anaerobic sediments supporting the growth of the macrophyte community. Overall the function of sediment in reed bed pond of the Stormwater Harvesting Facility was to be a source of nutrients and therefore no accumulation of nutrients occurred during the study period. The research has demonstrated that the reed bed currently performs as a reasonable nutrient retention system with following nutrient removal rates: 0.85 mg TN /m²/day, 0.79 mg NO₃⁻ /m²/day, 0.28 mg NH₄⁺/m²/day, 0.05 mg TP /m²/day, 0.04 mg PO₄³ ⁻ /m²/day, and 5.75 mg DOC /m²/day. Seasonal difference in the water retention time showed that the for most of the nutrients the removal performance was most effective during autumn and winter with the exception of the removal performance of P forms, which most effective during spring and summer. For TN, NO₃⁻ and DOC the RE was most efficient at a residence time > 15days, for TP and PO₄³ ⁻ it is 5-10 days and for NH₄⁺ it is <;5days. Time–series modelling of the monitoring data resulted in rule-based prediction models for the different nutrients. Sensitivity analyses of the models revealed key driving variables for the nutrient dynamics of the reed bed. The prediction results revealed that the DO was the key driving variable influencing the nutrient concentrations in the water column and therefore to improve the water quality of the treatment water DO levels have to maintained above the threshold of 4 mg/L. Beside DO other key driving variables were turbidity, ORP and the nutrient levels from the previous site. Therefore the control of these parameters would be the start to develop a management plan for best-practice management in terms of water quality at the Parafield Stormwater Harvesting Facility.http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1458926
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Science, 2010
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Ross, Jason Bruce, University of Western Sydney, and Faculty of Science and Technology. "An investigation of the distribution patterns of aquatic vertebrates across four sites in the upper Parramatta river catchment." 2000. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/26017.
Full textAbstract:
Freshwater vertebrates were sampled in different waters of the Upper Parramatta River catchment to determine their patterns of distribution with respect to water quality. A total of 730 animals (831 captures)were caught between November 1997 and December 1998. Data was collected on three freshwater turtle species, and four fish species.The abundance of aquatic vertebrates was correlated with physiochemical water quality parameters. The large aquatic vertebrates studied did not correlate with the commonly used parameters for aquatic health. The assumption ANZEEC water quality parameters are the definitive determinant of aquatic health for vertebrates is, therefore, erroneous.Master of Science (Hons)
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Popov, Vladislav H., University of Western Sydney, of Science Technology and Environment College, and School of Environment and Agriculture. "A catchment approach to managing agricultural pesticides in the environment : a case study with the herbicide atrazine." 2005. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/22967.
Full textAbstract:
Surface water quality of the Liverpool Plains (NSW), a series of floodplains comprising the floodplain of the Mooki River, is poor despite the introduction of conservation tillage that has reduced soil erosion and, with it, the transport of sediment, nutrients and chemicals to streams.The aim of this thesis was to provide a basis for recommending the possible wider use of biofilters, by determining their effectiveness in reducing pollutant (mainly atrazine) transport at multiple scales in the Liverpool Plains, quantifying the importance of relevant processes, including the capacity of soil biofilters to degrade the retained pollutants, and evaluating the effect of pollutants on the biofilter vegetation. These objectives were explored in two sub-catchments within the Liverpool Plains, namely Big Jacks Creek and the Blackville.Soils are predominantly vertosols that crack deeply on drying, resulting in initially high infiltration rates on wetting and high water holding capacity. Field monitoring revealed that biofilters such as grassed waterways, natural grasslands or vegetated filter strips (VFS) positioned at multiple catchment scales can significantly reduce pollutant concentrations in runoff. The use of biofilters is discussed, along with other best management practices that will be needed to manage pesticide loads both at source and in the transport pathway.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Burns, Adrienne 1971. "The role of disturbance in the ecology of biofilms in the River Murray, South Australia." 1997. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phb9668.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Copy of author's previously published article inserted. Bibliography: leaves 198-217. This thesis explores the impact of sustained disturbances on the ecology of algal dominated biofilms in the Lower River Murray, South Australia. It focuses on the physical effects of regulation through changes to the light environment and water level regime, and the local effects of grazing. The nutritional signficance of biofilms for the abundant populations of prawns and shrimps in the Lower Murray is also examined.
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Menacherry, Saju. "’Source to sink’ sedimentology and petrology of a dryland fluvial system, and implications for reservoir quality, Lake Eyre Basin, Central Australia." 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/56268.
Full textAbstract:
Reservoir quality of subsurface sandstones depends on the composition, texture and grain size of the initial sediments. These factors are a function of hinterland processes: tectonic setting, provenance, climate and depositional environment, and sediment transportation processes. This study focuses on a modern, dryland, fluvial deposition system from source-to-sink that aims to provide a quantitative dataset analogue to facilitate forward modelling for prediction of subsurface compositions, grain size and textures of reservoir sandstones. Umbum Creek, in the western Lake Eyre Basin of Central Australia, was selected as a small river network (~ 100km²) in order to study source-to-sink sedimentation. The provenance area was analysed using isopach maps derived from a 783 drill-hole dataset, which included stratigraphy and lithology information. Subsequently forty-three samples of different provenance lithotypes from the Umbum Creek catchment were collected for petrographic thin-section analysis. Recent sediments were then sampled from 90 strategically located stream confluences along Umbum Creek and tributaries (proximal, medial and distal subsets). A quantitative textural and compositional dataset was subsequently generated from 34 selected samples. With half-phi sieve analysis (4mm to 32 microns), and an associated petrographic description recognising 72 categories of grain composition was undertaken for each sample. The provenance analysis using isopach maps demonstrated that Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary basin evolution in the study area was controlled by northeast and northwest-trending structural elements. The regional uplift of the Peake and Denison Inliers that occurred during the Cenozoic had a significant impact on the evolution of the Lake Eyre Basin, causing changes in the provenance of Late Neogene sedimentation and on through to the present. The sink area represents a shallow intracratonic basin whereby a thin veneer of fluvial/lacustrine sediments is accumulating adjacent to a basement uplift. This study has highlighted the importance of multiple sediment provenances. Five different provenance lithotype grains were identified in the Umbum Creek modern sediments: the Gawler Craton plutonic / basement provenance (recycled) the Peake and Denison Inliers Proterozoic volcanic provenance (recycled), the Davenport Ranges metamorphic provenance, the Mesozoic sedimentary provenance and the Cenozoic sedimentary provenance. Whereas a downstream fining of grain size was expected, a general trend of downstream coarsening of grain size was noted being the result of aeolian deflation of fines and intra-basinal coarse-grained sediment contributions. In the sink area, modern sediments from the terminal splay complex comprise 70-80% quartz, 10-20% lithic fragments (of which ~ 7% are ductile lithic grains), < 3% feldspar, and clay (<2%). Grains are sub-angular to well-rounded and moderately well sorted. The compositional and textural maturity of the terminal splay sediments is attributed to reworked plutonic quartz grains, the dissolution and disintegration of feldspar and carbonate grains during transportation, along with the breakdown of lithic fragments due to fluvio-aeolian interactions and subsequent mechanical/ chemical weathering processes. These data were used to build a predictive forward model for modal sandstone analysis that achieved a fair to good correlation between predicted and observed grain lithotypes and provenance categories. These results illustrate that the character of sands in the Umbum Creek catchment are governed by a multiplicity of controls such as tectonic setting, provenance lithotype analysis, climate, regional topographic gradient, hinterland transport distance, basin subsidence rate and depositional environment. The fluvio-aeolian depositional environment along with the current arid to semi-arid playa climatic conditions of Umbum Creek catchment facilitate the growth of clay coatings, however accounts for a low clay matrix within the deposits. In addition, the playa environment also facilitates the alteration of infiltrated detrital clay to kaolinite, the formation of evaporites (gypsum, halite and anhydrite) and the formation of authigenic clays. These factors are all significant in determining the ultimate reservoir quality of reservoir sandstones, emphasising the importance of this study as an analogue for modelling ‘buried’ dryland depositional systems.http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1337211
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Australian School of Petroleum, 2008
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Li, Wen. "Mechanisms for phosphorus elimination in constructed wetlands: a pilot study for the treatment of agricultural drainage water from dairy farms at the Lower River Murray, South Australia / Li Wen." 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/21868.
Full textAbstract:
Includes list of publications issued during the candidature.Bibliography: leaves 176-197.
iii, ix, 197, [22] leaves : ill., maps ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Phosphorus retention was measured in five pilot-scaled constructed wetlands with different configurations in terms of macrophyte species and substrates in order to evaluate the phosphorus removal efficiency of water plants and substrates in experimental ponds; assess the contribution of macrophytes to phosphorus removal through direct uptake, modification of water chemistry and impacts on the phosphorus adsorption characteristics of substrate; and, contribute to the optimal design and operation of constructed wetlands for the treatment of agricultural drainage water.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Soil and Water, 2002?