What's Happening in Water Research at the University of Adelaide
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Newsletter MAY 2007 What’s happening in water research at the University of Adelaide Water will be a major issue for the coming Federal election, and water research will have a vital role in In this issue: informing sustainable management of this precious resource. The Water Research Cluster seeks opportunities • Water Conference & Seminar Diary to develop partnerships for research projects in water- related fields, and to promote knowledge of current water • Who is the Water Research Cluster issues. This Newsletter provides a summary of current activities by the Water Research Cluster and related news • Prizes and Awards items on the context for water management. • Water News Updates • Water Research Cluster Postgraduate Corner: Secrets of the Mangroves • Water Research Cluster Activities • Water Information Links • Water Research Links – Funding Opportunities • Water Organisation Links • Water Research Cluster News • National Water Water Research Cluster postgraduate tour to Commission News St Kilda Mangrove Trail (photo Anne Jensen) This edition edited by Anne E Jensen, Environmental Consultant: contact [email protected] mobile 0407 170 706 Water Research Cluster News National Water by Dr Paul Dalby, Water Research Cluster Coordinator Commission News China Australia Environmental Science & Technology Institute Five Research Leaders have been appointed to National Water Commission The University of Adelaide has signed a a Leadership Group including Prof. Yongguan says Water Plan is essential Letter of Intent with the Research Centre for Zhu (RCEES), Prof. Min Yang (RCEES), Assoc. Eco-Environmental Science (RCEES) in the The National Water Commission has called on Prof. Justin Brookes (University of Adelaide), the states to accept the the Prime Minister’s Chinese Academy of Science to establish a Prof. Chris Saint (SA Water) and Prof. Mike National Plan for Water Security, saying that China Australia Environmental Science and McLaughlin (University of Adelaide and the Plan represents a once in a generation Technology Institute. Both SA Water and CSIRO). chance to recast rural water use in Australia CSIRO are considering becoming members as ecologically sustainable and economically of the Institute as well. The purpose of the A number of upcoming workshops will be held viable into the future. In particular, the Institute is to ensure food and water security to develop and scope out a research program Commission supports the “practical ways in and sustainability, so that: for each of the four themes agreed to at the meeting. The five Research Leaders will which the Plan has the potential to accelerate • water supplies are fit for consumption by nominate a Theme Leader from each country implementation of the National Water Initiative humans and animals and for agricultural and to participate. as the blueprint for water reform in Australia.” industrial purposes; “It provides major opportunities for • land management systems sustain the The Centre will play an important role in governments to better meet their commitments underlying natural resources. building bridges between science, industry and to improve water management and use as they government within and between China and This will be achieved through the development agreed to do when they signed the National Australia, and will greatly strengthen research, of environmental technologies to better Water Initiative in 2004,” the Commission political, cultural and economic ties between the manage soil and water contamination, that are said in a statement. “A central plank will be two countries. There will be a strong focus on responsive to global threats such as climate strategic water planning for the Murray-Darling encouraging exchanges of students and early change and which make use of emerging Basin. Such planning must recognise the career researchers to both countries to develop technologies and complex systems research. resources shared between water systems, a research network for the future, as well as the the interconnected nature of groundwater The Letter of Intent was signed following a present. and surface water, and the risks to these number of workshops between the two resources from factors such as climate change organizations. In April, a delegation from the Fulbright Fellow Visiting and farm dams. “The National Water Initiative University of Adelaide visited RCEES. The Water Research Cluster requires that all these factors be addressed delegation included Professor Graeme Dandy, as a matter of course in water planning and Sara Hughes has won a Fulbright Fellowship Associate Professor Justin Brookes, Dr David management. As part of this, the proposals to to spend one year in Australia focused on Lewis, Dr Paul Dalby and the Manager of address overallocation are essential and, in the China Projects, Ms Sandy McConachy. The research on water management. Sara is a Commission’s view, urgent.” PhD student at the University of California, Business Plan for the new Institute was Source: Enviroinfo 8 February approved, and a full day Seminar was held to Bren School of Environmental Science and share information on research being undertaken Management, in Santa Barbara. Release of national water in the two institutions. She is particularly interested in growing urban charging stocktake The new Institute will contribute towards water demands, and how this influences a changing social discourse as well as spatial The first national stocktake of water charging achieving the objectives of the recently signed policies in urban and rural water sectors by declaration of intent between the Australian patterns of infrastructure and investment. She is keen to collaborate with the Water Research the National Water Commission has found that and Chinese Governments to work together on there is a marked difference in water charging Cluster on these topics to develop a high water scarcity. across states and territories. The stocktake quality research project, and to include as is the first step in developing consistent The Institute will have a focus on four Research many views and interests as possible. Themes: approaches to the way water charges are . Soil, plant and water interactions She can be contacted at set across Australia—a key objective of the [email protected] 2. Contaminant biogeochemistry National Water Initiative (NWI). A central tenet of this commitment is to achieve consistency 3. Water supply and human health in water charging policies across states and 4. Environmental policy and management territories and sectors for water storage and delivery in both urban and rural systems, and to achieve consistent approaches to charging Next Water Research Cluster Postgraduate Forum for, and attributing the costs of, water planning and management activities. Early indications Learning Project Management Skills from the stocktake suggest that differences in Adelaide University Staff Club approaches between jurisdictions and between the urban and rural water sectors are most Wednesday 6 June 11:00am – 1:30pm marked in the areas of: includes informal lunch sponsored by Water Research Cluster. • recovery of capital expenditure All Water Research Cluster postgraduates and other interested parties welcome. • tariff structures in the urban water sector Bookings essential for catering! • approaches to identifying and recovering the RSVP 1 June to Paul Dalby – [email protected] costs of water planning and management. Source: Enviroinfo 8 March 2 Water Research Cluster Activities CLLAMM Update Water Droplets Series Productivity and Trophodynamics Project Prof Mike Young and Jim McColl continue to produce their series of (from Research Fellow Dr Brian Deegan) Droplets, which are short discussion papers on water management issues. Droplets explore ideas and propositions which, if developed further, might This project in CLLAMM ecology is focused on developing a process- improve water use. Ideas are explored from a fundamental perspective. based understanding of productivity and resource transfer in the Coorong, They search for the building blocks and concepts that one might consider Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLAMM). This will be achieved with two using if one was able to start without being constrained by prior decisions. subprograms investigating and quantifying resource capture by primary producers and resource transfer through the food-web. Droplet No 6 is entitled ‘Use it or trade it because you can’t save it!’ In many parts of Australia farmers are allowed to trade water but not allowed The productivity component aims to determine changes in the rates and form of primary production along the salinity gradient in this ecosystem to save it. This droplet suggests that farmers, as well as the government, and to identify the processes leading to altered productivity. This can be should be allowed to save water. used to infer the extent to which increased riverine inputs (freshening) Earlier Droplets on urban water trading, water governance, water can influence productivity, together with the importation of limiting interception, water accounting and stormwater management can be read nutrients for primary production in this system. at www.myoung.net.au. Comments are welcome. The aim is to encourage The trophodynamics component aims to determine how the food- people to think differently about water management. If you would like to web structure is altered due to the increased salinity regimes in this subscribe to the Droplet list, send an email to [email protected]