ARWA Centre for EcohydrologySeeking to Understand and Manage Water

The state Centre of Excellence in Ecohydrology, housed at UWA, operates across multiple state government organisations, universities, and disciplines to improve sustainable management of natural resources in WA. Students at all Western Australian universities in relevant degree programs are encouraged to explore research opportunities and project funding with the Centre.

As a partner in the Centre for Ecohydrology, the Department of Agriculture and Food offers:

Guidance for developing student projects addressing current agro-environmental issues, and an avenue for feedback of project results to natural resource managers
Interaction with researchers and field practitioners working across a wide range of applied agricultural and environmental sciences
Access to extensive data sources (GIS, remote sensing, soils, hydrology)

Financial support is available for Centre projects and for independently conceived student projects supporting the aims of the Centre, evaluated on a case by case basis. For some projects there are also opportunities for paid summer employment.

Please contact Centre researchers working in your area of interest directly with any questions, or Karen Holmes (karen.holmes@uwa.edu.au, 6488 1698) for general information.

Researcher profiles:

http://www.ecohydrology.uwa.edu.au/profiles

Contacts:

http://www.ecohydrology.uwa.edu.au/contact/staff

Student project funding available! Awards for undergraduate engineering projects

Download full descriptions of all projects.

Water supply and quality

Climate impacts (2 projects)
Constructed wetland to treat acidic drainage
Salt and water balance

Plants

Biofuel production systems
Soil moisture conservation
Salinity tolerance in pasture legumes (3 projects)

Soil landscape analysis

Wind and water erosion
Methods for identifying “representative” field sites

SALINITY TOLERANCE IN PASTURE LEGUMES

Pasture legumes with greater salt and waterlogging tolerance than current legume options are required to make saline land more productive. Several opportunities are available for research projects in this field, depending on the interests of the student. The next three projects are examples of those we have available.

Potential supervisors and collaborators, depending on the project:
Dr Natasha Teakle, Centre for Ecohydrology/School of Plant Biology
Dr Ed Barrett-Lennard, Centre for Ecohydrology (DAFWA)/School of Plant Biology
Prof Tim Colmer, School of Plant Biology
Dr Phil Nichols, DAFWA
A/Prof Mike Ewing, FFI CRC
Variation for salt tolerance withinMedicago polymorpha

Recent experiments have found variation in salt tolerance within a commercial cultivar of burr medic (Medicago polymorpha). Further experiments are needed to determine the source of this variation and utilise it for developing a more salt tolerant burr medic cultivar.

For more information speak to
Dr Ed Barrett-Lennard, Centre for Ecohydrology (DAFWA)/School of Plant Biology, 6488 1506
Prof Tim Colmer, School of Plant Biology, 6488 1993
Dr Phil Nichols, DAFWA
Evaluating Medicago intertexta as a source of genes for salt tolerance.

Medicago intertexta is a medic with little commercial value but is known to colonise saline areas. Experiments are needed to screen M. intertexta germplasm to identify salt tolerant accessions. These can then be selected for making interspecific crosses betweenM. intertexta and barrel medic (Medicago truncatula), with the aim of producing a more salt tolerant barrel medic.

For more information speak to Tim Colmer, 6488 1993
The interactive effects of salinity and waterlogging on rhizobia for Melilotus siculus.

Previous studies have found that M. siculus has excellent tolerance to salinity and waterlogging, yet the rhizobia often fails in the second year of establishment. New strains of rhizobia have been developed forMelilotus siculus, and this project would test these under salinity and waterlogging treatments to identify more tolerant strains for field evaluation.

For more information speak to Tim Colmer, 6488 1993
Photosynthesis systems and their induction in slender iceplant

Slender iceplant (Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum) is a succulent annual herb that occurs on saline soils. However, it also favours non-saline agricultural soils which have experienced a soil structural degradation event, such as flooding and waterlogging. Since 1999, iceplant has spread rapidly from saline valley floors into the low rainfall areas of the Northern Agricultural Region and the Eastern Wheatbelt of Western Australia where it has become a remarkably successful weed.

We wish to know more about iceplant’s photosynthetic system. We now know that Mesembryanthemum noditherem switches from normal photosynthesis to CAM metabolism. This project will examine the role of salinity and moisture deficits at different steps of plant growth on the triggering and reversal of CAM.

For more information speak to: Dr Marth Ludwig, 6488 3744 orDr Ed Barrett-Lennard, 6488 1506
Biofuel production systems

There is an urgent need to develop production systems for biofuel feedstocks that are robust and complementary rather than competitive with food production systems. Acacia saligna is capable of vigorous establishment and early growth, making it an ideal candidate as a biomass crop. However analysis has found that the acacia leaf fraction could be problematic in a combustor due to high ash, chlorides and N content.

The proposed research will provide new information on the consequences of returning the leaf material from biomass crops to the soil.

This project would be conducted with supervision and support of senior officers of the Department of Agriculture and Foods Catchment Ecohydrology research group, in cooperation with the Centre of Ecohydrology, UWA.

For more information speak to Dr Rob Sudmeyer, 9083 1129, Department of Agriculture and Food, Esperance.
Soil moisture conservation to improve crop establishment under dry conditions

The northern and eastern Wheatbelt of WA has suffered major droughts over the last two growing seasons. The Centre for Ecohydrology is seeking an honours student to undertake research in this area in 2010. The project aims to improve the establishment of crops using a combination of micro-water harvesting and mulching.

Even under dry conditions, water can be available to growing plants from small rainfall events, and this may be focused in arid landscapes to encourage early germination. Furthermore the use of precision planting techniques can now ensure that micro-profiling structures could remain intact for many months.

The project will focus on three principles:
(A) Seed priming to ensure that plants germinate with the smallest amount of water.
(B) Soil profiling and micro-water harvesting (particularly on non-wetting soils) to focus runoff from parts of the soil surface to areas where seeds are located and
(C) The use of soil mulches to decrease water evaporation

For further information contact Assoc Prof Ed Barrett-Lennard, 6488 1506 Soil Science, UWA.
Harvey Water is managing a trial with DAFWA assistance looking at the effects on pasture yield of sprinkler irrigation with waters of varying salinity. They need a student to assist with the trial over the summer vacation.

Supervision and coordination with Harvey Water will be provided by Centre of Excellence for Ecohydrology Staff

The National Program for Sustainable Irrigation is keen to provide undergraduate university students an opportunity to work on a research and development project related to the irrigation industry during their university vacations. NPSI is offering up to four scholarships values at $6000 each for project commencing in late 2009 or 2010.
Contact: Dr Neil Coles, 6488-1668.
Implications of changing rainfall for farm water storage infrastructure

Developing reliable water supply designs in a drying climate is imperative, particularly given the high cost of water storage infrastructure and its longevity (particularly farm dams). This project will involve reviewing recent rainfall data to quantify the changes occurring in annual rainfall amounts and seasonal distributions, and adapting existing software from the Department of Agriculture to incorporate the recent climatic trends. There is also potential for evaluating projected changes in rainfall based on current best-practise climate forecasting.

For more information speak to Dr Neil Coles, 6488-1668.
Groundwater Trends in Valley and Climate & Salinity Risk

This project will work on existing catchment data to analyse whether recent and forecast changes in rainfall are likely to significantly alter salinity risk in wheatbelt valleys. Using groundwater data from DAFWA, the candidate will work with regional Hydrologists to evaluate this change.

For more information speak to Dr. Richard George, 9780 6296, Department of Agriculture, Bunbury.
Salt and Water Balance Measurement and Modelling

As part of the CRC Future Farm Industries Research Program “Farming Saline Landscapes” we have established linked experiments in NSW and WA that are comparing the effect of treating saline land with salt tolerant vegetation. The project will address aspects of the following:
* Salt and water dynamics at field and catchment scale
* Processes of salt mobilization and runoff in saline landscapes
* Effect of vegetation treatments on flow and salt yield
* Modeling the system with local field data
* Effect of wide-scaled adoption on the protection of natural assets and in particular, water resources of Australian rivers.

The project can be tailored to final year, Masters, or PhD level.

For more information speak to Dr Richard George, 9780 6296 Department of Agriculture, Bunbury.
Modelling of processes in a constructed wetland for the treatment of acidic drainage

This project investigates the performance of a pilot-scale compost wetland built to treat acidic saline drainage in the Wheatbelt near Dumbleyung, Western Australia. It aims to identify the dominant remediation processes and to determine the fate of trace metals in the wetland.

The desired outcome of the project is an understanding of the processes within the compost wetland near Dumbleyung and how these can be modelled with CAEDYM software. The model may be used in further study to design and predict the performance of full-scale wetlands.

For more information speak to Vera Biermann, 9892 8492).
Salt accumulation under Oil Mallee

This project will work on existing sites near Yealering to analysis the location and amount of salt that has accumulated under oil mallees planted for salinity control and biomass production. Using equipment from UWA & DAFWA, the candidate will seek to quantify the increase and develop a relationship between salt store and wood biomass production.

Salt accumulation under Saltbush
This project will work on existing sites near Yealering to analysis the location and amount of salt that has accumulated under salt land pastures and a control planted for salinity management. Using equipment from UWA & DAFWA, the candidate will seek to quantify the increase and develop a relationship between salt store and plant production.
For more information speak to Dr Richard George, 9780 6296 Department of Agriculture, Bunbury.
Field assessment of a groundwater model (Flowtube) used to predict salinisation of agricultural land

This project will use existing models, set up for field sites in the SW, to better develop relationships between the field treatments and the extent and risk of salinity due to rising groundwater. Flowtube is a freeware two-dimensional groundwater model which compiles hydrogeological data to enable trends in groundwater level to be assessed at a catchment scale.

The candidate will use this model and others to look at the effect of clearing in the Southwest or Irrigation development in the Ord River on the likely extent and risk of salinity and rising groundwaters.

For more information speak to Dr Richard George, 9780 6296 Department of Agriculture, Bunbury.
AgET Water Balance Model -- Calibration to experimental data

AgET is a freeware one dimensional water balance tool written in Visual basic which compiles rainfall and soils data to enable reporting the water balance components of the WA wheatbelt.

For the purpose of this project the model has been recoded into FORTRAN and coupled to a statistical parameter optimisation package. The project will involve calibration of the model to field data from water balance and agronomy experiments. Analysis of goodness-of-fit diagnostics should lead to insight into possible improvements to model structure.

This project would be conducted with supervision and support of senior officers of the Department of Agriculture and Foods Catchment Hydrology research group (Paul Raper, Richard George), in cooperation with the Centre of Ecohydrology, UWA.

For more information speak to Dr Richard George, 9780 6296 Department of Agriculture, Bunbury.
Extend AgET water balance software and assess implications of recent water balance changes

AgET is a freeware one dimensional water balance tool which compiles rainfall and soils data to enable reporting the water balance components of the WA wheatbelt.

The candidate will update the existing water balance model by adding recent rainfall data to the program files and improve the graphical user interface. The candidate will then use this updated model to look at the effect of recent climate variability (reduced rainfall) on the risk of dryland salinity.

This project would be conducted with the supervision and support of senior officers of the Department of Agriculture and Foods Catchment Hydrology research group (Paul Raper, Richard George), in cooperation with the Centre for Ecohydrology, UWA.

For more information speak to Dr Richard George, 9780 6296 Department of Agriculture, Bunbury.
Analyse strong winds through time and space to predict wind erosion hazard

High wind speed and duration of high wind speed are critical drivers of erosion, but their distribution is not well understood. Predicting the areas most likely to be affected is critical for guiding state investment to protect agricultural soils from blowing away.

This project involves analysing meteorology station wind data from the Department of Agriculture and Bureau of Meterology to:
* Identify basic spatial and temporal trends of strong winds across WA
* Map areas regularly affected by strong winds, and
* Relate distribution of wind speed to other erosion drivers affecting landscapes to create a map of wind erosion hazard.

For more information speak to Dr Karen Holmes 6488 1698
Erosion in the catchment above Stokes Inlet Nature Reserve (near Esperance WA)

Rainfall in WA is generally low, but the intensity of rain when it falls can cause extensive erosion damage on hillslopes and through sedimentation downstream. A clearer understanding of where and why erosion occurs is required to improve catchment management. This project involves building a time series of water-driven erosion in the Lort/Young catchment to:
(1) Measure extent, intensity, and rates of water erosion
(2) Investigate drivers of water erosion (e.g. slope, soil type, human activities)
(3) Tailor a GIS-based model for evaluating erosion hazard in the Lort/Young, and explore management options for reducing the sediment loads to Stokes Inlet.

Field work in the Esperance area will be conducted with specialists in hydrology and soil science from Department of Agriculture, and will be fully financially supported.

For more information speak to Dr Karen Holmes 6488 1698
What’s a representative field site for investigating the impacts of climate change?

Many of the landscape processes affected by climate (e.g. soil acidity, carbon storage, rainfall-runoff patterns) take years to decades to show any change. How do we select a limited number of representative sites for investment in detailed research and monitoring that will give a clear picture of changes occurring state-wide?

This project will involve working with a wide variety of datasets (existing maps, digital elevation model, soil and water data, and remote sensing imagery) to assess similarity in the landscape for different spatial and temporal scales. The ultimate goal will be to design a decision tree framework for site selection for different NRM purposes, such as soil carbon monitoring or surface runoff rates. The targeted processes or activities can be tailored to the student’s specific interests.

For further details, please contact Dr Karen Holmes, 6488 1698.