Catchment Nutrients and Sediment budgets: identification of knowledge gaps

This project aimed to:

• To compile a database on nutrients (N, P and possibly C) and sediment movement for the following rivers: the Murrumbidgee River (NSW), the Brisbane River (Qld), the Latrobe River (West Gippsland, Vic), and the Johnstone River (Qld).
• To develop a nitrogen, phosphorus, (carbon where possible) and sediment budget for each of the selected catchments using a combination of empirical and modelled data. The modelled data will be generated by the CSIRO models developed for the NLWRA (SEDNET/ANNEX). In the Johnstone catchment, the SEDNET/ANNEX model outputs will be compared with those from a water quality model calibrated for the catchment.
• To determine the critical processes controlling each contaminant transport and transformations and how these processes vary with environmental conditions (flow variability, magnitude, temperature, vegetation, land uses, sediment types) and identify key knowledge gaps that will assist in the development of parameterisation of new processes to include in catchment management models.
• Assess the effectiveness of current monitoring strategies and propose improved methods.

Myriam Bormans from CSIRO Land & Water was the principle investigator of this project.

More information

See chapter 8 “Salt, Nutrient, Sediment and Interactions: Findings from the National River Contaminants Program” below.

Publications and Resources

None listed

Citation

Land & Water Australia. 2009. Catchment Nutrients and Sediment budgets: identification of knowledge gaps. [Online] (Updated August 6th, 2009)
Available at: http://lwa.gov.au/node/3674 [Accessed Tuesday 26th of April 2011 05:04:56 AM ].