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Environmental Science
Sustainability Science

Tracking geomorphic recovery in process‐based river management

Profile image of Allan RaineAllan Raine

2018, Land Degradation & Development

https://doi.org/10.1002/LDR.2984
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24 pages

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Abstract

Human disturbance induces significant geomorphic changes to river systems. In eastern Australia, land‐use practices such as clearance of forests and riparian vegetation, and removal of wood from channels in the 19th and 20th centuries induced widespread geomorphic impacts. However, since the 1970s, there has been a noticeable shift in the geomorphic condition of many rivers in eastern New South Wales (NSW). This transition to a recovery trajectory reflects a reduction in land‐use pressures and improved farming practices on the one hand and adoption of recovery enhancement approaches to river conservation and rehabilitation by management authorities on the other. Monitoring and tracking changes in condition by state government agencies involves identifying when geomorphic recovery is occurring so that decision‐support frameworks can determine whether river management is required, where, when, and how much to intervene to enhance river recovery and when to opt‐out of management becaus...

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    Grant Hose

    Aquatic Sciences, 2020

    Like many wetlands globally, the Mulwaree River chain-of-ponds system exists in two dichotomous states characterised by the presence or absence of surface flow connecting large, deep, permanently inundated ponds. We develop a conceptual model of hydrological function of this chain-of-ponds system combining surface and subsurface water levels, 2 H and 18 O stable isotopes and 222 Rn as a groundwater tracer over a period of time that incorporated extended dry periods and large rainfall events. During high-flow or flood events, ponds are connected by flow along connecting channels and preferential flow paths. The water column is fully mixed to depths of up to 7 m. During high-flow, water level in the ponds can be greater than the water level in the surrounding floodplain aquifer, producing a hydraulic gradient away from the ponds, reflecting a losing wetland system. During no-flow periods, connecting channels and preferential flow paths are dry. A thermocline develops within the ponds and surface waters become enriched in 2 H and 18 O with evaporation losses. During periods of no-flow, increases in water level beyond atmospheric flux often occur during winter. Only small groundwater inflows enter the ponds from the floodplain aquifer. The hydrological function of this chain-of-ponds system is delicately balanced making it potentially sensitive to changes in climate that alter rainfall and evaporation rates, and any local-scale groundwater interference activities. Efforts to conserve and protect this system, and the aquatic ecosystems it supports, will be critical into the future.

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