Adelaide Laboratory Public Seminar Series - Abstracts 2006

Climate Change – Can we respond?

A workshop including presentations by Bryson Bates (Director, CSIRO Climate), David Cattanach (NSW Irrigator), David Ugalde (Director, Greenhouse and Agriculture Team, AGO)
And a Panel Discussion, led by Peter Hayman (Principal Scientist, Climate Risk Group, SARDI)

Abstract:
If we accept that climate change is real, we can start to consider potential impacts and how we might respond – to plan for the best possible future, for farming, industry, society and the environment.

This workshop aims to stimulate discussion, opening with a series of formal presentations, followed by a panel discussion and afternoon tea.

There will also be an opportunity to trial “The Adaptation Game” – an innovative technique for summarising potential vulnerabilities and opportunities for the management of natural resources.

About the speakesr:
Bryson Bates is currently Director of the CSIRO Climate Program. His research interests include climate modelling and forecasting, particularly the effects of climate change on rivers, river health and the operation of water supply systems; and assessment of the scope for adaptation. In 2002/03 he visited the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction at the Earth Institute of Columbia University, Palisades, New York. He first came to CSIRO in 1986 as an Engineer from the Public Works Department of W.A. and Water Authority of W.A., with a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, The University of N.S.W.

David Cattanach manages the 600 hectare family farm, which produces soft wheat, faba beans and maize. Total production is based on a permanent bed system, irrigated using groundwater from a high capacity production bore. David believes he was the first farmer in Australia to attempt an audit of greenhouse emissions from a farm. "At the time I saw emissions as product we had paid for and lost and so I saw this as a management tool to flag areas of inefficiency that I should be able to improve on," says David. "Economics was and still is the key driver. Over time I have developed an interest in climate change and more importantly how I may position my business to take advantage of any opportunities that may arrise". Last year he spent 3 months in the U S and Canada looking at greenhouse emissions from agriculture and potential impacts of climate change.

Dr David Ugalde is the Director of Greenhouse and Agriculture at the Australian Greenhouse Office, Department of the Environment and Heritage, in Canberra . The Greenhouse and Agriculture Programme focuses on both reducing greenhouse gases from Australia 's agricultural systems, and adapting agricultural systems to the impacts of climate change. David's career has centred on agricultural production and environmental management, and has involved research and research management in soil sciences, plant sciences, and adoption of best practice. David has a PhD in plant sciences, a Bachelor of Science, a Diploma of Agricultural Science, and an extensive publication record in international scientific journals.

Peter Hayman was appointed as Principal Scientist, Climate Applications with SARDI in May 2004. Prior to this he was the Coordinator of Climate Applications with NSW Agriculture. After completing a masters degree in crop physiology, Peter Hayman worked as an advisory officer with NSW Agriculture in southern NSW and then as a Systems Agronomist in northern NSW. In 2000 he completed a PhD in Agroclimatic Risk Management and has worked on managing climate risk in grains and livestock industries. He was awarded the inaugural Seed of Light Award for research communication from the Northern panel of GRDC and represents Australasia on the WMO expert team on end user liaison.

Jane Gillooly also works in the Future Farming Systems Research Directorate at CSIRO Land and Water. She is based in the Spatial Technologies Unit in Adelaide which provides GIS services for internal and external clients. Jane's research interests in climate science concern the development of systems that integrate the effects of climate change scenarios in natural resource management. She is currently involved with researchers from Flinders University in a pilot study in South Australia that integrates climate change projections with catchment models to evaluate future effects on streamflow and nutrient and sediment transport.

Getting the balance right – water policy and management implications

Wayne Meyer, Chief Scientist
Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures

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Chair:
Rob Thomas, Chief Scientist - Sustainable Systems and Technologies, SARDI

Abstract:
Australia’s water debate continues to skirt around the intricate connection between irrigation water use and retaining water for other uses. Irrigation, its productivity, economics and community interdependence must become an explicit and bigger part of the water policy debate to redress a current imbalance.

At a regional and enterprise level, diversity and adaptability of production, water delivery and services must be increased if resilience to climate, water availability and markets is to be fostered. Policy that encourages diversity and adaptability is needed, that which focuses on conformity and restricting opportunity will serve us poorly.

There is opportunity for increased irrigation water productivity mainly through improved delivery system and application management. Water entitlement trading has moved a small amount of water to higher value production although the greater value has probably come from the increased flexibility that irrigators have used with temporary transfers, particularly during the recent dry periods. The evidence from irrigation water use in recent years is that water use effectiveness has improved and can still get better.

Irrigators can make a substantive case that demonstrates the value of their productivity for their districts, regions and to the Nation. They will need though, to increase their direct involvement with managing the rivers and the dependant ecosystems to achieve a better balance between overt productive use and maintenance of the wider values associated with water

From Peds to Paradoxes: what Darwin and Banks didn't know, and why it matters - (the secrets of soil ecology)

Dr David C. Coleman
CSIRO McMaster Fellow
Distinguished Research Professor, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, USA

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Chair:
Gupta Vadakattu, Functional Microbial Ecology Research, CSIRO Entomology

Abstract:
The field of soil ecology is young, barely a few decades old.
Several captivating themes in soil ecology include:

above and belowground food webs
paradoxes of diversity of soil “plankton"
biota and aggregates
biogeochemical legacies.

We can "illuminate the Ped" in the future by extending our ranges to n dimensions: in space, time and biotic complexity.

About the speaker:
Dr David Coleman is here in Australia as a CSIRO McMaster Fellow with the Division of Entomology. The Fellowship is designed to enable distinguished overseas scientists working in areas directly related to veterinary science or agriculture to work at CSIRO on a specific project. In this case Dr. Coleman will contribute to the development of new, integrated research programs around the impacts of soil functional biodiversity on agricultural production and the management of natural ecosystems.

His expertise lies in microbial and invertebrate biology and ecosystem processes (decomposition, nutrient cycling in rhizosphere and soil), with a long and distinguished career stemming from a Ph.D. in Ecology (University of Oregon). He has led research teams at Colorado State University (Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory), and at the Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, producing several major synthesis papers, and also a graduate-level textbook, “Fundamentals of Soil Ecology,” co-authored with D.A. Crossley, Jr., and Paul F. Hendrix (2nd Edition, 2004).

Dr Coleman is also Chief Editor (1998 onward) of the leading international soil science journal, Soil Biology & Biochemistry. And he serves on the editorial boards of other international journals, including European Journal of Soil Biology and Pedobiologia.

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Frontiers of Water Policy

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Professor Mike Young
Professor of Water Economics and Management, School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide and Water for a Healthy Country Flagship

Chair: Steve Morton, CSIRO Group Executive, Sustainable Energy & Environment

Abstract:
Water policy arrangements are being challenged from all directions. While the basic thrusts and directions are clear, much of the detail still needs to be unravelled. In this seminar, Mike Young will offer his perspective on emerging research challenges and opportunities.

On water accounting
On restoring rivers and aquifers
On planning and allocation
On water trading
On externality management – urban and rural
On governance

The devil is in the detail. The pace of reform is such that many decisions made will require brave judgements to be made. A scientific smorgasbord is on offer. Choosing what to and what not to do is difficult. Knowledge about the options under consideration at the water policy frontier may help.

About the speaker
Professor Mike Young recently accepted a research chair at the University of Adelaide. As Professor of Water Economics and Management in the School of Earth & Environmental Sciences, Professor Young’s emphasis will be on communicating challenging ideas and encouraging people to present research findings in a policy-relevant manner.

Formerly Chief Research Scientist with the Policy and Economic Research Unit (PERU) at CSIRO Land and Water, Professor Young is best known for his contributions to:

water policy options
GIS-based natural resource accounting and valuation systems
tradeable property-right systems
incentive instruments to conserve biodiversity.

Professor Young is past-President of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Ecological Economics and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He was awarded the Centenary Medal for outstanding service through environmental economics in April 2003.

In 2005, with Jim McColl, he was awarded the Land and Water Australia
Eureka Prize for water research.
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Planning a better future for the Coorong and Lower Lakes: linking management and research needs

Dr Sebastien Lamontagne
Project Leader, Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLAMM) project, Water for a Healthy Country National Research Flagship
Dr Mike Geddes
CLLAMMecology Research Cluster Leader, The University of Adelaide

Abstract
The Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLAMM) region of the River Murray is an environmental asset of international significance. This Ramsar-listed wetland is home to large numbers of migratory birds, as well as many species of fish and invertebrates. The area also has significant cultural, social and economic values.

However, ongoing changes to the water regime of the Murray-Darling River threaten the long-term environmental and economic viability of the region. This is demonstrated by rising salinity levels in the Lower Lakes, the siltation of the Murray Mouth, the hypersalinisation of the Southern Lagoon of the Coorong and a decline in the abundance of several important fish and bird species.

A number of management initiatives are underway to halt and reverse the degradation of the estuary. However, planning for remediation action is usually hampered by a lack of tools and information that can be used to evaluate the likely ecological outcomes of different management options for the region.

The Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, through partnerships with The University of Adelaide, Flinders University, South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and the SA Department of the Environment and Heritage, established the CLLAMMecology Research Cluster with the support of the National Research Flagship Collaboration Fund.

The aim is to inform government policy and support wise management by developing a decision-support framework that can can be used to predict how changes in management practices, such as environmental flow releases and the operation of the Lower Lakes barrages, are likely to impact on ecosystem function and biodiversity.

At this seminar:
- Dr Sébastien Lamontagne (CSIRO Land and Water) will review the complex interplay between the two principal ecosystem drivers for the region: river flows and sea level variations. He will describe how biological communities respond to these ecosystem drivers.
- Dr Mike Geddes (The University of Adelaide) will introduce the CLLAMMecology Research Cluster, the first comprehensive ecological research program ever to have taken place in the Coorong and Lower Lakes region, and largest Australian research project looking at the response of estuarine waterbirds and fish to environmental flows.

The Cluster will ultimately produce tools for evaluating water management options. By linking with upstream projects in the Flagship, this work will contribute outcomes for the lakes and estuary into an integrated assessment of options for the whole Murray-Darling Basin.

About the speakers
Dr Sébastien Lamontagne, CSIRO Land and Water, leads the Water for a Healthy Country Flagship program on the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLAMM ). His work centers primarily on the interaction between groundwater and surface water, particularly for its role on nutrient cycles in aquatic ecosystems.

The contribution of groundwater is often the most poorly understood component of the nutrient budget of rivers, lakes and estuaries. In addition, it is increasingly recognised that the interface between groundwater and surface water, such as the hyporheic zone of streams and rivers, is actively involved in the cycle of nutrients. Sébastien quantifies the input of groundwater and groundwater-derived nutrients to surface water with a range of techniques, including environmental tracers, porewater profiles, and point dilution tests.

Sébastien has a PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of Waterloo, Canada and a Masters in Zoology from the University of Alberta, Canada. Prior to joining CSIRO Land and Water in 2000 he was a lecturer at the University of Montréal in Canada.

Dr Mike Geddes at The University of Adelaide has been appointed CLLAMMecology Research Cluster Leader. He has 35 years experience in freshwater and estuarine ecology in south-eastern Australia. In particular he has worked on ephemeral wetlands along the Coorong, in Lake Alexandrina and the Murray Mouth. He has been Head of Department of Zoology, and Associate Dean of Science at the University of Adelaide and has taught in the areas of invertebrate zoology, freshwater ecology, marine ecology and environmental management. In the last 3 years, he has been particularly involved in the ecology of the Murray Mouth and Coorong and the influence that river flows have on the Murray estuary.

Dr Geddes retired from his teaching and administrative position at the University of Adelaide in 2002, but remains there in the discipline of Environmental Biology in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences as a Research Fellow. From this position he has undertaken contract work in ecology and management, especially through contracts at SARDI Aquatic Sciences, and sits on advisory committees including the Aquaculture tenure Allocation Board (ATAB), the Coorong and Lower Lakes Ramsar Taskforce and the Environmental Management Advisory Committee (EMAG) to the Upper South-east Drainage Board.
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