Understanding the threat of climate change to water quality in waterways in inform mitigation opportunities.
The objective of the project is to understand the threat of climate change to waterway water quality and key environmental values across the region to identify risks and opportunities to build climate resilience in the coming decades.
This research is important because climate change is recognised as a significant threat to waterway health in our Healthy Waterways Strategy. While we currently have predictions of climate change impacts to air temperatures and rainfall and can predict habitat suitability for environment values (e.g. macroinvertebrate, fish and platypus Habitat Suitability Models) under a range of possible climate futures, we lack an understanding of the impacts of climate change to water quality (e.g. stream temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity) and how that relates to the tolerances of particular species. This project proposes to address experimental knowledge gaps through provision of data on ecological responses (acute and chronic thresholds) to predicted changes in water quality due to climate change.
This project is a joint project between A3P and MWRPP through research being undertaken by a PhD candidate at MWRRP.
Undertake a desktop study to synthesise existing data on climate change impacts to water quality and environmental values. The focus will be on water quality indicators most likely to be impacted by these predictions, including extreme weather events (e.g. water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, flow), and an assessment of the key environmental values most likely to be impacted.
Based on the water quality and environmental values identified as most at risk from climate change, toxicological assessments will be undertaken to determine tolerance thresholds for key vulnerable species.
Began Oct 2023
2028
For more information, please contact the project lead:
At Melbourne Water:
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.
Acknowledgement of Country
RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business.