Waterways and catchments
Research opportunities
Understanding rivers and streams.
Assessing the processes and benefits of large wood in stream ecosystems
Project size (& length): 25 or 50
The presence of large wood (LW) in streams (whole trees and branches in the stream channel) is continuing to be recoginised for its many physical form and biodiversity benefits. As riparian zones continue to be revegetated and act as potential sources of LW, we require quantitative evidence of how the age of riparian revegetation impacts LW loads, and how this LW drives other benefits such as the retention of sediment, seeds and organic matter, and stream hydraulics. This project would suit two students interested in stream ecosystems and their management.
Dr. Scott A McKendrick, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
scott.mckendrick@unimelb.edu.au
Environmental risk of desilting and sediment dewatering operations
Project size (& length): 25 or 50, 1 year
This project will examine the environmental risk of desilting sediment ponds and dewatering cleaned-out sediment. Under the General Environmental Duty now enshrined in the Environment Protection Act, Melbourne Water has a duty to ensure their operations don't cause harm to downstream environments. This project will assess current practice, including water quality observations of a real clean-out and dewatering operation, and may propose improved practice.
Dr Kathy Russell, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
klru@unimelb.edu.au
Effectiveness of low-tech process-based restoration for small rural streams
Project size (& length): 25 or 50, 1 year
Low-tech structural approaches (e.g. coir logs, leaky weirs) are beginning to be used to slow flow, increase infiltration and reduce erosion on rural land. We are looking to build an evidence base to understand whether government agencies (e.g. Melbourne Water) should be providing a greater level of support for this type of intervention to reduce erosion and runoff from rural land. This student project will combine literature review to compile evidence for these approaches from around the world, with targeted field investigations, and modelling of potential benefits at larger scales. The project would suit a student who is interested in managing agricultural impacts, protecting waterways, and better understanding hydrology, erosion and sediment transport.
Dr Kathy Russell, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
klru@unimelb.edu.au
Geomorphic change detection to understand stream channel erosion and recovery in Westernport streams
Project size (& length): 25 or 50
Bank erosion has been identified as a key source of sediment to Western Port, threatening the bay's significant environmental values. Estimates of bank erosion are based on sediment budget modelling for which key assumptions still need to be validated. This project will compare two sets of lidar data captured ~10 years apart using state-of-the-art Geomorphic Change Detection techniques, to identify hotspots of geomorphic change in Westernport's rivers, providing valuable information to improve future modelling. This project requires basic familiarity working with raster data in GIS, and will provide an opportunity to further develop advanced terrain analysis and geomorphological interpretation skills. This project is being undertaken in partnership with Melbourne Water and thus provides an opportunity to work with industry and participate in research translation processes.
Dr Kathryn Russell, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
klru@unimelb.edu.au
Making rivers great again! Assessing the potential of environmental flows to restore native plant communities
Project size (& length): 25 or 50
In partnership with the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, we are seeking student/s to investigate the potential for environmental flows to restore native riparian vegetation. Increasingly, water is being returned to rivers as “environmental flows” to improve their health, including the native riparian vegetation. Better knowledge of the relationships between river flows and riparian vegetation dynamics is required to best target environmental flows. We are seeking student/s for a range of projects investigating plant ecology-flow relationships via a combination of nursery and field-based experiments. These projects would be jointly supported by the Arthur Rylah Institute and The University of Melbourne.
Dr Joe Greet, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
greetj@unimelb.edu.au
How successful have Melbourne's fishways been?
Project size (& length): 25 or 50
Melbourne Water has constructed fishways to overcome in-stream barriers for the movement of fish species. However, we are still to understand how successful these fishways have been. We can now assess this using Melbourne Water's extensive eDNA database and monitoring program. The project will be desktop-based but may involve fieldwork as part of a broader ecological monitoring program. This project is being undertaken in partnership with Melbourne Water and thus provides an opportunity to work with industry and participate in research translation processes.
Dr Ryan Burrows, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
ryan.burrows@unimelb.edu.au
Unravelling patterns of ecosystem metabolism (primary production and ecosystem respiration) within urban billabongs along the Birrarung-Yarra River
Project size (& length): 50
This project will make use of existing and new data to estimate rates of primary production and ecosystem respiration within urban billabongs adjacent to the Birrarung-Yarra River. A key objective will be to determine the key environmental factors driving changes in ecosystem metabolism with a key focus on the effects of environmental flow releases and traditional TO-led vegetation burning. The project may involve fieldwork but will largely rely on existing data. This project is being undertaken in partnership with Melbourne Water and thus provides an opportunity to work with industry and participate in research translation processes.
Dr Ryan Burrows, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
ryan.burrows@unimelb.edu.au
Waterway function within streams and rivers of southern Victoria
Project size (& length): 50
This project will make use of existing and new data to estimate rates of waterway function (e.g. ecosystem metabolism, organic matter decomposition) within natural, rural, and urban streams and rivers across the Melbourne region. A key objective will be to determine how waterway function varies in streams and rivers draining key catchment types. An understanding of how waterway function responds to natural variation and environmental stressors will lead to guidance on the types of management actions that are most likely to protect and improve ecosystem function and subsequently benefits for environmental values such as aquatic macroinvertebrates, fish and platypus more broadly. The project may involve fieldwork but will also rely existing data. This project is being undertaken in partnership with Melbourne Water and thus provides an opportunity to work with industry and participate in research translation processes.
Dr Ryan Burrows, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
ryan.burrows@unimelb.edu.au
Variation in nutrient limitation of microbial biofilms in the Melbourne region
Project size (& length): 50
This project will uncover variability in spatial patterns of nutrient limitation (nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon) of microbial biofilms in major rivers of the Melbourne region. It will do this by deploying nutrient-diffusing substrates which experimentally elevate nutrient supply to microbial biofilms. This project will involve laboratory work, field work, and desktop work. This project is being undertaken in partnership with Melbourne Water and thus provides an opportunity to work with industry and participate in research translation processes.
Dr Ryan Burrows, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
ryan.burrows@unimelb.edu.au
Factors influencing Yarra Pygmy Perch re-introductions
Project size (& length): 25 or 50
The project will work alongside Melbourne Water practitioners on a broader Yarra Pygmy Perch (YPP) translocation project. YPP are a threatened species, and this project will monitor their re-introduction to waterbodies on private land. It will involve monitoring via eDNA and traditional surveys as well as understanding their habitat requirements. The project will be largely desktop-based but may involve fieldwork as part of a broader ecological monitoring program. This project is being undertaken in partnership with Melbourne Water and thus provides an opportunity to work with industry and participate in research translation processes.
Dr Ryan Burrows, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
ryan.burrows@unimelb.edu.au
Modelling the streamflow impacts of shifts in the temporal distribution of Victorian rainfall
Project size (& length): 25 or 50
Climate model projections indicate that the seasonal distribution of Victorian rainfall will change over coming decades. Although the precise future impacts of climate change on Victorian rainfall remain unclear, the analysis of likely scenarios of changes to the temporal distribution of rainfall can give practitioners much needed lead time to implement adaptation measures. This project uses climate model projections, stochastic simulations and rainfall-runoff models to produce bookends of future streamflow for critical catchments in Victoria.
Dr Ben Henley, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
bhenley@unimelb.edu.au
Understanding existing condition and key threats to estuary vegetation in Port Phillip and Westernport Bay
Project size (& length): 25 or 50
This project would assess the rapid and detailed estuarine vegetation data from Port Phillip and Westernport that Melbourne Water has collected (2023 and different data from 2011). It would look at the condition of estuarine vegetation and the potential weed threats to these areas. It would identify the best areas, worst areas, and management actions that may increase estuarine vegetation in these areas. Could assess changes against aerial imagry
Dr Sacha Jellinek, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
sachamj@unimelb.edu.au