Thesis
Developing a hydrologic network for changing climate and land use – Whicher Case Study
Masters by Coursework, Murdoch University
2024
Abstract
Hydrologic monitoring networks inform our understanding of the hydrological cycle and support effective management of water resources.
This study considers the hydrologic monitoring network installed across the Whicher Planning Area in the south-west region of Western Australia. The timeline of hydrologic monitoring network development, land use change, water management and hydrologic impacts resulting from climate change has meant that there are limitations in the hydrologic information we can glean from the current hydrologic network in this area.
A modified version of a guideline for hydrologic monitoring network design is applied to the study area, considering the projected impacts of climate change in this area, as well as potential changes in land use.
Limitations of the current network were identified, including:
- insufficient sites to fully characterise land use changes;
- long term sites tended to be biased toward larger catchments with complex land uses often masking cause and change impacts on changing flows;
- data quality limited many sites being fully utilised by a range of data users. Several additional sites and data quality improvements are identified as required to make the monitoring network capable of meeting both current and future environmental and water resource management needs.
Recommendations are made on how to modify current network management practices to implement these recommended changes
Details
- Title
- Developing a hydrologic network for changing climate and land use – Whicher Case Study
- Authors/Creators
- Lauren Miles
- Contributors
- Richard Harper (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Centre for Crop and Food InnovationJohn Ruprecht (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Centre for Water, Energy and Waste
- Awarding Institution
- Murdoch University; Masters by Coursework
- Identifiers
- 991005738243107891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Environmental and Conservation Sciences
- Resource Type
- Thesis
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