AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR TROPICAL FRESHWATER RESEARCH
The Centre’s research program has particular focus on three main areas of interest in tropical freshwater systems:
- water quality: development of monitoring tools and research into water quality dynamics in tropical systems;
- ecological processes in tropical fresh waters including population and community dynamics and material and energetic pathways;
- hydrobiology of tropical lakes, including physical, chemical and biological processes in tropical water storages.
The Centre also undertakes contract research in general terrestrial and aquatic ecology and freshwater and marine water quality studies.
Current research projects include:
Experimental studies on the ecology
of rainforest streams;
The effects of irrigation drainage on the Barrattas
Wetlands (Burdekin River irrigation area);
Hydrobiology of Lake Dalrymple, a highly turbid
reservoir;
Population ecology of stream animals;
Effects of agricultural practices on stream
biotas and water quality;
Instream flow needs of the biota in regulated
tropical rivers;
Burdekin floodplain integrated management;
Classification of streams and their biotas
in the Wet Tropics;
Role of natural disturbance in biotic communities
of rainforest streams;
Flora, fauna and water quality surveys and
impact assessments for irrigation water storages;
Design and monitoring of constructed wetlands
for treatment of irrigation drainage and industrial process effluent;
Rehabilitating north Queensland Rivers (in
collaboration with the Schools of Engineering and TESAG);
Water quality and ecotourism in the Wet Tropics;
Fauna survey and ecology of the Desert Uplands;
Best practice guidelines for irrigation developments
in Australia;
Riparian and instream baseflow requirements
on fractured basalts.