Griffith University

About: Griffith University is a education organization based out in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 13830 authors who have published 49318 publications receiving 1420865 citations.

Flow variability in dryland rivers: boom, bust and the bits in between

Abstract: Australian dryland rivers are acknowledged as being among the most variable and unpredictable in the world in terms of their flow regimes. Although renowned for their spectacular floods over vast and complex floodplains, rivers exist for much of the time as discrete waterholes, which are important refugia for aquatic biota. Recent work has shown that waterholes are filled by surface flows and there is little evidence of groundwater contributions. The permanence of these refugia is largely determined by waterhole morphology and evaporative loss, and some waterholes can clearly persist for 2 years or more without surface flow connection. As a consequence, the spatial distribution of refugia for aquatic biota is determined not only by the physical template but also by the duration of dry spells and the timing of flow events. Flow variability also has a major influence on aquatic production in these systems and ultimately influences food availability for fish and other consumers. During dry spells, aquatic food webs in waterholes are largely supported by algal production in the shallow littoral zone. At the other extreme, during floods, the boom of aquatic production on floodplains provides an immense food resource. However, there are many occasions when in-channel flows (flow pulses) result in periods where neither of these sources of production is likely to be available. Although such flow pulses are essential for the physical persistence and connectivity of waterholes, we propose that they may lead to food limitation and stress for populations of fish and other consumers. Water resource development in dryland rivers often leads to an increase in the frequency and duration of flow pulses, due to reduced floods and elevated base flows. This increase in the ‘bits in between’ natural boom or bust conditions may help to explain the observed decline in ecosystem health in dryland river systems with significant water resource development. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Population-based interventions for the prevention of fall-related injuries in older people

Abstract: Fall-related injuries are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in older populations. Summary information about countermeasures that successfully address the risk factors for fall-related injuries in research settings has been widely disseminated. However, less available is evidence-based information about successful roll out of these countermeasures in public health programmes in the wider community. Population-based interventions in the form of multi-strategy, multi-focused programmes are hypothesised to result in a reduction in population-wide injury rates. This review tests this hypothesis with regard to fall-related injuries among older people.

Measuring benefits of protected area management: trends across realms and research gaps for freshwater systems.

Abstract: Protected areas remain a cornerstone for global conservation. However, their effectiveness at halting biodiversity decline is not fully understood. Studies of protected area benefits have largely focused on measuring their impact on halting deforestation and have neglected to measure the impacts of protected areas on other threats. Evaluations that measure the impact of protected area management require more complex evaluation designs and datasets. This is the case across realms (terrestrial, freshwater, marine), but measuring the impact of protected area management in freshwater systems may be even more difficult owing to the high level of connectivity and potential for threat propagation within systems (e.g. downstream flow of pollution). We review the potential barriers to conducting impact evaluation for protected area management in freshwater systems. We contrast the barriers identified for freshwater systems to terrestrial systems and discuss potential measurable outcomes and confounders associated with protected area management across the two realms. We identify key research gaps in conducting impact evaluation in freshwater systems that relate to three of their major characteristics: variability, connectivity and time lags in outcomes. Lastly, we use Kakadu National Park world heritage area, the largest national park in Australia, as a case study to illustrate the challenges of measuring impacts of protected area management programmes for environmental outcomes in freshwater systems.

Climate change: an Australian guide to the science and potential impacts

Abstract: This guide sets out the main facts and uncertainties regarding climate change, and helps provide Australians with policy-relevant, but not policy-prescriptive, advice and source material It is largely based on, and consistent with, the Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC TAR) published in 2001 However, this guide has been substantially updated with relevant summaries of the latest international and Australian observations, scientific developments, and studies regarding the impacts of, and adaptation to climate change in Australia While much progress in understanding the climate change issue has been made, uncertainties continue to exist about aspects of the climate change science, and regarding societal developments that will affect the extent of future climate change and societal vulnerability Some impacts of climate change are now inevitable However, more certainty and understanding is needed to guide decision-makers towards the most effective and cost-efficient means to adapt to climate changes in the near-term (next decade), and to avoid unacceptably large climate changes in the longer term (multi-decades to centuries) through emissions reductions measures The high probability of at least some global warming, given the inertia in the climate and socioeconomic systems, means that some adaptation will be necessary This will be most efficient if the location- and activity-specific nature of the likely impacts is taken into account Considerable uncertainties about location-specific impacts can be further reduced by targeted research, while caseby- case assessments of adaptation strategies will be needed for many particular sectors and locations Any emission reductions will progressively reduce the likelihood of impacts at the high end of the existing large range of emissions scenarios, and thus help to avoid the potentially most damaging climate change possibilities Thus, in order to establish minimum objectives for emissions reductions, attention needs to be given to the more extreme possibilities to which adaptation may not be possible These will determine critical greenhouse gas concentration thresholds that must be avoided if the objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is to be achieved Increased research is needed to quantify the probability and global and local consequences of these high impact scenarios