Palaeohydrology in climatological context: Developing the case for use of remote predictors in Australian streamflow reconstructions

Kathryn J Allen; Greg Lee; Fiona Ling; Stuart Allie; Mark Willis; Patrick J Baker

Journal article

Palaeohydrology in climatological context: Developing the case for use of remote predictors in Australian streamflow reconstructions

Kathryn J Allen, Greg Lee, Fiona Ling, Stuart Allie, Mark Willis, Patrick J Baker

Applied Geography | ELSEVIER SCI LTD | Published : 2015

DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2015.09.007

Abstract

The dry continent of Australia experiences frequent periods of devastating regional drought, making high quality palaeohydrological reconstructions essential for water resource management and planning. In other parts of the world tree-rings form a core component of such reconstructions. Yet for much of Australia, annually resolved palaeohydrological reconstructions derived from tree-rings have proven elusive. The island state of Tasmania in the far south is an important exception, with over 50 tree-ring chronologies available. Coupled ocean-atmosphere processes that drive precipitation across mainland Australia also influence Tasmanian precipitation. Here, we provide a basic analysis of how ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Patrick Baker Author Ecosystem and Forest Sciences

Kathy Allen Author Ecosystem and Forest Sciences

Related Projects (2)

RECONSTRUCTING MILLENNIAL-SCALE STREAMFLOW VARIABILITY TO ASSESS NEAR-FUTURE RISKS TO WATER-GENERATED RENEWABLE ENERGY

Hydroelectric power is a key component of Australia's national renewable energy policy. The project will combine Hydro Tasmania's water supp..

RECONSTRUCTING MILLENNIAL-SCALE STREAMFLOW VARIABILITY TO ASSESS NEAR-FUTURE RISKS TO WATER-GENERATED RENEWABLE ENERGY

Hydroelectric power is a key component of Australia's national renewable energy policy. The project will combine Hydro Tasmania's water supp..

Grants

Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

Streamflow data for this study were provided by Hydro Tasmania (Greg Carson) and the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industry, Parks, Water and Environment (Bryce Graham). Without Rob Evans we would not have been able to obtain the silviscan data, and Scott Nichols assisted with sample processing. Bryce Graham also provided advice about DPIPWE gauges used in this study. Mike Pook provided an updated copy of the Blocking Index and both James Risbey and Mike Pook provided constructive comments on preliminary analyses for this paper. We also thank Gary Meyers for his input and advice. Tree-ring sites used in this study are located on land managed by Hydro Tasmania, Forestry Tasmania and Parks and Wildlife Tasmania, and were accessed under permits and permissions issued by these organisations. GL was supported by the Landscapes and Policy Research Hub, part of the Australian Government's National Environmental Research Program. More information is available at: www.nerplandscapes.edu.au. This work is part of a project funded by Australian Research Council LP12020811.