Administrative Host

2007 - 2008		Griffith University , Australia In January 2007 our team made its first rotation to be hosted by the Centre for Environment and Systems Research (CESR) at Griffith University. Under the Director and mentoring of the Head of Environmental Engineering at Griffith University, Bofu Yu.

The mission of the Centre for Environmental Systems Research is to develop our understanding of technology and management strategies, engineering designs, and management strategies, to deal with the ever-increasing effects of our growing populations on the systems that maintain our environment, both locally and globally, in a habitable and sustainable state.

The Centre taps potential synergies between modellers, scientists, engineers and social scientists. Modelling provides a classification of knowledge, identifies weaknesses, and provides explicative and predictive models that can be used by stakeholders and managers. These models may also provide strategies to alleviate or at least soften the impact of the growing population, but they can also influence the development of socio-cultural structure and change.

Scientists observe, develop knowledge and technologies, and use models to develop practical technologies and management options. Engineers consult with stakeholders and design urban and regional systems. Social scientists understand the social contexts of stakeholders, estimate the costs and benefits, develop management policies based on knowledge and models, and assist with adoption. Concerns from the community are included and they become co-authors of management policy in addition to being one of the main beneficiaries.

The Centre draws together a range of scientists to focus on interdisciplinary research into environmental systems. The centre focuses on research in four broad themes:

Impacts on Environmental Systems

Knowledge of the effects and degradation properties of contaminants in different sectors of the environment is required to assess risk and to design mitigation technologies and strategies. Research is conducted into the properties of pollutant mixtures, particularly in the accumulation and biodegradation processes. Wastewater streams contain endocrine-disrupting toxins and pathogens which can harm some species, but which can be removed by other plant species and also soils.

Preventing the Release of Pollutants

Contaminants are released from many sources including transport and manufacturing industries, municipal land fills, domestic wastewater, and other diverse sources. These releases can be reduced by the redesign of the systems, including “beginning of pipe” changes in management strategies and “end of pipe” developments in emission technologies. The “beginning of pipe” approach considers the concept of cleaner production through waste minimisation and resource conservation (traditional industrial ecology) rather than focussing on output efficiency. The “end of pipe” approach is to remove pollutants from exhaust streams before release to the receiving environment. This can include wet and dry filtration of solid particulates and microbes or viruses from gas streams. It can also include the removal of nutrients and pathogens from waste water using porous paving and plant beds, and is especially important to a dry continent like Australia.

Managing Contaminants in Urban and Environmental Systems

The transport and accumulation of contaminants over a range of temporal and spatial scales is researched through field and satellite observations, providing the basis to evaluate management options using numerical models. The Centre has projects that design, construct and monitor wetlands to capture sediments and nutrients from water. The removal of arsenic from drinking water using clay-based technology is already the subject of an agreement with Bangladesh. Erosion affects water quality through turbidity in the water column, and this then affects the biosphere. Management practices to prevent erosion taking place, and to trap the water-borne particles using swales, barriers and socks are also being investigated by the Centre.

Modelling, Management and Stakeholders

CESR addresses itself to emerging questions relating to modelling environmental systems. These include the appropriate scaling of biophysical processes in both time and space, and the indicative scale of averaging that is needed to describe and model these processes. This falls under the general rubric of “Complex Systems” that also links the biophysical, socio-cultural and socio-economic areas. The complexities of risk and uncertainty, their categorisation and role in environmental systems and environmental models are explored. The management of future urban and natural ecology and systems depends on involving stakeholders in the investigation process, and also in considering the suggested trial solutions or scenarios. This can be done through community consultation and involvement, and through the use of models. User-friendly models can be developed to enable stakeholders to test their own scenarios and suggested options.