Floods in an Arid Continent (eBook)

Aldo Poiani (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: PDF

2007 | 1. Auflage
208 Seiten
Elsevier Science (Verlag)
978-0-08-046914-0 (ISBN)

Infos

Nowhere are floods more paradoxical than in the generally arid Australian continent. This book brings together experts in meteorology, hydrology, limnology, ornithology, landscape ecology, veterinary and medical sciences, economics, anthropology and sociology to synthesize current knowledge on floods, their occurrence, and their consequences for the environment and societies in the Australian context.

Floods can have either beneficial or detrimental effects on the landscape and human societies. This book fills this important gap in our study and offers a multidisciplinary approach in understanding the effects of global climate change. The editors provide complete coverage on dynamics, patterns and consequences of floods, studied from several perspectives. Although the geographic focus of the book is Australia, the synthesis that is detailed in this book will undoubtedly be useful for the understanding of floods in all other regions of the planet.

* Offers detailed trends of effects on global climatic change
* Provides an understanding of past and future floods in Australia
* Discusses disturbances on landscape
* Includes effects on aquatic birds, infectious diseases, and economy

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Nowhere are floods more paradoxical than in the generally arid Australian continent. Floods in an Arid Continent brings together experts in meteorology, hydrology, limnology, ornithology, landscape ecology, veterinary and medical sciences, economics, anthropology and sociology to synthesize current knowledge on floods, their occurrence, and their consequences for the environment and societies in the Australian context. Floods can have either beneficial or detrimental effects on the landscape and human societies. This book fills this important gap in our study and offers a multidisciplinary approach in understanding the effects of global climate change. The editors provide complete coverage on dynamics, patterns and consequences of floods, studied from several perspectives. Although the geographic focus of the book is Australia, the synthesis that is detailed in this book will undoubtedly be useful for the understanding of floods in all other regions of the planet. - Offers detailed trends of effects on global climatic change- Provides an understanding of past and future floods in Australia- Discusses disturbances on landscape- Includes effects on aquatic birds, infectious diseases, and economy

Inhalt

Front Cover 1
Advances in Ecological Research 4
Copyright Page 5
Contributors to Volume 39 6
Preface 8
Reference 9
Acknowledgments 10
Dedication 12
Table of Contents 14
Chapter 1: Introduction 18
I. Floods in an Arid Continent 18
II. Causes and Consequences of Floods in Australia: A Possible Scenario 26
Acknowledgments 27
References 27
Chapter 2: Climatic Background to Past and Future Floods in Australia 30
Summary 30
I. Geographic and Climatic Setting 31
II. Interannual Variability of Rainfall 34
III. The Paleoclimatic Record 35
IV. The Instrumental Record 36
V. Recent Trends and Observations 37
VI. Climate Change Projections 39
VII. Conclusions 51
Acknowledgments 52
References 52
Chapter 3: Floods Down Rivers: From Damaging to Replenishing Forces 58
Summary 58
I. Introduction 58
II. Perturbation: Disturbance and Response 59
III. The Physical Dimension: Floods as Disturbances 60
IV. Ecological Responses to Floods 64
V. The Human Dimension 69
VI. Conclusions 71
Acknowledgments 72
References 72
Chapter 4: Effects of Floods on Distribution and Reproduction of Aquatic Birds 80
Summary 80
I. Introduction 80
II. Floods and Aquatic Bird Life Histories 81
III. How Do Birds Know It Is Flooding? 92
IV. The Landscape Dimension 94
V. Conservation Issues 95
VI. Conclusions 96
Acknowledgments 97
References 97
Chapter 5: The Landscape Context of Flooding in the Murray-Darling Basin 102
Summary 102
I. Introduction 103
II. Understanding Dynamic Systems: The Integration of Ecological Theory and the Landscape Approach 103
III. The Landscape Approach to Understanding the Ecology of Floods in the Murray-Darling Basin 105
IV. River-Floodplain Biota in the Murray-Darling Basin: Coping with a Variable Environment 107
V. Synthesis: Flood-Induced Connectivity is Crucial 116
Acknowledgments 117
References 117
Chapter 6: Effect of Flooding on the Occurrence of Infectious Disease 124
Summary 124
I. Introduction 124
II. Arbovirus Vectors and Rainfall Patterns 126
III. Myxomatosis 134
IV. Bovine Herpes Mammillitis 136
V. Anthrax 137
VI. Conclusions 139
References 140
Chapter 7: Some Economics of Floods 142
Summary 142
I. Introduction 142
II. Floods and Location Decisions 144
III. Flood Mitigation Strategies 146
IV. Risk Management 150
V. Government Policy 150
VI. Conclusions 153
Acknowledgment 154
References 154
Chapter 8: Tiddalik's Travels: The Making and Remaking of an Aboriginal Flood Myth 156
Summary 156
I. Introduction 156
II. The Myth of Tiddalik the Frog 158
III. Conclusions 170
Acknowledgments 172
References 173
Chapter 9: Understanding the Social Impacts of Floods in Southeastern Australia 176
Summary 176
I. Introduction 176
II. Social Impact Assessment 178
III. Lessons 187
IV. Conclusions 188
Acknowledgment 189
References 189
Index 192
Cumulative List of Titles 198

Textauszug

Introduction

Aldo Poiani

Publisher Summary

This introductory chapter discusses floods in an arid continent and causes and consequences of floods in Australia. Not surprisingly, floods are considered a major “natural disaster” that should be prevented or its effects on human populations mitigated if possible. On the other hand, floods can distribute nutrients throughout vast areas of floodplains and contribute to the maintenance of both natural and some agricultural ecosystems. Floods in Australia affect various regions of the continent, including arid and semiarid zones. If predictions derived from current climatic models are correct, precipitations in the northern, tropical areas of Australia may be in the increase. This may not only change the landscape of the central arid zone, as floodwaters may drain into currently endorheic lakes more frequently and regularly, but it may also affect southern temperate regions such as the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB) through flooding of rivers such as the Darling. MDB is also subject to the effects of climate in the tropics as floods in the Darling River are affected by the tropical climatic conditions that characterize the northern areas of the continent.

1. Fresh water running, splashing, swirling,

Running over slippery stones … clear water …

Carrying leaves and bushes before it …

Swirling around …

2. Water running, running from pool to pool …

Water running in streams,

Foaming, carrying leaves and bushes before it … churning,

Bubbling up among the Miljarwi clansfolk.

Water flowing over the rocks … flowing each side of the termite mounds,

Running fast toward Nalibinunggu clansfolk … Ridarngu … Gaiilindjil … Ridarngu,

Toward the Bunangaidjini Wonguri …

Fast‐running water.

3. Bilgawilgajun! (We invoke the Spirits!)

Water dammed up by barriers of stone at Buruwandji … at

Mumana, at Bungarindji,

Breaking out, foaming, like sacred feathered armbands …

Carrying away the debris …

Sound of rushing water … running,

Smaller streams joining together, roaring down …

Washing out tree roots at Buruwandji … running past the Rocks.

Ridarngu song from Arnhem Land (Berndt and Berndt, 1977, pp. 375–376)

I Floods in an Arid Continent

On the morning of July 7, 1956, the town of Mildura in northwestern Victoria, Australia, a usually tranquil city overlooking the Murray River woke up to the news in the local newspaper, the Sunraysia Daily, that “Floodwaters are pushing hard against the network of levee banks around Wentworth and should they break through the town will be flooded.” Two days later, on July 9, the headlines announced that “Roads cut as floods spread in 3 states,” while “help of army sought to hold weakened levee bank.” The situation continued to worsen in the following days and the issue of July 11 warned on page 1 of a “Desperate fight to hold river. Thousands of people along the banks of the flood‐swollen Murray and its tributaries are fighting desperately to save their homes,” and on page 2, the people of Mildura began to realize the magnitude of the unfolding disaster as the “District faces worst flooding ever known—1931 peak neared.” Two days later, the eyes were on the levees as the flood level was expected to “near peak,” and on July 24 the paper grimly announced that “The main levee bank on the Murray at Mildura broke yesterday to make the present flood the most costly in the district's history.” On July 26, the Murray River was “at 1931 level—and still rising.” In fact, what the inhabitants of Mildura and Wentworth were experiencing firsthand was the unfolding of the worst flood to involve the Murray and Darling rivers in the twentieth century (Fig. 1).

Figure 1 Murray–Darling flood of 1956. The 1956 flood was the most intense in the Murray–Darling Basin in the twentieth century. © Ian Hehir.

Floods, generally defined as “a significant rise of water level in a stream, lake, reservoir or coastal region” (IRIN, 2005), have gained a dual identity of sorts. On the one hand, daily news abound in detailed accounts of natural disasters, with spectacular floods being a favorite subject of media attention. I am writing this chapter in mid‐April 2006 and a quick survey of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the American Broadcasting Corporation, CNN, and BBC Web sites for the first three and a half months of the year uncovers news about floods in Australia (Katherine River, Northern Territory; Murchison catchment, Western Australia; Bellinger River, New South Wales), Indonesia, India, United States (North Dakota, Minnesota), Malawi, and several countries in Europe (Czech Republic, Germany, Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia). Not surprisingly, floods are considered a major “natural disaster” that should be prevented or its effects on human populations mitigated if possible. On the other hand, floods can distribute nutrients throughout vast areas of floodplains and contribute to the maintenance of both natural and some agricultural ecosystems.

Floods have been impacting on biota, including human populations, since time immemorial. Plant and animal species inhabiting floodplains show adaptations presumably selected in response to recurrence of floods in the environment (Lytle and Poff, 2004). For instance, Eucalyptus camaldulensis is a typical flood tolerant tree species in Australia that has several physiological adaptations allowing trees to withstand the effects of flooding (Blake and Reid, 1981). From the particular perspective of our species, ancient civilizations developing along the basin of major river systems in all continents have been affected in one way or another by floods (Killick, 1985; Shendge, 1991; Hassan, 1998). Human experience with floods has given rise not only to flood myths and stories (e.g., see the Ridarngu song quoted above) but also to practical solutions to either exploit the benefits of floods or prevent the negative effects of floods through the establishment of flood mitigation procedures.

Australia is widely recognized as a mainly dry continent, with about 70% of the mainland being categorized as arid or semiarid (Stafford‐Smith and Morton, 1990). Yet, the risk of floods in the country is high in some regions. Although this book mainly focuses on the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), a major system of rivers, wetlands, and floodplains covering a large extension of southeastern Australia, other areas at high flood risk, especially in the tropical north that is under a monsoonal regime, will be also considered in some of the chapters. Moreover, the MDB is also subject to the effects of climate in the tropics as floods in the Darling River are affected by the tropical climatic conditions that characterize the northern areas of the continent.

The book is organized into nine chapters, including this introductory chapter, that bring together experts in climatology, limnology, ornithology, landscape ecology, epidemiology, economics, anthropology, and sociology, addressing the causes and consequences of floods in Australia from the perspective of the physical environment, the biota, and human populations. In what follows, I will introduce the different chapters first to subsequently propose a preliminary synthesis of our knowledge of floods in Australia, with the aim of drawing some general conclusions that may be applicable to other regions as well.

Pittock et al. in their chapter review the Climatic background to past and future floods in Australia. They describe how the current climate in the northern parts of the Darling River catchment, especially in summer, is under the influence of troughs in the low‐latitude easterlies, that is, winds moving from east to west, and tropical atmospheric pressure lows that affect the extent of rainfall in the tropical rainy season; whereas rainfall in the southern regions of the MDB is affected by winter atmospheric pressure lows and also cold temperatures resulting from winds coming from the west (westerlies). These climatic conditions affecting the MDB determine the occurrence of summer floods on the Darling River and mostly winter floods along the Murray River. A major climatic influence on the probability of floods in the MDB is the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In the opposite phase of ENSO, not surprisingly called “La Niña,” the northern and eastern parts of Australia tend to be subject to high rainfall that may cause floods. However, as indicated by Pittock et...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 18.4.2007
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Ökologie / Naturschutz
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Hydrologie / Ozeanografie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Meteorologie / Klimatologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Angewandte Physik
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• Themenwelt: Technik ► Bauwesen
• Themenwelt: Technik ► Umwelttechnik / Biotechnologie
• ISBN-10: 0-08-046914-0 / 0080469140
• ISBN-13: 978-0-08-046914-0 / 9780080469140