Environmental Systems

The Environmental Systems Research Group within PEMS seeks to advance scientific understanding of landscape systems and the practical application of this knowledge. It broadly, although not exclusively, encompasses the work of physical geographers within the School of PEMS. Although staff interests vary widely, particular research strengths of the group involve:

• Evolution of coastal beaches, barriers and islands
• Fluvial geomorphology, including sediment transport in bedload rivers, hydraulic geometry
• Floodplain storage and modelling
• Biogeography, wildlife ecology and ecosystem modelling
• Policy advice in relation to environmental hazards, pollution, catchment problems
• Modelling of overlandflow, erosion and sediment delivery.

Members of the Environmental Systems Research Group

Academic Staff

Prof. Brian Lees (b.lees@adfa.edu.au) BA, PhD Syd.
Dr David Paull (d.paull@adfa.edu.au) MA Adel., PhD UNSW
Dr Jiashu Shen (j.shen@adfa.edu.au) BSc East China, PhD W'gong
Dr Ingrid Takken (i.takken@adfa.edu.au) PhD K.U.Leuven (Belgium)

Visiting Fellow:

Emeritus Prof. Roger McLean (r.mclean@adfa.edu.au) MA N.Z., PhD McGill

Research Associate:

Dr Chris Thompson (c.thompson@adfa.edu.au ) PhD UNSW@ADFA

Research Students:

Dylan Horne - Research Topic - Evolution of chenier plains

Andrew Hughes - Research Topic - Sediment tracing and storage in the Nogoa catchment, Queensland

Takeshi Kawakami - Research Topic - Systematics, phylogeography, and speciation of the morabine grasshopper (genus Vandiemenella) in south-eastern Australia

Elspeth Rae - Research Topic - Modelling the effect of sea level change on beach ridge progradation

Peter Walsh - Research Topic - Hydrological connectivity in managed forests

Recent Graduate Students:

Dr Rachel Nanson - Stream channel adjustment in upland swamps, Barrington Tops, New South Wales, Australia

Dr Chris Thompson - The geomorphology of southeast Australian mountain streams

Recent Honours Student:

Dave Purvis-Smith - Research Topic - Flood inundation and floodplain sedimentation at a valley constriction on Medway Creek, in the Fitzroy Basin Queensland.

Linking geomorphology and radioisotope tracing.
Standing L to R: Dr Fernandez-Niello (Buenos Aires) & Dr Chris Thompson.
Seated L to R: Drs Laura Gladkis, Ingrid Takken, & Heiko Timmers celebrating first results.