Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The River Murray-Darling Basin: Ecosystem Response to Drought and Climate Change

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions

Abstract

The River Murray-Darling Basin is one of Australia’s largest river basins, and contains highly valued water-dependent ecosystems, including 16 Ramsar-listed wetlands. Through the impact of drought and over-allocation (69 % of the basin’s water is abstracted for irrigation, industrial, and domestic use), these ecosystems are now widely considered to be severely degraded. Future climate scenarios suggest a drier and more variable climate with continued and intensified drought periods. Future water-sharing policies are under consideration to address this degradation by changing the balance between consumptive and environmental water, including the security of environmental water. This chapter outlines the challenges involved in managing ecosystem adaption to a drier climate while maintaining key ecosystem assets. We conclude that it is unlikely that it will ever be possible to return to an ecosystem like what existed pre-irrigation development. While this past ecosystem state has often been used as benchmark in ecological assessment, the great scientific challenge now is to provide rigorous assessment that allows those setting policy to gain a better sense of what is ecologically possible and socially desirable within constraints of water diversion and climate futures that we now face.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • ABS (2010) http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/DC0DC8AAE4ECD727CA2574A5001F803A? open document. Accessed Jan 2011

  • Acuna V (2010) Flow regime alteration effects on the organic C dynamics in semi-arid stream ecosystems. Hydrobiologia 657(1):233–242

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • ANZECC (1999) Guidelines for establishing the national reserve system. Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin J, Zhang L, Jones R, Durack P, Dawes W, Hairsine P (2010) Climate change impact on water and salt balances: an assessment of the impact of climate change on catchment salt and water balances in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia. Clim Change 100: 607–631

    Google Scholar 

  • Australian Government (2007) Water Act 2007. No. 137, 2007

    Google Scholar 

  • Barchiesi S, Dalton J, Smith M, Overton IC (2009) Reframing environmental flows: a tool for climate change adaptation. Skukuza conference—management of environmental flows in a changing climate, Goolwa, Australia, Sept 2009

    Google Scholar 

  • Bond NR, Lake PS, Arthington AH (2008) The impact of drought on freshwater ecosystems: an Australian perspective. Hydrobiologia 600:3–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen S, Simpson S (2009) Changes in extent and condition of the vegetation communities of the Macquarie Marshes floodplain 1991–2008. Report prepared for the NSW wetland recovery program. Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water, Sydney

    Google Scholar 

  • Bren L J (1991) Modelling the Influence of River Murray Management on the Barmah River Red Gum Forests. Aust For 54(1, 2):9–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryan B, Crossman N, King D, Meyer W (2011) Landscape futures analysis: assessing the impacts of environmental targets under alternative spatial policy options and future scenarios. Environ Model Softw 26:83–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colloff M, Baldwin D (2010) Resilience of floodplain ecosystems in a semi-arid environment. Rangeland J 32:305–314

    Google Scholar 

  • Connor J, Schwabe K, King D, Kaczan D, Kirby M (2009) Impacts of climate change on lower Murray irrigation. Aust J Agric Res Econ 53:437–456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connor JD (2011) Principles for economically efficient and environmentally sustainable water markets: the Australian experience. Chapter 19 in: Schwabe K, Albiac J, Connor J, Hassan R, Meza-Gonzalez L (eds) Drought in arid and semi-arid environments: a multi-disciplinary and cross-country perspective. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Crosbie R, McCallum J, Walker G, Chiew F (2010) Modeling climate change impacts on groundwater recharge in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia. Hydrogeol J 18: 1639–1656

    Google Scholar 

  • CSIRO (2008) Water availability in the Murray-Darling Basin: a report from the CSIRO to the Australian government. CSIRO Water for a Health County, Canberra

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham S, MacNally R, Read J, Baker P, White M, Thomson J, Griffioen P (2009) A robust technique for mapping vegetation condition across a major river system. Ecosystems 12:207–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DEWHA (2010) Interim biogeographic regionalisation of Australia. http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/science/ibra.html (Accessed Feb 2010)

  • Doody TM, Overton IC (2009) Environmental management of riparian tree health in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia. River Basin Management, Malta, 7–9 Sept 2009

    Google Scholar 

  • Doody T, Holland K, Benyon R, Jolly I (2009) Effect of groundwater freshening on riparian vegetation water balance. Hydrol Process 23(24):3485–3499

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garrick D, Siebentritt M, Aylward B, Bauer C, Purkey A (2009) Water markets and freshwater ecosystem services: policy reform and implementation in the Columbia and Murray-Darling Basins. Ecol Econ 69:366–379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatton T, Wu H (1995) A scaling theory to extrapolate individual tree water use to stand water use. Hydrol Process 9:527–540

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holland K, Tyreman S, Mensforth L, Walker G (2006) Tree water sources over shallow, saline groundwater in the lower River Murray, South Eastern Australia: implications for groundwater recharge mechanisms. Aust J Bot 54:193–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jolly ID, Walker GR, Thorburn PJ (1993) Salt accumulation in semi-arid floodplain soils with implications for forest health. J Hydrol 150:589-614

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcarelli A, Van Kirk R, Baxter C (2010) Predicting effects of hydrological alteration and climate change on ecosystem metabolism in a western U.S. river. Ecol Appl 20(8): 2081–2088

    Google Scholar 

  • MDBC (2005) The living Murray: foundation report. Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra

    Google Scholar 

  • MDBC (2008a) Murray-Darling Basin rivers: ecosystem health check, 2004–2007, sustainable rivers audit report 1. Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra

    Google Scholar 

  • MDBC (2008b) The living Murray: icon site condition report: Oct 2008. Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra

    Google Scholar 

  • Mensforth L, Thorburn P, Tyerman S, Walker G (1994) Sources of water used by riparian eucalyptus camaldulensis overlying highly saline groundwater. Oecologia 100:21–28

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neville C (2009) Managing cumulative impacts: groundwater reform in the Murray-Darling Basin, Australia. Water Resource Management. DOI 10.1007/s11269-009-9399-0

  • Norris RN, Liston P, Davies N, Coysh J, Dyer F, Linke S, Prosser I, Young WJ (2001) Snapshot of the Murray-Darling Basin river condition. Report to the Murray-Darling Basin Commission

    Google Scholar 

  • NWC (2009) Intergovernmental agreement on a national water initiative. Council of Australian Governments, Canberra. http://www.nwc.gov.au/resources/documents/Intergovernmental-Agreement-on-a-national-water-initiative.pdf. Accessed Feb 2010

  • Ohlmeyer RG (1991) Investigation of the feasibility of manipulating water levels in the River Murray. Final project report to component 3 of the hydrological management project (No. S3), South Australian River Murray wetlands management program. Engineering and Water Supply Department South Australia, Adelaide

    Google Scholar 

  • Overton IC, Doody TM (2008). Ecosystem changes on the River Murray floodplain over the last 100 years and predictions of climate change. In: Taniguchi M, Burnett WC, Fukishima Y, Haigh M, Umezawa Y (eds) From headwaters to the ocean—Hydrological changes and watershed management. Taylor and Frances Group, London, England. pp 599–604

    Google Scholar 

  • Overton IC, Jolly ID (2004) Integrated studies of floodplain vegetation health, saline groundwater and flooding on the Chowilla floodplain South Australia. CSIRO division of land and water, technical report No. 20/04, p 169

    Google Scholar 

  • Overton IC, Bryan B, Higgins A, Holland K, King D, Lester R, Nolan M, Hatton MacDonald D, Connor J (2010a) Integrated modelling of river management and infrastructure options to improve environmental outcomes in the lower river Murray. Report prepared for the South Australian department of water, land and biodiversity conservation

    Google Scholar 

  • Overton IC, Colloff M, Doody TM, Henderson B, Cuddy SM (eds) (2010b) Ecological outcomes of flow regimes. CSIRO water for a healthy country report prepared for the national water commission

    Google Scholar 

  • Pittock J, Connell D (2010) Australia demonstrates the planets future: water and climate in the Murray-Darling Basin. Int J Water Resour Dev 26:561–578

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Puckeridge J, Sheldon F, Walker K, Boulton A (1998) Flow variability and ecology of large rivers. Mar Freshw Res 49:55–72

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ralph T, Rogers K (2010) Floodplain wetlands of the Murray-Darling Basin and their freshwater biota. In: Rogers K, Ralph T (eds) Floodplain wetland biota in the Murray-Darling Basin: water and habitat requirement. CSIRO Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  • Saintilan N, Overton IC (2010) Ecosystem response modelling in the Murray-Darling Basin. CSIRO Publishing

    Google Scholar 

  • Strom L, Jansson R, Nilsson C, Johansson M, Xiong S (2011) Hydrologic effects on riparian vegetation in a Boreal River: An experiment testing climate change conditions. Glob Change Biol 17(1):254–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thoms M, Suter P, Roberts J, Koehn J, Jones G, Hillman T, Close A (2000) Report of the River Murray scientific panel on environmental flows: river Murray Dartmouth to Wellington and the lower Darling river. Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra, ACT

    Google Scholar 

  • Thoms M, Capon S, James C, Padgham M, Rayburg S (2007) The Narran ecosystem project: the response of a terminal wetland system to variable wetting and drying. Report prepared for the Murray-Darling Basin Commission. MDBC Publication No 40/08

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorburn P, Hatton T, Walker G (1993) Combining measurements of transpiration and stable isotopes of water to determine groundwater discharge from forests. J Hydrol 150:563–587

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker KF, Sheldon F, Puckeridge JT (1995) A perspective on dryland river ecosystems. Regulated Rivers Res Manag 11(1):85–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webster IT, Lester RE, Fairweather PG (2009) An examination of flow intervention strategies to alleviate adverse ecological conditions in the Coorong using hydrodynamic and ecosystem response modelling. CSIRO water for a healthy country national research flagship, Canberra, Australia

    Google Scholar 

  • Wentworth Group (2004) Blueprint for a national water plan. Wentworth group of concerned scientists

    Google Scholar 

  • Wentworth Group (2008) Senate submission: the urgent provision of water to the Coorong and lower lakes

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Water for a Healthy Country, CSIRO, PMB No.2, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia

    Ian C. Overton & Tanya M. Doody

Authors
  1. Ian C. Overton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tanya M. Doody
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ian C. Overton .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Environmental Sciences, University of California, Riverside, University Avenue 900, Riverside, 92521, California, USA

    Kurt Schwabe

  2. CITA-DGA, Department of Agricultural Economics, Agrifood Research and Technology Centre, Avenida Montañana 930, Zaragoza, 50059, Spain

    Jose Albiac

  3. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems – Urrbrae, Waite Road, Glen Osmond, 5064, South Australia, Australia

    Jeffery D. Connor

  4. Centre for Environmental Economics and P, Agricultural Economics, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa

    Rashid M. Hassan

  5. , Department of Economics, Ibero-American University, Prolongacion Paseo de la Reforma 880, Mexico City, 01219, Distrito Federal, Mexico

    Liliana Meza González

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Overton, I.C., Doody, T.M. (2013). The River Murray-Darling Basin: Ecosystem Response to Drought and Climate Change. In: Schwabe, K., Albiac, J., Connor, J., Hassan, R., Meza González, L. (eds) Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6636-5_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation