Australia’s hydrological storage and rising sea level hazard
Ollier, C.D. (1990). Australia’s hydrological storage and rising sea level hazard, in: Paepe, R. et al. Greenhouse Effect, Sea Level and Drought. Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Geohydrological Management of Sea Level and Mitigation of Drought, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands (Spain), March 1-7, 1989. NATO ASI Series C: Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 325: pp. 447-455. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0701-0_26 In: Paepe, R. et al. (Ed.) (1990). Greenhouse Effect, Sea Level and Drought. Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Geohydrological Management of Sea Level and Mitigation of Drought, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands (Spain), March 1-7, 1989. Digitized reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1990. NATO ASI Series C: Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 325. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht. ISBN 978-94-009-0701-0. xix, 718 pp. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0701-0, more In: NATO ASI Series C: Mathematical and Physical Sciences. D. Reidel: Dordrecht; Boston; Lancaster. ISSN 0258-2023, more |
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| Abstract | Australia presents problems to climatic modellers: early climates were not related to latitude, and Quaternary climates cannot be explained by latitudinal shifts. Glacial periods were arid in the sense of mobile dunes, but pluvial in the sense of high lake levels. There is no convincing evidence of rising sea levels, and observed beach retreat can be explained by management. Groundwater is much used, but recharge is not generally useful because of great residence time. Schemes to divert water to dry areas are uneconomic, and the one major scheme of river reversal, the Snowy Mountain Scheme, has led to disastrous salinity problems in irrigation areas. There is no merit in filling the Lake Eyre depression. If it is ever considered desirable to increase water storage the best inducement in Australia would be to increase urban water supply. |
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