Overview

The tropical north of Australia covers almost half of the countrys total land area, is occupied by no more than about 5% of the total population, and yet has been estimated to account for close to 70% of the countrys potential freshwater resources. The region experiences strong climatic variability, both spatially and seasonally, with large areas subject to long dry periods interspersed by short periods of torrential rain. This book presents an overview of the freshwater resources of a region that has undergone a period of intense development (agricultural, industrial and social) over recent decades and for which is predicted a continuing period of development into the future. The author describes how the availability of surface, groundwater and stored freshwater, in terms of both quantity and quality, will continue to be the major factor influencing such development. It will also highlight how the emphasis on ensuring year-round water supply has, in recent decades, shifted to one of management to ensure sustainability of this vital resource and maintenance of the ecological health of what is known to be a fragile ecosystem. This book draws on the authors 25+ years of experience as a professional biologist living and working (as a teacher/researcher) in the tropical north of Australia, a region which in light of strengthening trade and other links between Australia and its neighbouring south-east Asian countries, is likely to become of increasing international significance in the future.

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9781634848084

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Dilwyn Griffiths, born in 1932, was brought up in a rural farming community in west Wales. A graduate of the University of Wales, his post-graduate (Ph.D) training specialised in studies of the growth and metabolism of microalgae. After a short period as a High-school teacher in Cardiff, he was appointed Assistant Lecturer (later Lecturer) in Plant Physiology at the University College of North Wales, Bangor. In 1967 he was appointed Senior Lecturer at the newly-established La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia and in 1974 was appointed to the Chair of Botany at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. On retirement in 1997, he was appointed Professor Emeritus at the same University. He is the author or co-author (with colleagues or as supervisor of post-graduate research programs) of publications dealing with various aspects of the biology of marine and freshwater microalgae and with studies of the freshwater resources of the tropical north of Australia. Since his retirement, he has continued to write reviews and has taken an active interest in current developments in his area of biological research. He is the author of two books previously published by Nova Science Publishers: Microalgal Cell Cycles (2010), Microalgae and Man (2013). Dilwyn and his wife Elen, who is also a graduate of the University of Wales, have two daughters and a son and eight grandchildren all living in Australia.

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