Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Kirstie's work focuses on fluvial geomorphology and river management. She researches the structure and function of rivers, how they adjust and evolve, how they have been impacted by anthropogenic disturbance and how to best use geomorphology in river conservation, recovery and rehabilitation. She also researches how catchment sediment budgets and (dis)connectivity operate and how rivers and catchments may respond to future disturbances, particularly floods and droughts.
She is probably best known as the co-developer of the River Styles Framework and portfolio of professional development short courses (see www.riverstyles.com). The River Styles Framework is a geomorphic approach for the analysis of rivers that includes assessment of river type and behaviour, physical condition and recovery potential. These analyses are used to develop prioritisation and decision support systems in river management practice. Uptake of the River Styles Framework has now occurred in many places on six continents.
Kirstie has strong domestic and international collaborations in both academia and industry. She has worked for many years on various river science and management projects as part of multi-disciplinary, collaborative teams that include ecologists, hydrologists, social scientists, practitioners and citizens.
Kirstie has also been lucky enough to work in Antarctica for two summer seasons, undertaking research on heavy metal contamination at Casey and Wilkes stations.
Kirstie has co-written and co-edited three books titled "Geomorphology and River Management" (Blackwell, 2005), "River Futures" (Island Press, 2008) and "Geomorphic Analysis of River Systems: An Approach to Reading the Landscape" (Wiley, 2013). She holds several research, teaching and postgraduate supervision awards including the international Gordon Warwick medal for excellence in research.
Kirstie is also a Certified Environmental Practitoner in geomorphology, CEnvP(geomorphology), www.cenvp.org.
Education/Academic qualification
Fluvial geomorphology, CEnvP(geomorphology), Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ)
Award Date: 8 Sept 2021
Fluvial Geomorphology and River Management, Doctor of Philosophy, Macquarie University
Award Date: 24 Sept 2002
Fluvial Geomorphology, Bachelor of Science (Honours), Macquarie University
Award Date: 21 Apr 1996
Physical Geography and Resource and Environmental Management, Bachelor of Science, Macquarie University
Award Date: 17 Apr 1995
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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DP22: Will rivers be smaller when the climate is hotter?
Hesse, P., Fryirs, K., Ralph, T., Kiem, A. S., Taschetto, A., Tripaldi, A. & Mehl, A.
28/09/22 → 27/09/25
Project: Research
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Fluvial geomorphology and river management in Italy, New Zealand, India and Australia
1/07/18 → …
Project: Research
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A framework and toolbox for assessing and monitoring swamp condition and ecosystem health
Hose, G., Fryirs, K., Keith, D. & MQRES, M.
17/10/12 → …
Project: Research
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Working with recovery: Future proofing our rivers against floods and droughts
Fryirs, K., Leishman, M., Brierley, G., Ralph, T., Porter, R., Thompson, J. & Marshall, F.
21/05/20 → 20/05/23
Project: Research
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Development and application of geomorphic tools for sustainable management of the Himalayan river system, India
Jain, V., Mohapatra, P., Brierley, G. & Fryirs, K.
1/07/19 → 30/06/21
Project: Research
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Detection of decadal time‐series changes in flow hydrology in eastern Australia: considerations for river recovery and flood management
Arash, A. M., Fryirs, K. & Ralph, T. J., 13 Sept 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Developing an equitable agenda for international capacity strengthening courses: environmental pedagogies and knowledge co-production in the Philippines
Mitchell, D., Laurie, E. W., Williams, R. D., Fryirs, K. A., Brierley, G. J. & Tolentino, P. L. M., 25 Jul 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Geography in Higher Education. 31 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Evolution of a river management industry in Australia reveals meandering pathway to 2030 UN goals
Russell, K., Fryirs, K., Reid, D., Miller, A., Vietz, G., Rutherfurd, I., Pearson, B., Wood, A., Gregor, S., Walker, J. & Slijkerman, J., 24 Mar 2023, In: Communications Earth and Environment. 4, 1, p. 1-13 13 p., 93.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)5 Downloads (Pure) -
Inherited age of floating charcoal fragments in a sand-bed stream, Macdonald River, NSW, Australia: Implications for radiocarbon dating of sediments
Blong, R., Fryirs, K., Wood, R., King, F., Schneider, L., Dotte-Sarout, E., Fallon, S., Gillespie, R., Chen, Q. & Esmay, R., Sept 2023, In: Holocene. 33, 9, p. 1154-1159 6 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure) -
Natural flood management: lessons and opportunities from the catastrophic 2021–2022 floods in eastern Australia
Fryirs, K., Zhang, N., Ralph, T. J. & Arash, A. M., 12 Jul 2023, In: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. 48, 9, p. 1649-1664 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Downloads (Pure)
Prizes
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2017 Excellence in Research Leadership “Highly Commended” Award
Fryirs, Kirstie (Recipient), 24 Nov 2017
Prize
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Impacts
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River Styles Framework
Kirstie Fryirs (Participant) & Gary Brierley (End user)
Impact: Environment impacts, Policy impacts, Science impacts, Training impacts, Culture impacts, Society impacts, Organisation impacts, Symbolic impacts, Economy impacts
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