TY - JOUR
T1 - The Holocene evolution and geomorphology of a chain of ponds, southeast Australia
T2 - establishing a physical template for river management
AU - Mould, Simon
AU - Fryirs, Kirstie
PY - 2017/2
Y1 - 2017/2
N2 - Chains of ponds are a discontinuous river type found in Australia. Their unusual morphology, important ecological functions and increasing rarity make them a priority for conservation, and yet very little research has investigated their physical structure, behaviour and evolution. This paper reconstructs the Holocene evolution and environmental history of Crisp's Creek, a headwater chain of ponds in the Southern Tablelands of NSW Australia. This history establishes baseline information on the physical template that can be used to assess a range of other biophysical processes and design appropriate river rehabilitation and management strategies for these rivers. Sedimentary aggradation began in the Late Holocene, at least 3.7–1.3 ka, broadly synchronous with aggradation phases at other sites in southeast Australia. Since European arrival in the Nineteenth Century, parts of the river incised, destroying intact ponds and smothering formerly swampy floodplains with post-incision alluvium. However, sections unaffected by incision provide a rare opportunity to examine the evolutionary trajectory of an intact variant of these rivers. This research deepens our understanding of the evolutionary context for contemporary river behaviour as relevant for designing appropriate and effective conservation and rehabilitation strategies for chains of ponds.
AB - Chains of ponds are a discontinuous river type found in Australia. Their unusual morphology, important ecological functions and increasing rarity make them a priority for conservation, and yet very little research has investigated their physical structure, behaviour and evolution. This paper reconstructs the Holocene evolution and environmental history of Crisp's Creek, a headwater chain of ponds in the Southern Tablelands of NSW Australia. This history establishes baseline information on the physical template that can be used to assess a range of other biophysical processes and design appropriate river rehabilitation and management strategies for these rivers. Sedimentary aggradation began in the Late Holocene, at least 3.7–1.3 ka, broadly synchronous with aggradation phases at other sites in southeast Australia. Since European arrival in the Nineteenth Century, parts of the river incised, destroying intact ponds and smothering formerly swampy floodplains with post-incision alluvium. However, sections unaffected by incision provide a rare opportunity to examine the evolutionary trajectory of an intact variant of these rivers. This research deepens our understanding of the evolutionary context for contemporary river behaviour as relevant for designing appropriate and effective conservation and rehabilitation strategies for chains of ponds.
KW - Fluvial geomorphology
KW - Discontinuous watercourses
KW - Swampy meadow
KW - River conservation
KW - European impacts
KW - Environmental history
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84992391517&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP130100120
U2 - 10.1016/j.catena.2016.10.012
DO - 10.1016/j.catena.2016.10.012
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84992391517
SN - 0341-8162
VL - 149
SP - 349
EP - 362
JO - Catena
JF - Catena
IS - Part 1
ER -