Which areas are most at risk from salinity in Australia?

Which areas are most at risk from salinity in Australia?

These high risk areas include the Campaspe, Loddon, Corangamite, Glenelg-Hopkins, Goulburn-Broken catchments, and Wimmera and Mallee regions. The current cost to Victoria is estimated at $50million per year.

How does salinity affect Australia?

One of the most significant causes of soil degradation in Australia is salinity, which poses a serious threat to native species, ecological communities and functioning ecosystems (ANZECC 2001). Land clearance can also lead to soil erosion and, when it results in a changing water balance, to dryland salinity.

Where does salinity occur?

Irrigation salinity in NSW occurs mainly in southern NSW in the Murray and Murrumbidgee irrigation areas. Areas of land affected by irrigation salinity have dropped sharply in the last 10 years, from 14 000 hectares to less than 500 hectares in the Murray Valley.

What are the two types of salinity in Australia?

Primary and secondary salinity: primary salinity occurs naturally and is the result of rainfall interacting with geographical features over thousands of years. Secondary salinity is the result of human land use and either produces more salt or causes primary salinity to rise to the surface of the land.

Why is salinity such a big problem in Australia?

Secondary salinity develops as a result of changed land use and management. In Australia, clearing for agriculture has been the major driver of this change, because deep-rooted, perennial native vegetation has been replaced with shallow-rooted annual crops and pastures, and this change allows more groundwater recharge.

Where does dryland salinity occur in Australia?

South Australia
Dryland salinity occurs in all of the agricultural districts in South Australia, and is one of the worst forms of land degradation. Current estimates indicate that over 300,000 hectares of South Australia are affected by dryland salinity, with the Upper South East being the most affected area.

What problems does salinity cause?

Salinity affects production in crops, pastures and trees by interfering with nitrogen uptake, reducing growth and stopping plant reproduction. Some ions (particularly chloride) are toxic to plants and as the concentration of these ions increases, the plant is poisoned and dies.

What affects salinity?

Salinity of seawater is affected by evaporation, precipitation, ice formation, and ice melting. Evaporation increases the salinity of seawater because when seawater evaporates, the salts are left behind, thus increasing their concentration.

What affects water salinity?

Where does salinity affect natural environment?

What is dryland salinity in Australia?

Dryland salinity is the build-up of salts in the soil and groundwater in non-irrigated areas. Although salts are a natural part of the Australian landscape, dryland salinity is a process where excess salt affects soil, pastures, vegetation, crops , biodiversity and water quality.

How does salinity affect habitats?

Where are Victoria’s lakes being affected by salinity?

Lands surrounding Lake Bryde-East Lake Bryde and Dumbleyung Lake have also been affected. In the Murray River valley irrigation has caused salinity problems. Land surrounding the town of Werrimull in the northwest of Victoria have been affected by salinity due to land clearing.

What are salinity provinces?

Salinity Provinces (SPs) provide a framework for describing land and water (both surface and groundwater) salinity in Victoria. These are specific geographic areas where the landscape setting and physical processes contributing to salinity are similar, and where salinity management options are also similar.

Where is salinity a problem in Western Australia?

The Eastern Mallee and the Western Mallee of Western Australia are areas that are prone to salinity with little remedial action being undertaken to rectify the problem. Lands surrounding Lake Bryde-East Lake Bryde and Dumbleyung Lake have also been affected.

What causes salinity problems in the Murray River valley?

In the Murray River valley irrigation has caused salinity problems. Land surrounding the town of Werrimull in the northwest of Victoria have been affected by salinity due to land clearing.