Dr Kathryn Taffs BA(Hons)(Adel) PhD(Adel) Kathryn is a senior lecturer in the School of Environment, Science and Engineering. She teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and actively researches in the fields of palaeoecology and conservation biology. Kathryn's research focuses on the study of changes in wetland biota and the environment over time. Using palaeolimnological techniques wetland studies can be extended with the further dimension of geologic time. Management of wetland environments is dependent upon an understanding of how an ecosystem has responded to climate and human induced changes in the past. With an understanding of past wetland dynamics, realistic remediation targets for ecosystem rehabilitation can be established and incorporated into management plans. Kathryn's research concentrates on the use of pollen and diatom microfossils in addition to stable isotopes to reconstruct the environmental history of wetland ecosystems and estuaries over time. Projects are underway on coastal environments of eastern Australia and vary from coastal lakes and ICOLLS to large estuaries. Some specific projects in progress are: * the history of eutrophication of ICOLLS in eastern Australia * the environmental history of eastern Australian estuaries with emphasis on eutrophication * the establishment of a diatom based calibration set for coastal eastern Australia All projects investigate the history of wetland ecosystems and aim to improve the ecosystem health and stability by setting realistic remediation targets that can be incorporated into conservation strategies. Existing projects vary from the establishment and description of estuarine algal communities to incorporation of this data in palaeolimnological reconstructions. Other projects examine environmental degradation and recovery in lake and estuaries of the east coast of Australia.
Journal articles
Palaeolimnology in eastern and southern Australian estuaries (with John Tibby), Journal of Palaeolimnology (2011)
Forestry at Southern Cross University: fifteen years in review (with Diana Lloyd, J Doland Nichols, and Jerome K. Vanclay), International Forestry Review (2011)
After 15 years, it is timely to review the 4-year bachelor degree in forestry offered...
The Burrum River estuary: identifying reference sites for Australian sub-tropical esturine systems using paleolimnological methods (with Brendan Logan), Journal of Palaeolimnology (2011)
There is a pressing need to obtain historical information on estuaries so that levels of...
Applying paleolimnological techniques in estuaries: a cautionary case study from Moreton Bay, Australia (with Brendan Logan and Laura Cunningham), Marine Freshwater Research (2010)
Paleoecological techniques provide useful tools to identify restoration targets and natural variability for management programs....
Assessing changes in nutrient status in the Richmond River estuary, Australia, using paleolimnological methods (with Brendan Logan, Bradley D. Eyre, and Atun Zawadski), Journal of Paleolimnology (2010)
Eutrophication from nutrient over-enrichment is a serious problem for the coastal zone and the estuarine...
Books
Mapping the environment: a professional development manual (with William E. Boyd), School of Environmental Science and Management Papers (2004)
This book provides a basis for developing skills in the most fundamental techniques used, and...
Book chapters
Fires impact on an acidic peatland in northeastern NSW: implications for the interpretation of fire histories, pyrite formation and loss of organic carbon (with Jeffrey F. Parr, Geoffrey Kerr, and J Arthur), Interdisciplinary nuances in phytolith and other microfossil studies (2008)
Conference publications
Historical nutrients status in the Richmond River in the absence of monitoring data (with Brendan Logan), 18th NSW Coastal Conference (2009)
Differentiating records of recent climate change from anthropogenic impact in the coastal margin: an example form eastern Australia, INQUA 2007 Abstracts (2007)
Reconstructing fire histories: methods, interpretation and common on-ground across fire history research in Australia (with Jeffrey F. Parr, Geoffrey Kerr, J Arthur, Keith G. Bolton, and Geraldine E. Jacobson), Australasian Archaeometry Conference (2005)
Mapping the environment: reflections on a self-guided geography teaching book and its interrelationships with internal and external delivery of a University course (with William E. Boyd and W Laird), Institute of Australian Geographers Conference (2004)
Consultancies
Implementation of a monitoring program for the recovery of Salty Lagoon, Evans Head, NSW, WP Consultants and Richmond Valley Council (2008)
A monitoring program for the recovery of Salty Lagoon, Evans Head, NSW, WP Consultants and Richmond Valley Council (2007)
Palaeoenvironmental history of Sydney Basin using diatoms as palaeoenvironmental indicators. Unpublished, School of Environmental Science and Management Papers (2003)