Salinity Australias Silent Flood What is Salinity Presence

Salinity Australia’s Silent Flood

What is Salinity? �Presence of different soluble salts ( Steven et al. . , 2008) �The salts can be in many forms �Salinity is caused by rising water tables bringing the saline water to within two meters of the surface, where water evaporates leaving behind the salts.

(Burnscott, 2008)

(Burnscott, 2008)

Activity 1 Liquorice Salinity Game Brown lollies = salty water

Activity 1 �Scenario 1: Before land clearing, native trees with deep roots used the same amount of rain water as entered the ground water system each year, so the ground water level was in balance & remained at the same depth in the soil. �Scenario 2: By cutting down native trees for farming, replacing with shallow rooted crops, there is nothing to drink up the ground water. The salt store located above the ground water level start to dissolve by ground water. This water feeds into the streams, which end up in big rivers, so everything becomes saltier. http: //www. cradlecoastnrm. com/_literature_60861/Waterwatch_Part_4 _-_Salinity

Experiment 1 �Salt has negative effect on plants �Through process of osmosis, water moves from areas of low salt concentrations to areas of high salt concentration �Thus it obstructs water and nutrients moving effectively into the plant cells http: //www. cradlecoastnrm. com/_literature_60861/Waterwatch_Part_4_-_Salinity

Impact of Salinity �Salinity affects landscapes by killing vegetation and crops. �It affects the health of our rivers and streams. �Saline soil damages infrastructure such as roads, buildings and fences. �Salinity causes adverse impact on biodiversities leading to extinction. �Aesthetic value of the landscape destroyed.

Impact of Salinity • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=c. S_S E 6 Eyarw

Types of salinity (Burnscott, 2008) �Dry Land salinity: deforestation, land clearing, overgrazing and farming activities �Irrigational salinity: caused by over watering of plants, can be influenced by soil type, land management, drainage Use of salt water for irrigation �Urban salinity affects infrastructures like buildings, roads, pipes.

Activity 2 In 5 minutes: �Identify and describe types of salinity in the given pictures.

http: //www. dpi. nsw. gov. au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/310382/Salinity-

http: //www. dpi. nsw. gov. au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/310382/Salinity-

http: //www. clw. csiro. au/publications/factsheets/Salinity. Fact. Sheet. pdf

Misconceptions: � � '' Agriculture is to blame for increasing salinity due to land clearing'‘ to what extent do you support this statement? Explain why. Government and farmers are held responsible for the ongoing salinity issues � There are enough strategies and treatments that can solve the issue of salinity but are being ignored. � Once we find a sustainable solution to salinity we can reverse the damage done. � Concept of salinity is caused due to presence of various salts apart from Na. Cl Salinity can be induced by human activities as well as could be natural

Case study on salinity( UNSW, 2010)

There is no Quick Fix (GSA, 2009)

References: � Burnscott, L. (2008). Salinity. (Salinity Pictures) Pearson publication Australia ; Melbourne � CSIRO. Salinity. Retrieved from http: //www. clw. csiro. au/publications/factsheets/Salinity. Fact. Sheet. pdf on September 3, 2011 � Government of South Australia (GSA). (2009). Salinity and water Quality. Images. Retrieved from http: //www. sa. gov. au/subject/Water, +energy+and+environment/Water/River+Murray/Allocations+and+wate r+information/Salinity+and+water+quality#managing on August 30 th, 2011 � NSW Government (2008). Prime facts; Salinity symptoms (Pictures). Retrieved from http: //www. dpi. nsw. gov. au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/310382/Salinity-symptoms. pdf on September 2, 2011 � Reade, J. Part 4: salinity; how does salinity affects our water ways. (Experiment 1 & Activity 1) Retrieved on September 1, 2011 from http: //www. cradlecoastnrm. com/_literature_60861/Waterwatch_Part_4_-_Salinity � Stevens, D. , Smolenaars, S. & Kelly, J. (2008). Irrigation of Amenity Horticulture with Recycled Water. Retrieved from http: //www. irrigation. org. au/assets/pages/6 E 9 E 6203 -1708 -51 EBA 65470 E 3 F 41123 EB/Amenity%20 Hort%20 Arris%20 Recycled%20 Water%20 FINAL. pdf on September 3, 2011 � Pannell, D. 2008. Salinity Policy: A Tale of Fallacies, Misconceptions and Hidden Assumptions. Online http: //www. crcsalinity. com. au/newsletter/sea/ Retrieved on Sept 3, 2011

References � UNSW, 2010). Connected Waters. (Image). Retrieved from http: //www. connectedwaters. unsw. edu. au/resources/articles/supermodellingmurray. html on August 29 th, 2011

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