Coastlines

Current research projects

Future coastlines

We are a leader of research in planning and management for natural variability and greenhouse-induced climate change on coastlines. The Centre's Queensland Smart State funded Future Coastlines project will build on years of collaboration between Griffith and

• Gold Coast City Council
• Bureau of Meteorology
• Queensland Environmental Protection Agency
• Emergency Management Queensland
• Danish Hydraulics Institute
• CSIRO

to examine natural disaster management for extreme events, emergency management strategies and to develop adaptation tactics.

Other climate adaptation projects include coastal erosion management master planning for Gold Coast beaches as well as climate change adaptations in the Broadwater. These projects will provide a framework of management strategies by investigating the risks of climate change and how we can adapt to these changes.

Burnett Mary - mapping and assessment of the coast's natural features and processes

This area of coastline varies from sheltered mangrove lined creeks to the exposed surf beaches of the Fraser Island and Cooloola coasts. Most of the coastline is underdeveloped and much is vulnerable to occastional high storm surge associated with severe tropical cyclones. The Great Sandy Strait is classified as a Wetland and Marine National Park and hosts a variety of wildlife.

The purpose of this study is to assess the coastline characteristics and dynamics of the Burnett Mary region to determine vulnerability to climate variability and long-term change, especially in relation to projected sea level rise and changing storminess, and to disseminate this information to agencies, organisations and the wider community.

Lake Currimundi dynamics study

The Centre has established a collaborative linkage with the University of the Sunshine Coast's Faculty of Science, Health and Education to undertake a joint study of Lake Currimundi.

Currimundi Lake is a coastal lagoon which is generally open to the ocean. Development in the catchment has seen the construction in the 1980s and 1990s of three canals which now form part of the tidal waterway of the Lake. The Lake has also recently been connected to the artificial Lake Kawana via a weir. The project has been estalished to study the Lake and to develop an integrated management plan for the lake and its waterways.

Gold Coast shoreline management plan

The GCSMP project was established to investigate the management of the sandy shoreline environment on the Gold Coast. Its aim is to clearly define what we currently know, and what further research is needed to gain a thorough understand of the sandy beach environment.