Modelling salt dynamics on the River Murray floodplain in South Australia: Modelling approaches - Appendices

The River Murray is the principal river of the western Murray Basin in southeastern Australia. It is highly unusual as it is a major river system that flows through an extensive landscape with highly saline groundwater. The river is naturally prone to salinity, and this propensity has increased over the past century due to the construction of river locks and the introduction of large-scale land clearance and irrigation. River flow volumes and river level variability have been reduced, while the watertable has risen.The overall impact has been to degrade riverine ecosystems and increase river and floodplain salinity.

Much research has been undertaken to monitor, conceptualise and simulate the dynamics of floodplain salinity. However, there is currently no consistent and comprehensive approach to modelling the interaction of surface water and groundwater in the lower River Murray floodplains. To address this need, in 2014 the Goyder Institute for Water Research commissioned the study Modelling salt dynamics onthe River Murray floodplain in South Australia, a collaborative research project with contributions from Flinders University, CSIRO Land and Water, and the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR). The study area consists of the floodplains of the River Murray in South Australia, from the Border to Morgan, within the South Australian part of the Murray Basin. Due to the breadth of the review required, feedback was sought from a wide range of experts and stakeholders.