Peter Hancock
Research Fellow, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, School of Environmental and Rural Sciences
Contact
| Email: | phancoc2@une.edu.au |
| Room: | W55 320 |
| Phone: | 02 6773 3082 (or +61 2 6773 3082 overseas) |
I am a freshwater ecologist with a particular interest in groundwater ecosystems and their interaction with streams in the hyporheic zone. I have conducted ecological research in many rivers of eastern Australia, including the Campaspe and Broken Rivers in Victoria, and the Hunter River in New South Wales. I have also conducted groundwater ecological research in the Pioneer Valley and Bundaberg in Queensland, the Ord River area in Western Australia, and in three areas of New South Wales. The main focus of my research is to determine how human interference with natural groundwater and surface water hydrology impact on ecology. My current research focuses on the effects of hydrological disturbances on aquifer and hyporheic invertebrate communities in the Hunter Valley and around Dubbo and Tamworth.
Areas of Teaching
Ecology 202/502 – Aquatic Ecology
Research interests
In 2005 I was awarded a three year ARC APDI grant to investigate the effects of land use on groundwater ecology, and to develop suitable sampling protocols for sampling aquifer invertebrates. This project will be conducted in partnership with Ecowise Environmental and the Western Australian Museum. My research currently focuses on the effects of urban, mining and agricultural practices around Dubbo, Tamworth, and the upper Hunter Valley.
Project title: Mining, irrigation, and groundwater: Towards a reliable protocol for assessing the impacts of extraction on groundwater fauna and ecology.
In partnership with ARC, Ecowise Environmental, and the Western Australian Museum.
Groundwater fluctuations associated with mining and increased irrigation demands, potentially threaten many of Australia’s unique groundwater invertebrates (stygofauna) with extinction. Stygofauna represent a hidden store of biodiversity and are thought to have a critical, but poorly understood, role in enhancing groundwater quality. Environmentally sustainable development of groundwater resources is hampered by a dearth of information on the ecological needs of stygofauna and how they respond to human-induced change. Using field and laboratory experiments, we aim to determine how water table fluctuations threaten stygofauna. From our results we will develop sampling and management protocols to monitor and protect stygofauna communities.
Qualifications
-
PhD. Aquatic Ecology
- B. Nat. Res.
Publications
Refereed Journal Articles
Hancock, P.J. and Boulton, A.J. (in press) The effects of an environmental flow release on water quality in the hyporheic zone of the Hunter River, Australia. Hydrobiologia.
Boulton, A.J. and Hancock, P.J. (accepted) Rivers as groundwater dependent ecosystems: degrees of dependency, riverine processes, and management implications. Australian Journal of Botany.
Hancock, P ., Boulton, A., and Humphreys, W. (2005) Aquifers and hyporheic zones: toward an ecological understanding of groundwater. Hydrogeology Journal. 13, 98-111.
Hancock, P. (2002) Human impacts on the stream-groundwater exchange zone. Environmental Management 29, 761-781.
Refereed Conference Papers
Hancock, P. , Boulton, A., and Raine. A. (2001) Surface-subsurface hydrological activity in sand-bed streams. Rutherfurd, I., Sheldon, F., Brierly, G., and Kenyon, C. Third Australian Stream Management Conference proceedings: The Value of Healthy Streams. 27 – 29 August 2001. Melbourne, Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology. 259-264.
Technical reports
Hancock, P. (2004) Groundwater dependent aquatic biota survey of the Pioneer Valley, Queensland. Refereed Aquatic Ecosystem Health Technical Report for Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy.
Hancock, P. (2004) A survey of stygofauna from the Bundaberg area, Queensland. Refereed Aquatic Ecosystem Health Technical Report, Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy.
Hancock, P.J. and Steward, A. (2004) Pioneer Groundwater Biota Pilot Study: review and trial of groundwater fauna and bacteria sampling methods. Refereed Aquatic Ecosystem Health Technical Report for Queensland Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy.
Hancock, P. (2003) Hyporheic and parafluvial ecology of the regulated Hunter River. Refereed report for NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation – Hunter Region.