Modelling landscapes
From frog stories to a very moist chain-of-ponds cake: citizen scientists model landscape rehydration in two university projects.
Some imaginative students and staff from Australian National University and the University of Wollongong have taken a deep dive into the art of model-making, kick-starting our ‘Modelling Landscape Rehydration for Catchments, Communities and Curriculum’ citizen science project. Led by Research Officer Laura Fisher, the project will generate models of all kinds to catalyse learning about landscape rehydration.
Some of the questions we posed to our citizen scientists were:
How can a model reveal invisible water flows?
How can we picture a landscape at many scales, from the scope of a whole catchment right down to a creek site?
What materials can help us demonstrate water filtration through healthy soil?
Can a digital model of a catchment help us navigate the scientific data we collect, and tell a compelling story about it to the public?
Our creative arts collaborators at the University of Wollongong have used clay, natural materials, fishbowls and food to explore these questions, with some very attractive and tasty results.
“I created a healthy soil profile... using rocks, soil, and organic matter. The experiment makes visible that there are groundwater systems too, not just the surface water that pools in a catchment area.” Olivia-Anne Primmer, UOW student
Meanwhile our ANU students have tackled the digital side of things, focusing on the habitat the Mulloon Catchment can provide for vulnerable frog populations. Their final project provided TMI with a terrific foundation for frog-focused storytelling, incorporating both watercolour paintings (by Anna Kell) and digital imagery. As a whole this collaboration was very constructive in helping us refine some of our science-communication goals.
Thanks to the input of IWF Research Fellow and water modeller Joseph Guillaume, we’ve had an exhilarating journey discovering the power of digital twins. While still at a conceptual phase, we will soon be incorporating digital twinning into our catchment-scale projects, as a tool for dialogue, data analysis and for predicting how catchments will change in the future.
With thanks to Olivia-Anne Primmer, Courtney Coller, Lucas Ihlein and Kim Williams from Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong, and Kate Jones, Anna Kell, Madeleine Tomlinson, Isabel Bremner, Marcus Dadd and Joseph Guillaume from the Institute for Water Futures, Australian National University.
The Modelling Landscape Rehydration for Catchments, Communities and Curriculum project received grant funding from the Australian Government.
BELOW: Clay models by Courtney Coller, UOW student.
