The University of Western Australia

Professor Christoph Hinz

Professor
School of Earth and Environment

Contact details

Address

School of Earth and Environment
The University of Western Australia (M087)
35 Stirling Highway
CRAWLEY WA 6009
Australia

Phone

6488 3466

Fax

6488 1050

Email

christoph.hinz@uwa.edu.au

Location

Room 1.237, Soil Science Building, Crawley campus

Qualifications

Diplom-Geologe Aachen, MSc PhD Louisiana State

Key research

M1. Thresholds and climate drivers

My current research interest focuses on how climate and rainfall in particular drives processes in soil, such as triggers of preferential flow, surface runoff, pesticide leaching and trace gas emissions. Using simple models of water flow, preferential flow and surface runoff, we use a probabilistic approach to quantify the trigger probabilities of discrete events caused by the rainfall signal. Knowing the temporal structure of rainfall allows us then to predict the temporal structure of trigger events. While the "internal" description of soil processes remains as simple as possible, we employ rainfall models at various temporal resolutions ranging from minutes to days. This approach is not just limited to point scale hydrological processes, in fact we are currently employing this approach also to determine threshold behaviour of surface runoff on semi-arid hillslope with various types of vegetation pattern and density.

2. Soil-vegetation feedbacks

Soil and vegetation co-evolves to form soil profiles and often self-organized landscapes. Current research in this area consists of investigating how physical soil properties constrain root growth in systems with well defined physical and chemical (abiotic) initial conditions. Furthermore, we investigate how root growth affects hydraulic properties and how this can be modelled to explicitly quantify feedback loops between soil hydrology and vegetation. This research is particular important for understanding land use change and restoration ecology. Case studies are being carried out on mine tailings and soil covers of rock dumps and tailings storage facilities.

3. Solute transport and contaminant fate

Transport of heavy metals and organic compounds has been a continuous activity focussing on methodological aspects of column experiments, interruption techniques for solute transport under variable saturation within the context of acid mine drainage and heavy metal release from sediments and soils. Also, we have investigated pesticide retention, degradation and isotope fractionation in the context of pesticide risk assessment.

4. Soil physical properties, hard setting soils, erosion susceptibility

Western Australian environments with highly weathered ancient soils are often very vulnerable to land degradation as these soils are often sodic, prone to hardsetting and crust formation and once disturbed they become susceptible to erosion. Within this context we have been doing research on the mobilisation of fines in soils leading to pore clogging, hardsetting behaviour of soils after reconstruction of soil profiles, erosion susceptibility of mine rock dump and regolith materials.

Publications

Special Issues Edited in Peer-reviewed Journals

Hinz, C., M. Sivapalan, G. Hancock (guest editors): Thresholds and Pattern Dynamics: A New Paradigm for Predicting Climate Driven Processes. Hydrology and Earth System Science Discussion

Hinz, C., A.J.C. Sinke, J. Martins, H. Flühler (guest editors). 1998. Transport of Organic Pollutants in Unsaturated Soil. Special Issue, Journal of Contaminant Hydrology 33(1-2).

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

McDonnell, J. J., M. Sivapalan, K. Vaché, S. Dunn, G. Grant, R. Haggerty, C. Hinz, R. Hooper, J. Kirchner, M. L. Roderick, J. Selker and M. Weiler. Moving beyond heterogeneity and process complexity: A new vision for watershed hydrology. Water Resources Research 43: W07301, doi:10.1029/2006WR005467

Dikinya, O., Lehmann, P., Hinz, C., Aylmore, LAG. 2007. Using a pore scale model to quantify the effect of particle re-arrangement on pore structure and hydraulic properties. Hydrological Processes 21: 989–997.

Hearman, A. J., C. Hinz. 2007. Sensitivity of point scale surface runoff predictions to rainfall resolution. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 11: 965–982.

Lehmann, P., C. Hinz, G. McGrath, H. J. Tromp-van Meerveld, J. J. McDonnell. 2007. Rainfall threshold for hillslope outflow: an emergent property of flow pathway connectivity. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 11:1047–1063.

McGrath, G. S., C. Hinz, and M. Sivapalan. 2007. Temporal dynamics of hydrological threshold events. Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 11: 923–938,

Struthers, I., Hinz, C., Sivapalan, M. 2007.Conceptual examination of climate-soil controls upon rainfall partitioning in an open-fractured soil. II. Response to a population of storms. Advances in Water Resources 30: 518–527.

Struthers, I., Sivapalan, M., Hinz, C. 2007. Conceptual examination of climate-soil controls upon rainfall partitioning in an open-fractured soil. I. Single storm response. Advances in Water Resources 30: 505–517.

Bromly, M.,C. Hinz and L.A.G. Aylmore. 2007. Relation of dispersivity to properties of homogeneous saturated repacked soil columns. European Journal of Soil Science. 58: 293–301.

Struthers, I. Hinz, C. and Sivapalan, M. 2006. A multiple event gravity-based wetting front and redistribution model for water balance applications. Water Resources Research 42, W06406, doi:10.1029/2005WR004645.

Dikinya, O., Lehmann, P., Hinz, C., Aylmore, LAG, 2006. Dispersion and re-deposition of fine particles and their effect on saturated hydraulic conductivity. Aust. J. Soil Res. 44:47-56.

Quaghebeur, M; A Rate; Z Rengel; C Hinz. 2005. Desorption Kinetics of Arsenate from Kaolinite as Influenced by pH. Journal of Environmental Quality 34(2):479-486.

Bromly, M. and C.Hinz. 2004. Non-Fickian transport in homogeneous unsaturated repacked sand. Water Resources Research, 40, W07402, doi:10.1029/2003WR002579.

Struthers, I., C. Hinz, M. Sivapalan, G. Deutschmann, F. Beese, R. Meissner. 2003. Modelling the Water Balance of a Free-Draining Lysimeter Using the Downward Approach. Hydrological Processes 17:2151-2169.

Hinz, C. 2001. Description of sorption data with isotherm equations. Geoderma 99(3-4): 225-243.

Peer-reviewed Conference Proceedings

Hinz, C., G. McGrath, A.J. Hearman. 2006. Towards a Climate Based Risk Assessment of Land Rehabilitation. Proceedings of the First International Seminar on Mine Closure. A. Fourier and M. Tibbett (eds), 13 - 15 September 2006. Perth, Western Australia. pp 407-415.

Alarcón León, E., A.W. Rate, C. Hinz, G. D. Campbell. 2004. Weathering of sulphide minerals at circum-neutral-pH in semi-arid/arid environments: influence of water content. 3rd Australian New Zealand Soils Conference, 5 – 9 December 2004, University of Sydney, Australia. Published on CDROM. Website www.regional.org.au/au/asssi/.

Arunachalam, S., C. Hinz, G. Aylmore.. 2004. Soil physical properties affecting root growth in rehabilitated gold mine tailings. 3rd Australian New Zealand Soils Conference, 5 – 9 December 2004, University of Sydney, Australia. Published on CDROM. Website www.regional.org.au/au/asssi/.

Dikinya, D., C. Hinz, G. Aylmore. 2004. Dispersion and re-deposition of colloidal particles and their effects on hydraulic conductivity in sandy soils. 3rd Australian New Zealand Soils Conference, 5 – 9 December 2004, University of Sydney, Australia. Published on CDROM. Website www.regional.org.au/au/asssi/.

Hearman, A. J., C. Hinz. 2004. Soil Colour as a Indicator of Erosions Risk on an Overburden Material at Greenbushes Mine in Western Australia. 3rd Australian New Zealand Soils Conference, 5 – 9 December 2004, University of Sydney, Australia. Published on CDROM. Website www.regional.org.au/au/asssi/.

McGrath, W., Bell, R., Jasper, D.A., Hinz, C., Struthers, I., Eastham, J. and McNeil, P. 2003. Revegetation of gold residues in the eastern Jarrah forest in the south-west of Western Australia, 9th Billings Land Reclamation Symposium and the 20th Annual Meetings of the American Society of Mining and Reclamation, Lexington, KY, USA, American Society of Mining and Reclamation, 1: pp 513-532.

Future research

We offer diverse areas of research for post-graduate students. Currently I have an Australian Postgraduate Award Industry (APAI) available on ecohydrological processes in natural and engineered landforms in arid regions See the following link:

http://www.scholarships.uwa.edu.au/home/postgrad/naturalsci?f=135159

The following list of completed Ph D thesis reflects the diversity of research topics in the soil physics group.

2002 - 2007 G.S. McGrath. An Exploration of the Rainfall Controls on Pesticide Transport via Fast Flow Pathways.

2002 - 2007 O. Dikinya. The effects of self-filtration on saturated hydraulic conductivity in sodic sandy soils.

1999 - 2005 E. Alarcon Leon. Pyrite weathering and lithium (Li+) transport under unsaturated flow conditions in model and mine-tailing systems.

1999 - 2004 I. Struthers. Climate and soil controls upon the water balance of mine tailings landscapes.

2000 - 2003 M. Bromly. Factors Contributing to Non-Ideal Solute Transport Phenomena in Soil Columns.

Funding received

National competitive

2001, Australian Research Council, SPIRT1, (Boddington Gold Mine)
Hinz, Aylmore, Bell: Jasper, Role of preferential water flow for root growth and solute leaching in clayey sub-soils $102,000

2002, Australian Research Council, Linkage (Water Corporation and Centre for Groud Water Studies)
Hinz, Aylmore: Risk assessment of pesticide contamination of surface water and groundwater – Trigger mechanisms for fast transport, $ 96,000

2005, Australian Research Council, Linkage, (Department of Agriculture and Food)
Murphy, Hinz: Integrating microbiology and climatic drivers to determine triggers for nitrous oxide emissions from arable soils in semi-arid Western Australia., 399,884

2005, Engineers Australia, DEST, Academy of Science
Hinz, Sivapalan, Hancock: Sir Mark Oliphant Conference: Thresholds and Pattern Dynamics: A New Paradigm for Predicting Climate Driven Processes, $78,000

2007, Australian Research Council Linkage,
Lambers, Hinz, Veneklaas, Hancock, Kepic: Ecohydrological feedbacks between vegetation and soil in natural and engineered landforms in arid Australia, $2,100,000

Industry

2001, Iluka Resources
Hinz, Gilkes: Characterisation of rehabilitation trials of the Yoganup Extended Mine Site, $26,000

2002, Iluka Resources
Hinz, Gilkes: Subsoil Amelioration for Improved Pasture Productivity at the Yoganup Extended Mine Site, $94,885

2002, Sons of Gwalia
Hinz, Rate: Influence of episodic flushing on the formation of acid mine drainage: implications for mine-waste management in semi-arid environments, $24,210

2003, Water Corporation
Hinz: Isotope analysis of pesticides and their metabolites leaching into the Marbellup Brook catchment, $25,500

2002, CEED, Western Power
Hinz, Reynolds: Assessment of subsurface transport of transformer and cable oils, $14,000

2004, Department of Agriculture, WA
Murphy, Hinz, Barton: Measurement of Paddock-Based Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wheat Production to Improve Life Cycle Assessment of Wheat Products, $259,012

2004, Sons of Gwalia, Greenbushes Mine
Rate, Hinz: An Investigation into the Nature & Extent of Arsenic Contamination in a Mine Process Water Dam, Greenbushes, Western Australia, $10,000

2006, Telfer Gold Mine
Hinz: Assessing soil properties of natural Mesa soils and waste rock dump material for erosion risk, $14,000

2006/2007, Lionore
Hinz, Rate: Nickel release from sediment of Lake Johnston, WA, $18,000

2007, former ACMER,
Eamus, Hinz, Veneklaas, Baumgartl, Doley, Mulligan: Designing Effective Store-Release Covers for the Long-Term Containment of Mine Waste – The Role of Vegetation (Stage 2) $1,152,799 (234,364 UWA)

University

2001,ARC Small/UWA
Hinz: Effect of physico-chemical heterogeneity of unsaturated soil on reactive solute transport, 8,665

Languages

German and English

Memberships

Australian Soil Science Society, Soil Science Society of America, German Soil Scienc Society, European Geoscience Union

Teaching

I teach into the following undergraduate units:

Terrestrial Ecosystems (1st year unit):
Module on hydrology and water quality of swan coastal plain.
http://units.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/units/envt/envt1102

Environmental Hydrology (2nd year unit):
Module on soil water balance, water flow in soil, infiltration and runoff generation, monitoring of soil moisture
http://units.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/units/envt/envt2251

How Soils Function (advanced soil science) (3rd and 4th year unit):
Lectures and computer laboratory class on transport processes in soil for students of agriculture, resource management, geosciences, engineering
http://units.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/units/eart/eart3322

Case Studies in Land and Water Management (3rd and 4th year unit):
Module on erosion and landform stability
http://units.handbooks.uwa.edu.au/units/envt/envt3333

Current external positions

Associate Editor - Hydrology and Earth System Sciences

Useful links

Information on Thresholds and Pattern Dynamics:

http://www.thresholds.segs.uwa.edu.au/

Research profile

Research profile and publications