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There’s no doubt the recent drought has been a stark reminder to Australians of just how vulnerable our water supplies are.

And while debate continues about long-term weather patterns, it is becoming increasingly clear that the future sustainability of our water supplies is uncertain.

The ANU’s Matthew Brookhouse believes that long–term climate and river flow records could be the key to resolving that uncertainty.

“Unfortunately, climate records for south east Australia often span less than a hundred years; and the records for water supply are even shorter,” he said.

But tree-rings might provide an unlikely solution to this problem. The annual, radial growth of trees is sensitive to changes in climate, opening up the potential for reconstructing climatological and hydrological data sets much further into the past.

Matthew will use his award to analyse tree-ring data from Eucalyptus pauciflora — some of which are more than 375 years old — to reconstruct river flows in the Murrumbidgee and Cotter Rivers.

“Eventually, I aim to develop similar records nationwide,” he said.

“The award will improve our understanding of river flow and drought frequency, which is critical to the sustainability of rural communities and industry throughout Australia.”