Melbourne School of Land and Environment Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science

Hugh has research interests in geomorphology and catchment hydrology. He has experience in the development of catchment sediment budgets, sediment tracing, sediment load estimation, and erosion measurement techniques. Previous research has been situated in burnt subalpine forest environments and gullied upland pasture catchments. Current research includes measurement and modelling of post-fire erosion processes and water quality within forest catchments, with a particular focus on the role of large events in the delivery of sediment through catchments. Hugh is also involved in research that seeks to quantify the effect of prescribed fire on hillslope erosion and sediment/nutrient exports from small catchments.

PhD (The University of Sydney)

Bachelor of Science (Environmental) Honours (The University of Sydney)

Current and recent research interests

• Quantifying changes in hillslope hydrological properties and erosion rates in response to prescribed fire
• Measurement of the effect of wildfire and prescribed fire on catchment exports of suspended sediment and nutrients
• Probabilistic modelling of post-fire erosion processes and suspended sediment/nutrient loads in forest catchments
• Understanding scale effects on sediment dynamics within nested catchment systems
• Quantification of sediment source contributions to streams and development of catchment sediment budgets

Smith, H.G., Sheridan, G.J., Lane, P.N.J., Sherwin, C.B. Submitted. Paired Eucalyptus forest catchment study of prescribed fire effects on suspended sediment and nutrient exports in south-eastern Australia.

Smith, H.G. and Dragovich, D. In press. Interpretation of sediment delivery processes using suspended sediment-discharge hysteresis patterns from nested upland catchments, south-eastern Australia. Hydrological Processes, DOI 10.1002/hyp.7357.

Smith, H.G., Sheridan, G.S., Nyman, P., Lane, P.N.J, Haydon, S. 2009. A framework for modelling suspended sediment flux following wildfire in forested water supply catchments, south-eastern Australia. In Anderssen, R.S., Braddock, R.D., and Newham, L.T.H. (Editors) 18th World IMACS Congress and MODSIM09 International Congress on Modelling and Simulation. Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand and International Association for Mathematics and Computers in Simulation, July 2009, pp. 2377-2383. ISBN: 978-0-9758400-7-8.

Smith, H.G. and Dragovich, D. 2008. Multi-scale sediment dynamics in an upland catchment, southeastern Australia: a synthesis. In Schmidt, J., Cochrane, T., Phillips, C., Elliott, S., Davies, T., Basher, L. (Editors), Sediment dynamics in changing environments. International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) Publication vol. 325. IAHS Press, Wallingford, UK, pp 291-297.

Smith, H.G. and Dragovich, D. 2008. Sediment budget analysis of slope-channel coupling and in-channel sediment storage in an upland catchment, southeastern Australia. Geomorphology, 101: 643-654.

Smith, H.G. 2008.  Estimation of suspended sediment loads and delivery in an incised upland headwater catchment, south-eastern Australia. Hydrological Processes, 22: 3135-3148.

Smith, H.G. and Dragovich, D. 2008.  Post-fire hillslope erosion response in a sub-alpine environment, south-eastern Australia. Catena, 73: 274-285

Smith, H.G. and Dragovich, D. 2008. Improving precision in sediment source and erosion process distinction in an upland catchment, south-eastern Australia. Catena, 72: 191-203

Smith, H.G. and Dragovich, D. 2007. Sediment supply from small upland catchments: possible implications of headwater channel restoration for stream management.  In Wilson, A.L., Dehaan, R.L., Watts, R.J., Page, K.J., Bowmer, K.H., Curtis, A. (Editors), Australian rivers: making a difference. Proceedings of the 5th Australian Stream Management Conference, Charles Sturt University, Albury; pp366-371.