Jon Brodie

Prior to taking up the position of Water Quality Scientist at JCU, Jon Brodie spent some years as a lecturer in chemistry at Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane) and at the University of the South Pacific (Suva, Fiji). For the past 30 years, his interests have been in environmental research and consultancy and the management of marine and freshwater pollution in Australia and overseas.

Mr. Brodie’s primary area of research involves water quality issues on the GBR, from the catchment to the GBRWHA itself. Work includes estimation of water composition, pollutant loads and source areas as well as modelling, catchment monitoring and target setting for suspended sediments, nutrients and pesticide loads. He is also involved in projects aimed at understanding the dynamics, distribution and land-use specific composition of river plume waters discharging into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, and assessment of exposure of GBR ecosystems to terrestrial pollutants. Pollutants are also traced from the catchment to the GBR to help prioritise targeted areas for catchment management initiatives and investigations are underway on best management practices for rangeland grazing and sugarcane cultivation in order to improve water quality management. Finally, his team is assessing best management practices in palm oil plantation development to protect off farm aquatic ecosystems (in PNG).