My research interests are in the hydrological response behaviour of tropical catchments, especially catchments which experience distinct rainfall seasonality. I've combined both fieldwork and hydrological modelling techniques to better understand runoff response.

More recent work have shifted towards urban stormwater remediation using low impact development techniques (LID) to achieve hydrological and stormwater runoff quality improvements. I am also very interested in river rehabilitation/restoration efforts and how these impact on the hydrological and ecological functioning of rivers.

Areas that I have worked in include Southeast Asia, India, Sri Lanka, China and now Australia often with a multi-disciplinary group of scientists and government agencies.

My recent projects include the following:

a) Hydrological and water quality remediation of urban stormwater runoff using LID (e.g. green roofs, rain gardens) in Singapore. 

We instrumented rain gardens and green roofs and examined the potential of water quality improvments and runoff reductions when LID structures such as these are implemented in a very dense urban environment. This work is now extended to include vertical greenery.

b) Agricultural runoff quality improvements using bioreactors

This project involves building bioreactors in FN Queensland to reduce nitrogen inputs from farming activities entering the Great Barrier Reef. Field trials will be supplemented with detailed modelling of water and nutrient flows as well as laboratory studies that will help us understand the optimal bioreactor substrate for use and field practices that will encourage widespread implementation of such systems.

c) Flood hydrology in Northern Thailand looking at contemporary and paleofloods 

I am interested in the controls and drivers of flood generation in tropical catchments especially in areas that experience very complex rainfall due to ENSO and monsoon rainfall. My experience in dating flood deposits using optically stimuated luminescence techniques also allows a greater understanding into the magnitude and frequency of paleofloods in tropical catchments.

d) Hydrological response behaviour of tropical catchments

We are currently monitoring a tropical rainforest catchment to examine its rainfall-runoff response using stable isotopes of water, geochemistry and traditional hydrometric monitoring techniques.

e) Catchment water budget modelling

This project looks at improving catchment water budget modelling for two tropical catchments in Far North Queensland (Tully, Barron) by including extra information (e.g. stable isotopes of water).

If the above sounds interesting, check out more of the exciting work that I am involved in with my academic group members at these website:

JCU Land and Water Science group: http://www.landwaterscience.com/

Tropical Urbanism and Design Lab: https://www.jcu.edu.au/TUDLab

 

 

 

Teaching

• EA2006: Hydrology (Level 2; CNS & TSV)
• EA3007: Field Studies in Tropical Land and Water Science (Level 3; CNS)
• EA3008: Advanced Hydrology (Level 3; CNS)
• EA5016: Hydrology (Level 5; CNS & TSV)
• EA5018: Field Studies in Tropical Land and Water (Level 5; CNS)
• EA5090: Applied Hydrology (Level 5; CNS)
• EV1005: Environmental Processes and Global Change (Level 1; CNS)
• EV2401: Australian Landscape Processes and Evolution (Level 2; CNS & TSV)

Research Disciplines

• Environmental Science and Management (0502)
• Communications Technologies (1005)
• Geochemistry (0402)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Physical and Chemical Conditions of Water (9611)
• Land and Water Management (9609)
• Industrial Crops (8203)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Riggs R, Langston J, Margules C, Boedhihartono A, Lim H, Sari D, Sururi Y and Sayer J (2018) Governance challenges in an Eastern Indonesian forest landscape. Sustainability, 10 (1).
• Lim H and Lu X (2016) Sustainable urban stormwater management in the tropics: an evaluation of Singapore's ABC Waters Program. Journal of Hydrology, 538. pp. 842-862
• Lim H, Lim W, Hu J, Ziegler A and Ong S (2015) Comparison of filter media materials for heavy metal removal from urban stormwater runoff using biofiltration systems. Journal of Environmental Management, 147. pp. 24-33
• Lim H, Lee L and Bramono S (2014) Community-based wastewater treatment systems and water quality of an Indonesian village. Journal of Water and Health, 12 (1). pp. 196-209
• Lim H, Boochabun K and Ziegler A (2012) Modifiers and amplifiers of anomalous flows on the Ping River in Northern Thailand (1921-2009): implications for flood and drought management. Water Resources Management, 26 (14). pp. 4203-4224
• Yuen J, Olin P, Lim H, Benner S, Sutherland R and Ziegler A (2012) Accumulation of potentially toxic elements in road deposited sediments in residential and light industrial neighborhoods of Singapore. Journal of Environmental Management, 101. pp. 151-163
• Lim H (2003) Variations in the water quality of a small urban tropical catchment: implications for load estimation and water quality monitoring. Hydrobiologia, 494 (1). pp. 57-63

Book Chapters

• Nelson P, Huth N, Sheaves M, Bessou C, Pardon L, Lim H and Kookana R (2018) Modelling environmental impacts of agriculture, focusing on oil palm. In: Achieving Sustainable Cultivation of Oil Palm - Volume 2: diseases, pests, quality and sustainability. Burleigh Dodds Series in Agricutultural Science, 2. Burleigh Dodd Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK, pp. 265-314
• Lim H and Boochabun K (2012) Flood generation during the SW monsoon season in northern Thailand. In: Natural Hazards in the Asia-Pacific Region: recent advances and emerging concepts. Special Publications, 361. Geological Society of London, London, UK, pp. 7-20

Other research outputs

• Ziegler A, Lim H, Jachowski N and Wasson R (2012) Reduce urban flood vulnerability. Nature, 481. p. 145
• Ziegler A, Lim H, Tantasarin C, Jachowski N and Wasson R (2012) Floods, false hope, and the future. Hydrological Processes, 26 (11). pp. 1748-1750

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• Analyses of JCU Groundwater-Ocean Interconnection, Extent and Potential Impacts (PhD , Primary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.