Dr Ryan Turner
Senior Research Fellow
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
Researcher biography
Dr. Ryan Turner was previously the Principal Scientist for Water Quality and Investigations in the Department of Environment and Science and held an Adjunct Associate Professor role at Queensland University of Technology in the Managing for Resilient Landscapes, Institute for Future Environments. For the last 9 years Ryan has managed multimillion dollar water quality monitoring programs assessing the impacts of sediment, nutrient and pesticides loads in numerous catchments along the Queensland coast discharging to the Great Barrier Reef and Moreton Bay. Ryan has been on several steering committees and technical advisory panels, such as the Great Barrier Reef Foundations Technical Advisory Panel. He has published extensively (>60 papers and reports) and led several Qld Government – Academic collaborative research projects. Ryan previously supervised analytical chemistry and microbiology laboratories in the private and public sector. Ryan has developed numerous methodology and standard operating procedures for analytical and monitoring techniques (water quality, sediments and soils). Ryan's passion for the future of water security is what keeps him going.
Journal Articles
Livsey, D. L., Crosswell, J. R., Turner, R. D. R, Steven, A. D. L. and Grace, P. R. (2022). Flocculation of riverine sediment draining to the Great Barrier Reef, implications for monitoring and modelling of sediment dispersal across continental shelves. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 127 (7) e2021JC017988. doi: 10.1029/2021jc017988
Warne, Michael St.J., Turner, Ryan D.R., Davis, Aaron.M., Smith, Rachael and Huang, A. (2022). Temporal variation of imidacloprid concentration and risk in waterways discharging to the Great Barrier Reef and potential causes. Science of the Total Environment, 823 153556, 153556. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153556
Lambert, Victoria, Bainbridge, Zoe T., Collier, Catherine, Lewis, Stephen E., Adams, Matthew P., Carter, Alex, Saunders, Megan I., Brodie, Jon, Turner, Ryan D.R., Rasheed, Michael A. and O'Brien, Katherine R. (2021). Connecting targets for catchment sediment loads to ecological outcomes for seagrass using multiple lines of evidence. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 169 112494, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112494
Thomas, Colette R., Bennett, William W., Garcia, Clement, Simmonds, Andrew, Honchin, Carol, Turner, Ryan, Madden Hof, Christine A. and Bell, Ian (2020). Coastal bays and coral cays: multi-element study of Chelonia mydas forage in the Great Barrier Reef (2015–2017). Science of The Total Environment, 740 140042, 140042. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140042
Warne, M. St.J., Smith, R. A. and Turner, R. D.R. (2020). Analysis of pesticide mixtures discharged to the lagoon of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Environmental Pollution, 265 (Pt A) 114088, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114088
Turner, Ryan D.R., Warne, Michael St.J., Dawes, Les A., Thompson, Kristie and Will, Geoffrey D. (2019). Greywater irrigation as a source of organic micro-pollutants to shallow groundwater and nearby surface water. Science of the Total Environment, 669, 570-578. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.073
Leigh, Catherine, Alsibai, Omar, Hyndman, Rob J., Kandanaarachchi, Sevvandi, King, Olivia C., McGree, James M., Neelamraju, Catherine, Strauss, Jennifer, Talagala, Priyanga Dilini, Turner, Ryan D. R., Mengersen, Kerrie and Peterson, Erin E. (2019). A framework for automated anomaly detection in high frequency water-quality data from in situ sensors. Science of the Total Environment, 664, 885-898. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.085
Hook, Sharon E., Mondon, Julie, Revill, Andrew T., Greenfield, Paul A., Smith, Rachael A., Turner, Ryan D. R., Corbett, Patricia A. and Warne, Michael St J. (2018). Transcriptomic, lipid, and histological profiles suggest changes in health in fish from a pesticide hot spot. Marine Environmental Research, 140, 299-321. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2018.06.020
Hook, Sharon E., Kroon, Frederieke J., Greenfield, Paul A., Warne, Michael St J., Smith, Rachael A. and Turner, Ryan D. (2017). Hepatic transcriptomic profiles from barramundi, Lates calcarifer, as a means of assessing organism health and identifying stressors in rivers in northern Queensland. Marine Environmental Research, 129, 166-179. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2017.05.006
Smith, Rachael A., Warne, Michael St J., Mengersen, Kerrie and Turner, Ryan D. R. (2017). An improved method for calculating toxicity-based pollutant loads: part 1. method development. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 13 (4), 746-753. doi: 10.1002/ieam.1854
Smith, Rachael A., Warne, Michael St J., Mengersen, Kerrie and Turner, Ryan D. R. (2017). An improved method for calculating toxicity-based pollutant loads: part 2. application to contaminants discharged to the great barrier reef, Queensland, Australia. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 13 (4), 754-764. doi: 10.1002/ieam.1860
Hook, Sharon E., Kroon, Frederieke J., Metcalfe, Suzanne, Greenfield, Paul A., Moncuquet, Philippe, McGrath, Annette, Smith, Rachael, Warne, Michael St. J., Turner, Ryan D., McKeown, Adam and Westcott, David A. (2017). Global transcriptomic profiling in barramundi (Lates calcarifer) from rivers impacted by differing agricultural land uses. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 36 (1), 103-112. doi: 10.1002/etc.3505
Turner, Ryan D. R., Warne, Michael St. J., Dawes, Les A., Vardy, Suzanne and Will, Geoffrey D. (2016). Irrigated greywater in an urban sub-division as a potential source of metals to soil, groundwater and surface water. Journal of Environmental Management, 183 (3), 806-817. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.09.021
Gladish, Daniel W., Kuhnert, Petra M., Pagendam, Daniel E., Wikle, Christopher K., Bartley, Rebecca, Searle, Ross D., Ellis, Robin J., Dougall, Cameron, Turner, Ryan D. R., Lewis, Stephen E., Bainbridge, Zoe T. and Brodie, Jon E. (2016). Spatio-temporal assimilation of modelled catchment loads with monitoring data in the Great Barrier Reef. Annals of Applied Statistics, 10 (3), 1590-1618. doi: 10.1214/16-aoas950
O’Brien, Dominique, Lewis, Stephen, Davis, Aaron, Gallen, Christie, Smith, Rachael, Turner, Ryan, Warne, Michael, Turner, Scott, Caswell, Stewart, Mueller, Jochen F. and Brodie, Jon (2016). Spatial and temporal variability in pesticide exposure downstream of a heavily irrigated cropping area: application of different monitoring techniques. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, 64 (20), 3975-3989. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b04710
Wooldridge, Scott A., Brodie, Jon E., Kroon, Frederieke J. and Turner, Ryan D. R. (2015). Ecologically based targets for bioavailable (reactive) nitrogen discharge from the drainage basins of the Wet Tropics region, Great Barrier Reef. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 97 (1-2), 262-272. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.06.007
Kroon, Frederieke J., Hook, Sharon E., Jones, Dean, Metcalfe, Suzanne, Henderson, Brent, Smith, Rachael, Warne, Michael St. J., Turner, Ryan D., McKeown, Adam and Westcott, David A. (2015). Altered transcription levels of endocrine associated genes in two fisheries species collected from the Great Barrier Reef catchment and lagoon. Marine Environmental Research, 104, 51-61. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2015.01.002
Turner, Ryan D. R., Will, Geoffrey D., Dawes, Les A., Gardner, Edward A. and Lyons, David J. (2013). Phosphorus as a limiting factor on sustainable greywater irrigation. Science of the Total Environment, 456, 287-298. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.02.061
Smith, Rachael, Middlebrook, Rachael, Turner, Ryan, Huggins, Rae, Vardy, Suzanne and Warne, Michael (2012). Large-scale pesticide monitoring across Great Barrier Reef catchments - Paddock to Reef Integrated Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Program. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 65 (4-9), 117-127. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.08.010
Joo, Marianna, Raymond, Myriam A. A., McNeil, Vivienne H., Huggins, Raethea, Turner, Ryan D. R. and Choy, Satish (2012). Estimates of sediment and nutrient loads in 10 major catchments draining to the Great Barrier Reef during 2006-2009. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 65 (4-9), 150-166. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.01.002
Kroon, Frederieke J., Kuhnert, Petra M., Henderson, Brent L., Wilkinson, Scott N., Kinsey-Henderson, Anne, Abbott, Brett, Brodie, Jon E. and Turner, Ryan D. R. (2012). River loads of suspended solids, nitrogen, phosphorus and herbicides delivered to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 65 (4-9), 167-181. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.10.018
Davis, Aaron M., Lewis, Stephen E., Bainbridge, Zoe T., Glendenning, Lionel, Turner, Ryan D. R. and Brodie, Jon E. (2012). Dynamics of herbicide transport and partitioning under event flow conditions in the lower Burdekin region, Australia. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 65 (4-9), 182-193. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.08.025
Conference Papers
Lambert, V., Adams, M. P., Collier, C., Carter, A., Saunders, M., Brodie, J., Bainbridge, Z., Rasheed, M., Turner, R. and O'Brien, K. R. (2019). Towards ecologically relevant targets: Impact of flow and sediment discharge on seagrass communities in the great barrier reef. 23rd International Congress on Modelling and Simulation - Supporting Evidence-Based Decision Making: The Role of Modelling and Simulation, MODSIM 2019, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 1 - 6 December 2019. Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand Inc. (MSSANZ). doi: 10.36334/modsim.2019.G1.lambert
Warne, Michael, Smith, Rachael, Turner, Ryan, Waters, David, Ellis, Rob, Shaw, Mel, Silburn, Mark D., Carroll, Chris, Martin, Katherine, Mueller, Jochen, Schaffelke, Britta, McCosker, Kevin, Wallace, Rohan, Huggins, Rae, Tindall, Dan, Bennett, John, Chinn, Chris, Henry, Nyssa, Gale, Kevin, Honchin, Carol and Yorkston, Hugh (2014). Reducing pesticide loads to help protect the Great Barrier Reef, Australia: An integrated endeavour to change land management practices on a massive scale. 248th National Meeting of the American-Chemical-Society (ACS), San Francisco, CA, United States, 10-14 August 2014. Washington, DC, United States: American Chemical Society.
Turner, R. D.R., Smith, R. A., Huggins, R. L., Wallace, R. M., Warne, M. St J. and Waters, D. K. (2013). Monitoring to enhance modelling - A loads monitoring program for validation of catchment models. 20th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, MODSIM 2013, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 1 - 6 December 2013. Canberra, ACT, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand.
Smith, R., Turner, R., Vardy, S. and Warne, M. (2011). Using a convolution integral model for assessing pesticide dissipation time at the end of catchments in the Great Barrier Reef Australia. 19th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation - Sustaining Our Future: Understanding and Living with Uncertainty, Perth, WA Australia, 12-16 December 2011. Canberra, ACT Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand.