A little over a month ago, this terrain received record rains. What was dry and dusty
desert has changed to greenery and what was a huge salt pan has been transformed into an
inland sea.
Lake Torrens has rarely been subjected to such huge freshwater inflows, where the
biggest salt lake, Lake Eyre, has filled three times this century. For like Torrens,
this is a first.
The phenomenon saw scientists and students from the city scurrying to the bush to
analyze this seemingly dead lake.
Headed by staff from the Earth Sciences Division of Flinders University, their aim
was to collect as much data as possible. Information which in the future could provide
the answers to water resource management in what is normally one of the driest areas on
this continent.
The point is that it's such a rare event.
If it is, as anecdotal evidence suggests a sort of one in 100 year event, then
scientifically it's just madness not to come along here and measure everything we can,
while we can.
immediately to the south of Lake Eyre, which is also filled at a rapid pace, Lake Torrens
lies to the west of the Flinders Ranges. It's 170 kilometers long, and 80 wide at the
widest point.
The base camp for the expedition, was at the southernmost point, but the second camp at
Carrapateena Arm to the northwest.
The expedition wouldn't have been possible without support from the army. Apart from the
necessary communications between the two camps, at short notice they also provided
ground as well as water transport and, of course, base facilities.
Even though this is regarded as a salt lake it's not all that salty to taste. In fact,
measurements taken here show that the salt content is about one third that of the ocean.
And even though there's such a huge mass of water here, at the deepest point, it's under
two meters deep.
Even more remarkably, this is often regarded as one of the hottest places in Australia.
But the water here is mighty chilly.
The expedition found the level of the water in the southern section of the lake to be
still rising. Further north, the lake was found to be shallower, measuring a steady 30
centimeters in depth out from the Carrapateena Arm.
From the air the water looks quite deep, but the eastern side remains mud flat for about
two kilometers. This is because the freshwater has drained off the ranges
carrying sediments which are now deposited on that eastern shore. Some scientists say the
greenhouse effect could change the nature of these inland salt lakes.
Would it be feel feasible or would it be pure fantasy to think that you could actually
drain the salt out of this lake and just fill it up with fresh water, you know every few
years.
It's a long shot, but you never know.
Five years ago when Lake Eyre to the north flooded, there was an abundance of wildlife.
Areas to the south remain dry and so a variety of birds migrated to the north to
breed and some to perish as the salt lake slowly evaporated.
Because of the extent of the latest rains, this mass migration of birds hasn't happened.
On Lake Torrens, their numbers are not great, but below the waterline there appears to be
no shortage of life.
These are just a few of the plants and samples taken from the like by the research
students here. They'll be taken back to Adelaide and put under the microscope and
studied by the biologists at the university. They'll be able to compare them with other
such creatures from other water systems and perhaps define where these waters drain from
and where they go.
Once you know virtually how the environment works, you can then make sensible comments
about how to apply and manage the water res urces. You can't manage water resources unl
ss you understand the environment in whi h they occur.
With further rains expected in the coming months, the scientists believe it could be up
to a year before the millions of litres of water evaporates from Lake Torrens. It's then
just a matter of waiting until the next rains come