Dr Nathaniel Deering

Research Fellow

School of Civil Engineering

+61 7 344 38917

n.deering@uq.edu.au

Researcher biography

Dr Nathaniel Deering is a Research Fellow in the School of Civil Engineering at The University of Queensland. His research examines hydrology, sediment transport and water quality processes in rivers, reservoirs, estuaries and coastal systems.

Nathaniel’s work focuses on how extreme and episodic events, such as floods, catchment disturbance and water-level fluctuations, drive sediment, nutrient and greenhouse gas fluxes. He uses field monitoring, process-based modelling and applied data analysis to understand hydrological and biogeochemical processes that are often missed by conventional monitoring approaches.

A central theme of his research is the role of short-duration, high-magnitude events and spatial hotspots in controlling sediment transport. This work has practical applications for drinking water management, reservoir sedimentation, source water protection and coastal water quality.

Nathaniel has expertise in event-driven sediment and nutrient transport, reservoir drawdown dynamics, greenhouse gas emissions from aquatic systems, adaptive monitoring and hydrological modelling. His research supports water utilities, regulators and environmental managers in developing more resilient and evidence-based approaches to water resource management in Australia and internationally.

Publications

Journal Articles (9)

Conference Papers (5)

Thesis (1)

Research Report (1)

Journal Articles

Beecroft, Ryan, Cossu, Remo, Deering, Nathaniel, Hutley, Nicholas, Albert, Simon, Maxwell, Paul and Grinham, Alistair (2024). Rapid morphosedimentary development of a shallow subtropical embayment in response to extreme episodic flooding. Continental Shelf Research, 278 105252, 105252. doi: 10.1016/j.csr.2024.105252

Grinham, Alistair, Costantini, Tony, Deering, Nathaniel, Jackson, Cameron, Klein, Carissa, Lovelock, Catherine, Pandolfi, John, Eyal, Gal, Linde, Michael, Dunbabin, Matthew, Duncan, Brendon, Hutley, Nicholas, Byrne, Ilha, Wilson, Craig and Albert, Simon (2024). Nitrogen loading resulting from major floods and sediment resuspension to a large coastal embayment. Science of the Total Environment, 918 170646, 170646. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170646

Hutley, Nicholas Reece, Beecroft, Ryan, Wagenaar, Daniel, Soutar, Josh, Edwards, Blake, Deering, Nathaniel, Grinham, Alistair and Albert, Simon (2023). Adaptively monitoring streamflow using a stereo computer vision system. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 27 (10), 2051-2073. doi: 10.5194/hess-27-2051-2023

Grinham, Alistair, Deering, Nathaniel, Beecroft, Ryan, Rudd, Jessica, Heatherington, Craig, Cossu, Remo, Linde, Michael, Richardson, Darren, Wilson, Craig, Hutley, Nicholas and Albert, Simon (2021). Event loading drives distribution of the organochlorine pesticide metabolite DDE in a sub-tropical river system, Brisbane River, Australia. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 170 112671, 112671. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112671

Albert, Simon, Deering, Nathaniel, Tongi, Scravin, Nandy, Avik, Kisi, Allen, Sirikolo, Myknee, Maehaka, Michael, Hutley, Nicholas, Kies-Ryan, Shaun and Grinham, Alistair (2021). Water quality challenges associated with industrial logging of a karst landscape: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 169 112506, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112506

Albert, Simon, Amarilla, Alberto A., Trollope, Ben, Sng, Julian D.J., Setoh, Yin Xiang, Deering, Nathaniel, Modhiran, Naphak, Weng, Sung-Hsia, Melo, Maria C., Hutley, Nicholas, Nandy, Avik, Furlong, Michael J., Young, Paul R., Watterson, Daniel, Grinham, Alistair R. and Khromykh, Alexander A. (2021). Assessing the potential of unmanned aerial vehicle spraying of aqueous ozone as an outdoor disinfectant for SARS-CoV-2. Environmental Research, 196 110944, 110944. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110944

Grinham, Alistair, Albert, Simon, Deering, Nathaniel, Dunbabin, Matthew, Bastviken, David, Sherman, Bradford, Lovelock, Catherine E. and Evans, Christopher D. (2018). The importance of small artificial water bodies as sources of methane emissions in Queensland, Australia. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 22 (10), 5281-5298. doi: 10.5194/hess-22-5281-2018

Grinham, Alistair, Deering, Nathaniel, Fisher, Paul, Gibbes, Badin, Cossu, Remo, Linde, Michael and Albert, Simon (2018). Near-bed monitoring of suspended sediment during a major flood event highlights deficiencies in existing event-loading estimates. Water, 10 (2) 34, 34. doi: 10.3390/w10020034

Conference Papers

Duncan, Brendon, Deering, Nathaniel, Gibbes, Badin, D'Souza, Matthew and Grinham, Alistair (2025). Automated real-time methane monitoring system to provide insights into environmental drivers of emissions from reservoirs. 20th World Lake Conference, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 21–25 July 2025. Brisbane, QLD Australia: International Lake Environment Committee Foundation (ILEC).

Hutley, Nicholas, Deering, Nathaniel, Wagenaar, Daniel, Beecroft, Ryan, Soutar, Josh, Grinham, Alistair, Gibbes, Badin and Albert, Simon (2023). Adaptive real-time forecasting using model-driven monitoring of catchment inflows and water supply reservoir dynamics. EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 14-19 April 2023. European Geosciences Union. doi: 10.5194/egusphere-egu23-14020

Deering, Nathaniel, Hutley, Nicholas, Grinham, Alistair, Albert, Simon, Boehrer, Bertram, Lemckert, Charles and Gibbes, Badin (2022). Exploring the effects of future climate on lake and reservoir circulation in a tropical lake system: Lake Barrine. 40th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium, HWRS 2022, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 30 November - 2 December 2022. Brisbane, QLD Australia: Engineers Australia.

Hutley, Nicholas, Deering, Nathaniel, Grinham, Alistair, Gibbes, Badin and Albert, Simon (2021). Linking adaptive catchment and lake models in real-time to guide autonomous monitoring. MODSIM2021, 24th International Congress on Modelling and Simulation, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 5-10 December 2021. Sydney, NSW, Australia: Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand.

Cossu, R., Grinham, A., Beecroft, R., Deering, N., Heatherington, C., Burley, D. and Stimson, G. (2019). Observations of hydrodynamics and scour potential during berthing and de-berthing of large ships at the Port of Brisbane, Australia. Australasian Coasts and Ports 2019 Conference, Hobart, TAS, Australia, 10-13 September 2019. Hobart, TAS, Australia: Coasts & Ports 2019 Conference.

Thesis

Deering, Nathaniel (2025). Destratification and hypolimnion oxygenation: implications for water quality and long-term stability in subtropical lakes. PhD Thesis, School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/84ed2fc

Research Report

Grinham, Alistair, Deering, Nathaniel and Albert, Simon (2018). Quantifying natural GHG sources and sinks: The role of regional small water bodies. Research report to Seqwater Brisbane, QLD Australia: School of Civil Engineering.