Background
Dr Mike Saynor is an environmental scientist with the ERISS Ecosystem Restoration and Landform program. He has considerable field experience and has been responsible for managing the program’s field and laboratory program. He is currently managing research associated with a trial landform that has been constructed at the Ranger mine. Recently he has obtained his Remote Pilot License (RePL) with heavy lift endorsement to fly Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) up to 25 kilograms. He is a keen photographer and his photographs are used for many aspects of his research. He has also had experience working in coastal and wetland areas of Kakadu National Park, bedrock gorges of NSW and farming lands throughout southeastern Australia.
Areas of expertise and research interests
Stream channel stability, sediment transport, hydrology, river rehabilitation, extreme flood events, soil erosion and gully erosion.
Key publications
Erskine, W. D., M. J. Saynor, J. M. Boyden and K. G. Evans 2018. "Sediment fluxes and sinks for Magela Creek, Northern Territory, Australia. Marine and Freshwater Research 69, 1018–1025 doi.org/10.1071/MF16107
Erskine, W. D., M. J. Saynor 2015. Bedload yields for sand-bed streams in the Ngarradj Creek catchment, Northern Territory, Australia. Hydrological Processes 29 (17) 3767-3778
Saynor, M.J. & Erskine, W.D. 2016. Sand slugs formed by large-scale channel erosion during extreme floods on the East Alligator River, northern Australia. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography 98(2): 169-181.
Erskine WD & Saynor MJ 2013. Hydrology and bedload transport relationships for sand-bed streams in the Ngarradj Creek catchment, northern Australia. Journal of Hydrology 483, 68-79.
Saynor, M.J. & Erskine, W.D., 2013. Classification of River Reaches on the Little Disturbed East Alligator River, Northern Australia. International Journal of Geosciences, 4, 53-65. doi:10.4236/ijg.2013.46A2007.
Erskine, W.D, Saynor, M.J, Chalmers, A.C, Riley, S.J, 2012. Water, wind, wood and trees: Interactions, spatial variations, temporal dynamics and their potential role in river rehabilitation. Geographical Research, 50(1), 60–74.
Saynor MJ & WD Erskine 2006. Spatial and temporal variations in bank erosion on sand-bed streams in the seasonally wet tropics of Northern Australia. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Journal 31, 1080–1099.
Winn KO, Saynor MJ, Eliot MJ & Eliot IG 2006. Saltwater intrusion and morphological change at the mouth of the East Alligator River, Northern Territory. Journal of Coastal Research 22 (1), 137–149.
Saynor MJ, Erskine WD & Evans KG 2006. Bed-material grain size changes in the Ngarradj Creek catchment between 1998 and 2003. Supervising Scientist Report 188, Supervising Scientist, Darwin NT.
Erskine WD, Saynor MJ, Erskine L, Evans KG & Moliere DR 2005. A preliminary typology of Australian tropical rivers and implications for fish community ecology. Marine and Freshwater Research 56 (3) 253-267.
Saynor MJ, Erskine WD & Evans KG 2004. Cross-sectional and scour and fill changes in the Ngarradj catchment between 1998 and 2003. Supervising Scientist Report 181, Supervising Scientist, Darwin NT.
Saynor MJ, Erskine WD, Evans KG & Eliot I 2004. Gully initiation and implications for management of scour holes in the vicinity of the Jabiluka Mine, Northern Territory, Australia. Geografiska Annaler 86(2), 191–203.
Moliere DR, Evans KG, Saynor MJ & Erskine WD 2002. Estimation of suspended sediment loads downstream of the Jabiluka mine, Northern Territory, Australia. Hydrological Processes 18(3), 531–544.
Evans KG, Saynor MJ & Willgoose GR 1999. Changes in hydrology, sediment loss and microtopography of a vegetated mine waste rock dump impacted by fire. Land Degradation and Development 10, 507-522.
Saynor MJ & Erskine WD. 1993. Characteristics and Implications of high level slackwater deposits in the Fairlight Gorge, Nepean River, Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research