Projects 21
Publications 51
Awards 4

Biography

Dr Zoe Bainbridge is a senior research fellow at the Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), with 20 years of experience advancing the understanding of sediment and nutrient transport in tropical catchments and impacts on downstream marine ecosystems. Her research focuses on sediment and nutrient sources, transport processes, and catchment-to-reef connections, supporting evidence-based catchment management for improved water quality. 


Zoe combines water quality monitoring, sediment source tracing techniques and integration with catchment spatial models to identify water quality priorities. She is recognised for her leadership in water quality science synthesis, translating complex science into actionable information for policy, catchment management, and regional stakeholders. 


Passionate about science for management, Zoe works alongside researchers, landholders, regional organisations and government to support practical outcomes for the Great Barrier Reef and its catchments.

Research

Research Interests

  • Great Barrier Reef water quality
  • Synthesising and communicating catchment water quality science
  • Sediment transport processes across the catchment to reef continuum
  • Sediment characterisation and source tracing
  • Communication and extension of water quality science across Queensland's regional agricultural industries and landholders

Projects

Beneath your feet (Farmacist)
01 Apr 2025 - 26 Feb 2027
QRMF_DES (Old ID 31092)
01 Jul 2023 - 31 Oct 2024

Research Data

Teaching

Current Honours and External Research Students

Improvement in the assessment of risk posed to aquatic ecosystems from pesticide mixtures.
PHD- 2024

Activities

Media

Awards

Committees

Employment

Output

Lewis, S.; Bainbridge, Z.; Smithers, S. (2024) Question 2.3: What evidence is there for changes in land-based runoff from pre-development estimates in the Great Barrier Reef? [in Scientific Consensus Statement on land-based impacts on Great Barrier Reef water quality and ecosystem]. [Report]
Other Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, S.; Bainbridge, Z.; Smithers, S. (2024) Question 3.1 What are the spatial and temporal distributions of terrigenous sediments and associated indicators within the Great Barrier Reef Question 3.1.1 What is the variability of turbidity and photic depth in coastal and marine areas of the Great Barrier Reef? [in Scientific Consensus Statement on land-based impacts on Great Barrier Reef water quality and ecosystem]. [Report]
Other Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, S.; James, C.; Bainbridge, Z. (2023) Water quality signatures of pristine and near-pristine landscapes in the Great Barrier Reef Catchment Area. Townsville, QLD, Australia: [Report]
Other Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, S.; Bainbridge, Z.; Smithers, S. (2021) A synthesis of the changing sources, transport and delivery of sand to the Burdekin River Delta: implications for the stability of the Bowling Green spit: A Report for Water Planning Ecology, Science and Technology Division, Department of Environment and Science. Townsville, QLD, Australia: [Report]
Other Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, S.; Bainbridge, Z. (2021) Much more than just sediments: The importance of sediment composition for Great Barrier Reef ecosystems. Cairns, QLD, Australia: [Report]
Other Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, S.; Bainbridge, Z.; Stevens, T.; Garzon-George, A.; Bahador, M.; Burton, J.; Rezaei Rasht, M.; James, C.; Smithers, S.; Olley, J. (2020) What’s really damaging the Reef?: Tracing the origin and fate of the ecologically detrimental sediment and associated bioavailable nutrients. Cairns, QLD, Australia: [Report]
Other Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Bartley, Rebecca; Waters, David; Turner, Ryan; Kroon, Frederieke; Garzon-Garcia, Alex; Kuhnert, Petra; Lewis, Stephen; Smith, Rachel; Bainbridge, Zoe; Olley, Jon; Brooks, Andrew; Burton, Jo; Brodie, Jon; Waterhouse, Jane (2017) 2017 Scientific Consensus Statement: land use impacts on the Great Barrier Reef water quality and ecosystem condition, Chapter 2: sources of sediment, nutrients, pesticides and other pollutants to the Great Barrier Reef. [Report]
Other Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Bainbridge, Zoe T. (2015) Tracing the sources, transport and dispersal of suspended sediment from the Burdekin River catchment into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. [Thesis] [DOI]
Other Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Bainbridge, Zoe; Dight, Ian; Yorkston, Hugh; Lewis, Stephen; Brodie, Jon (2011) Catchment management in a dry tropical river near the Great Barrier Reef. Townsville, QLD, Australia: [Non-Research Book Chapter]
Other Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
James, Cassandra S.; Kuhnert, Petra; Lewis, Stephen E.; Bartley, Rebecca; Lawrence, Emma; Strauss, Jennifer; Mann, Reinier; Turner, Ryan; Bainbridge, Zoe T. (2026) 'Water quality trends in river catchments draining to the Great Barrier Reef: an analysis of ∼40 years of data'. Journal of Environmental Management, . [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, Stephen E.; James, Cassandra S.; Bainbridge, Zoe T.; Davis, Aaron M.; Northey, Adam; Lawrence, Emma; Bartley, Rebecca (2026) 'Trends in fertiliser use and efficiency in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area'. Journal of Environmental Management, 416 . [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Wilson, Eloise; Shaw, Melanie; Bennett, Frederick; Bainbridge, Zoe; Wallace, Stephen; Turner, Ryan (2026) 'A machine learning approach to predict river hydrographs for water quality sampling'. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 198 (9). [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
James, Cassandra; Bainbridge, Zoe; Lewis, Stephen; Clech-Goods, Celine; Mann, Reinier; Huggins, Raethea; Orr, David; Welk, Kylee; Liu, Shuci; Agnew, Gordon; Bartley, Rebecca; Bramley, Robert; Buckle, Alicia; Cogle, Lex; Cross, Matthew; Davis, Aaron; Devlin, Michelle; Eyre, Bradley D.; Faithful, John; Furnas, Miles; Godfrey, Paul; Gruber, Renee; Hawdon, Aaron; Howley, Christina; Hunter, Heather; Kennard, Mark; Laxton, Emma; Mackay, Stephen; McJannet, David; Nash, Michael; O'Brien, Dominique; Oudyn, Fred; Pearson, Richard; Rohde, Ken; Tink, Michelle; Moss, Andrew (2025) 'Compilation of riverine water quality data from the Great Barrier Reef catchment area, northeastern Australia'. Scientific Data, 12 . [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Neelamraju, Cath A.; Mann, Reinier M.; Bainbridge, Zoe T.; Mitchell, Hannah C.; Turner, Ryan D.R. (2025) 'Improvement in mixture risk assessment: A multi-national application of the Pesticide Risk Metric'. Environmental Advances, 22 . [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Bainbridge, Zoe T.; Olley, Jon M.; Lewis, Stephen E.; Stevens, Tom; Smithers, Scott G. (2024) 'Tracing sources of inorganic suspended particulate matter in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, Australia'. Scientific Reports, 14 . [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Bahadori, Mohammad; Chen, Chengrong; Lewis, Stephen; Wang, Juntao; Shen, Jupei; Hou, Enqing; Rezaei Rashti, Mehran; Huang, Qiaoyun; Bainbridge, Zoe; Stevens, Tom (2023) 'The origin of suspended particulate matter in the Great Barrier Reef'. Nature Communications, 14 . [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Bainbridge, Zoe; Olley, Jon; Wilkinson, Scott; Bartley, Rebecca; Lewis, Stephen; Dougall, Cameron; Khan, Sana; Kuhnert, Petra; Burton, Joanne (2023) 'Refining fine sediment source identification through integration of spatial modelling, concentration monitoring and source tracing: A case study in the Great Barrier Reef catchments'. Science of the Total Environment, 10 . [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, Stephen E.; Bartley, Rebecca; Wilkinson, Scott; Bainbridge, Zoe T.; Kinsey-Henderson, Anne; James, Cassandra S.; Irvine, Scott A.; Brodie, Jon E. (2021) 'Land use change in the river basins of the Great Barrier Reef, 1860 to 2019: a foundation for understanding environmental history across the catchment to reef continuum'. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 166 :112193-112193. [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
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.; 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 . [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Bainbridge, Zoe; Lewis, Stephen; Stevens, Thomas; Petus, Caroline; Lazarus, Emily; Gorman, Jessica; Smithers, Scott (2021) 'Measuring sediment grain size across the catchment to reef continuum: improved methods and environmental insights'. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 168 . [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Comeros-Raynal, Mia T.; Brodie, Jon; Bainbridge, Zoe; Choat, John Howard; Curtis, Meagan; Lewis, Stephen; Stevens, Thomas; Shuler, Christopher K.; Sudek, Mareike; Hoey, Andrew S. (2021) 'Catchment to sea connection: impacts of terrestrial run-off on benthic ecosystems in American Samoa'. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 169 . [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Garzon-Garcia, Alexandra; Burton, Joanne M.; Lewis, Stephen; Bainbridge, Zoe; De Hayr, Rob; Moody, Philip; Brodie, Jon (2021) 'The bioavailability of nitrogen associated with sediment in riverine plumes of the Great Barrier Reef'. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 173 . [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Petus, Caroline; Devlin, Michelle; da Silva, Eduardo Teixeira; Lewis, Stephen; Waterhouse, Jane; Wenger, Amelia; Bainbridge, Zoe; Tracey, Dieter (2018) 'Defining wet season water quality target concentrations for ecosystem conservation using empirical light attenuation models: a case study in the Great Barrier Reef (Australia)'. Journal of Environmental Management, 213 :1-16. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, Stephen E.; Lough, Janice M.; Cantin, Neal E.; Matson, Eric G.; Kinsley, Les; Bainbridge, Zoe T.; Brodie, Jon E. (2018) 'A critical evaluation of coral Ba/Ca, Mn/Ca and Y/Ca ratios as indicators of terrestrial input: new data from the Great Barrier Reef, Australia'. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 237 :131-154. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Kuhnert, P.M.; Pagendam, D.E.; Bartley, R.; Gladish, D.W.; Lewis, S.E.; Bainbridge, Z.T. (2018) 'Making management decisions in the face of uncertainty: a case study using the Burdekin catchment in the Great Barrier Reef'. Marine and Freshwater Research, 69 (8):1187-1200. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Bainbridge, Z.; Lewis, S.; Bartley, R.; Fabricius, K.; Collier, C.; Waterhouse, J.; Garzon-Garcia, A.; Robson, B.; Burton, J.; Wenger, A.; Brodie, J. (2018) 'Fine sediment and particulate organic matter: a review and case study on ridge-to-reef transport, transformations, fates, and impacts on marine ecosystems'. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 135 :1205-1220. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Brodie, Jon E.; Lewis, Stephen E.; Collier, Catherine J.; Wooldridge, Scott; Bainbridge, Zoe; Waterhouse, Jane; Rasheed, Michael; Honchin, Carol; Holmes, Glen; Fabricius, Katharina (2017) 'Setting ecologically relevant targets for river pollutant loads to meet marine water quality requirements for the Great Barrier Reef, Australia: a preliminary methodology and analysis'. Ocean & Coastal Management, 143 :136-147. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Bainbridge, Zoe; Lewis, Stephen; Smithers, Scott; Wilkinson, Scott; Douglas, Grant; Hillier, Stephen; Brodie, Jon (2016) 'Clay mineral source tracing and characterisation of Burdekin River (NE Australia) and flood plume fine sediment'. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 16 (2):687-706. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
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.; 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]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Furuichi, Takahisa; Olley, Jon; Wilkinson, Scott; Lewis, Stephen; Bainbridge, Zoe; Burton, Joanne (2016) 'Paired geochemical tracing and load monitoring analysis for identifying sediment sources in a large catchment draining into the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon'. Geomorphology, 266 :41-52. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Bartley, Rebecca; Croke, Jacky; Bainbridge, Zoe T.; Austin, Jenet M.; Kuhnert, Petra M. (2015) 'Combining contemporary and long-term erosion rates to target erosion hot-spots in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia'. Anthropocene, 10 :1-12. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Bainbridge, Zöe T.; Lewis, Stephen E.; Smithers, Scott G.; Kuhnert, Petra M.; Henderson, Brent L.; Brodie, Jon E. (2014) 'Fine-suspended sediment and water budgets for a large, seasonally dry tropical catchment: Burdekin River catchment, Queensland, Australia'. Water Resources Research, 50 (11):9067-9087. [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Bartley, Rebecca; Bainbridge, Zoe T.; Lewis, Stephen E.; Kroon, Frederieke J.; Wilkinson, Scott N.; Brodie, Jon E.; Silburn, D. Mark (2014) 'Relating sediment impacts on coral reefs to watershed sources, processes and management: a review'. Science of the Total Environment, 468-469 :1138-1153. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Davis, A.M.; Thorburn, P.J.; Lewis, S.E.; Bainbridge, Z.T.; Attard, S.J.; Milla, R.; Brodie, J.E. (2013) 'Environmental impacts of irrigated sugarcane production: Herbicide run-off dynamics from farms and associated drainage systems'. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 180 :123-135. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, Stephen E.; Bainbridge, Zöe T.; Kuhnert, Petra M.; Sherman, Bradford S.; Henderson, Brent; Dougall, Cameron; Cooper, Michelle; Brodie, Jon E. (2013) 'Calculating sediment trapping efficiencies for reservoirs in tropical settings: a case study from the Burdekin Falls Dam, NE Australia'. Water Resources Research, 49 (2):1017-1029. [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Davis, Aaron M.; Lewis, Stephen E.; Bainbridge, Zoë T.; Glendenning, Lionel; Turner, Ryan D.R.; 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]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Brodie, Jon; Wolanski, Eric; Lewis, Stephen; Bainbridge, Zoe (2012) 'An assessment of residence times of land-sourced contaminants in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon and the implications for management and reef recovery'. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 65 (4-9):267-279. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Bainbridge, Zoe T.; Wolanski, Eric; Alvarez Romero, Jorge; Lewis, Stephen E.; Brodie, Jon E. (2012) 'Fine sediment and nutrient dynamics related to particle size and floc formation in a Burdekin River flood plume, Australia'. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 65 (4-9):236-248. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Brodie, J.E.; Kroon, F.J.; Schaffelke, B.; Wolanski, E.C.; Lewis, S.E.; Devlin, M.J.; Bohnet, I.C.; Bainbridge, Z.T.; Waterhouse, J.; Davis, A.M. (2012) 'Terrestrial pollutant runoff to the Great Barrier Reef: an update of issues, priorities and management responses'. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 65 (4-9):81-100. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Kuhnert, Petra M.; Henderson, Brent L.; Lewis, Stephen E.; Bainbridge, Zoe T.; Wilkinson, Scott N.; Brodie, Jon E. (2012) 'Quantifying total suspended sediment export from the Burdekin River catchment using the loads regression estimator tool'. Water Resources Research, 48 (4):1-18. [DOI]
Journal Publication Open Access ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, Stephen E.; Schaffelke, Britta; Shaw, Melanie; Bainbridge, Zoë T.; Rohde, Ken W.; Kennedy, Karen; Davis, Aaron M.; Masters, Bronwyn L.; Devlin, Michelle J.; Mueller, Jochen F.; Brodie, Jon E. (2012) 'Assessing the additive risks of PSII herbicide exposure to the Great Barrier Reef'. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 65 (4-9):280-291. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Bainbridge, Zoe T.; Brodie, Jon E. ; Faithful, John W.; Sydes, Damon A.; Lewis, Stephen E. (2009) 'Identifying the land-based sources of suspended sediments, nutrients and pesticides discharged to the Great Barrier Reef from the Tully–Murray Basin, Queensland, Australia'. Marine and Freshwater Research, 60 (11):1081-1090. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, Stephen E.; Brodie, Jon E.; Bainbridge, Zoe T.; Rohde, Ken W.; Davis, Aaron M.; Masters, Bronwyn L.; Maughan, Mirjam; Devlin, Michelle J.; Mueller, Jochen F.; Schaffelke, Britta (2009) 'Herbicides: a new threat to the Great Barrier Reef'. Environmental Pollution, 157 (8-9):2470-2484. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Brodie, Jon; Lewis, Stephen; Bainbridge, Zoe; Mitchell, Alan; Waterhouse, Jane; Kroon, Frederieke (2009) 'Target setting for pollutant discharge management of rivers in the Great Barrier Reef catchment area'. Marine and Freshwater Research, 60 (11):1141-1149. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Davis, Aaron; Lewis, Stephen; Bainbridge, Zoe; Brodie, Jon; Shannon , Evan (2008) 'Pesticide residues in waterways of the lower Burdekin region: challenges in ecotoxicological interpretation of monitoring data'. Australasian Journal of Ecotoxicology, 14 :89-108.
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Haynes, David; Brodie, Jon; Waterhouse, Jane; Bainbridge, Zoe; Bass, Deb; Hart, Barry (2007) 'Assessment of the water quality and ecosystem health of the Great Barrier Reef (Australia): conceptual models'. Environmental Management, 40 (6):993-1003. [DOI]
Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, Stephen E.; Baird, Mark E.; Bainbridge, Zoe; Davis, Aaron M. (2024) 'Correspondence on “Submarine Groundwater Discharge Exceeds River Inputs as a Source of Nutrients to the Great Barrier Reef”' Environmental Science and Technology, 58 (23) :10409-10410. [DOI]
Journal Contribution ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, Stephen; Milla, Rob; Brodie, Jon; Bainbridge, Zoë; Davis, Aaron (2009) 'Pesticide residues in the Great Barrier Reef' Pesticides News, 86 :8-11.
Journal Contribution ResearchOnline@JCU
Lewis, Stephen; McCloskey, Gillian; Bainbridge, Zoe; Davis, Aaron; Bartley, Rebecca; Turner, Ryan (2024) 'Sediment and nutrient flux from land' In: Lewis, Stephen, McCloskey, Gillian, Bainbridge, Zoe, Davis, Aaron, Bartley, Rebecca, and Turner, Ryan (2024) Sediment and nutrient flux from land. In: Wolanski, Eric, and Kingsford, Michael J., (eds.) Oceanographic Processes of Coral Reefs: Physical and Biological Links in the Great Barrier Reef. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USA, pp. 126-142(Eds.). Oceanographic Processes of Coral Reefs: Physical and Biological Links in the Great Barrier Reef. Boca Raton, FL, USA : CRC Press. [DOI]
Brodie, Jon; Lewis, Stephen; Davis, Aaron; Bainbridge, Zoe; O'Brien, Dominique; Waterhouse, Jane; Devlin, Michelle; Thomas, Colette R. (2015) 'Management of agriculture to preserve environmental values of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia' In: Brodie, Jon, Lewis, Stephen, Davis, Aaron, Bainbridge, Zoe, O'Brien, Dominique, Waterhouse, Jane, Devlin, Michelle, and Thomas, Colette R. (2015) Management of agriculture to preserve environmental values of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. In: Chicharo, Luís, Müller, Felix, and Fohrer, Nicola, (eds.) Ecosystems Services and River Basin Ecohydrology. Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands, pp. 275-292(Eds.). Ecosystems Services and River Basin Ecohydrology. Dordrecht, Netherlands : Springer. [DOI]
Davis, Aaron M.; Lewis, Stephen E.; O'Brien, Dominique S.; Bainbridge, Zoë T.; Bentley, Christie; Mueller, Jochen F.; Brodie, Jon E. (2014) 'Water resource development and high value coastal wetlands on the lower Burdekin floodplain, Australia' In: Davis, Aaron M., Lewis, Stephen E., O'Brien, Dominique S., Bainbridge, Zoë T., Bentley, Christie, Mueller, Jochen F., and Brodie, Jon E. (2014) Water resource development and high value coastal wetlands on the lower Burdekin floodplain, Australia. In: Wolanski, Eric, (ed.) Estuaries of Australia in 2050 and Beyond. Estuaries of the World . Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp. 223-246(Eds.). Estuaries of Australia in 2050 and Beyond. Dordrecht, The Netherlands : Springer. [DOI]