Under climate change conditions Australia will generally be hotter and, for many parts of the country drier.
Vegetation water use is strongly influenced by soil moisture availability (which is influenced by rainfall) and evaporative demand.
Soil moisture will be more scarce in the future across much of the continent due to declining rainfall. The major input of water into the Australian landscape is rainfall and most rainfall (70–95%) returns to the atmosphere as (more)...
Accumulation and storage of carbon in trees is one method of sequestration which may help offset increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. However, for every molecule of CO2 absorbed by a leaf, up to a thousand molecules of water are released as transpiration, water that has moved out of the soil into the atmosphere. Therefore, simply planting more trees to absorb more CO2 is not as risk-free as may originally be thought, (more)...
This project examined various soil and vegetation properties of remnant eucalypt grassy woodlands under different livestock grazing regimes within agricultural landscapes on the southern tablelands and south west slopes of N.S.W. All woodlands contained…
Acidity, salinity, nutrient deline, erosion have major production and environmental impacts in NSW. An estimated 16-20m hectares in the state are affected to water erosion and 200,000 hectares are affected by salinity.
Most cotton farms are situated on riparian flood plains and best management practice (BMP) of soils is imperative to the sustainability of these landscapes.
One of the best ways to improve water management and to optimise nutrition inputs to reduce the impact of rising fertiliser costs to improve soil health and management.
A 2005 study of Australia’s cotton industry examined farmers’ current knowledge and understanding of soil health. It (more)...
Past research identified a significant gap in profitability between the ‘top 20%’ and the average sheep producer of between $20 and $37 per sry sheep equivalent. Evidence showed this gap was due to the adoption of best practices by the top 20% of sheep producers.
A long history of investment in research and development by the wool and sheepmeat industries means that much of the information, technologies and tools to allow sheep producers to significantly increase sustainability (more)...
Among Australia Day 2009 achievement medallion awardees was scientist Mark Silburn, whose contributions in hydrology, catchment management and other fields were recognised.
