Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

Changes in the environment may alter the amount of carbon and water taken up and released by trees in the forest.

The Eddy Flux experiment will continuously measure the current exchange of carbon and water in a section of native woodland.

It will provide data on the current movement of carbon and water in the forest providing estimates of how much water is required to sequester carbon in the forest.

The data will provide a reference point for the measurements taken in the nearby Hawkesbury Forest Experiment and Free Air CO₂ Enrichment experiments where environmental conditions (e.g. CO₂, temperature and water) have been altered to mimic projected future climate conditions.

The data collected by the Eddy Flux experiment will be vital to accurately determine the carbon sequestering or storing potential of Australian native forests, which may reduce the amount of CO₂ released into the atmosphere.

Accurate carbon accounting in forests will be vital to the future success of any emissions trading schemes.