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.

Further information concerning the site, and experiments carried out, should be directed to Dr Victor Resco de Dios.

Announcement:

The Cumberland Plain woodland where the EucFACE site and the Flux Tower are located is an official TERN (Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network) Supersite and therefore part of the Australian-wide TERN Supersite Network. For more information please see the official TERN website (opens in a new window).

HIE is pleased to announce Dr Matthias Boer as Project Leader and Dr Victor Resco de Dios as Deputy Leader for our supersite and our continued involvement with TERN.