Investigators and Partners

This project is the product of the combined efforts of many interdisciplinary researchers of various expertise and is currently operated by:

• Prof Stefan Arndt (Ecophysiologist)(UniMelb)
• Prof Jason Beringer (Micrometeorology)(UWA)
• Dr Stephen Livesely (Ecologist)(UniMelb)

Project Overview

The Wombat State Forest Flux Tower site, not only monitors ecosystem fluxes of energy, water and carbon dioxide above-ground, with a flux tower, but also below-ground. The below-ground measurements are obtained using an automated chamber system that is connected to a Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectrometer in a mobile laboratory on site.

Experimental plots with rainfall reduction treatments will be used to study the effect of rainfall reduction and drought on the carbon and greenhouse gas cycles. These experimental approaches will allow a better understanding of the processes that control the carbon and greenhouse gas balance in the dry eucalypt forest systems in Australia. Thus, researchers will be able to make a thorough assessment of how changes in our climate will influence the carbon exchange processes in forests, and the vulnerabilities of these forests with regard to their carbon balance. In the long run the Wombat Flux site will also enable study of the impact of forest disturbances on the carbon and greenhouse gas balance.

The site provides nationally consistent observations of vegetation dynamics, faunal biodiversity, micrometeorology (climate, radiation, fluxes of carbon and water), hydrology and biogeochemistry to examine the impacts of fire regime, climate on carbon stocks and GHG emissions, and impacts on habitat quality via ongoing monitoring of vegetation structure and fauna. A wide range of ground based observations of vegetation structure and floristics is planned and all will link to remote sensing of fire and vegetation change over time. Measurements of carbon sequestration through time will be achieved via the instrumentation capable of directly measuring CO2, water use and surface energy properties (energy balance, reflectance).

The Wombat site is one of two nodes on the Victorian Dry Eucalypt SuperSite that is actually a regional SuperSite hub consisting of several nodes including Whroo and Riggs Creek sites. This new regional SuperSite?s vision is to provide the scientific infrastructure and institutional collaboration required for world-class science and sustainable management of terrestrial ecosystems in South Eastern Australia based on a sound understanding of their structure, composition, functions and processes.

The tower will provide longterm measurements as part of the Ozflux network and the infrastructure is partly funded through the NCRIS TERN.

Key research questions

The Wombat Forest research site facilitates the investigation of complex ecosystem processes of the carbon, water and nutrient cycle in a dry-sclerophyll forest ecosystem that is typical for many forests in Australia. This research will help to assess the impact of future environmental change on forest ecosystems in Australia. The Wombat Forest research site will:

Quantify the carbon sink/source strength of a dry sclerophyll forest and identify the contribution of such forests to the Australia's National Carbon Inventory

Quantify the emission and/or uptake of non-CO2 greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxide and methane of the forest

Assess the role of climate variability and drought on ecosystem processes

Assess the impact of disturbances (such as fire) on ecosystem processes

Provide a database of microclimate and ecological parameters for use in carbon and water modelling projects.

The Site Location

The Wombat Flux research site was established in January 2010. The site is located within the Wombat State Forest, between Ballarat and Daylesford in Central Victoria, 100km west of Melbourne. Ths site is located at: Latitude: -37.4222 S Longitude: 144.0944 E

Site Characteristics

The Wombat Forest research site is located in the Wombat State Forest, Victoria, South Eastern Australia at an elevation of 713m.

The site is a secondary re-growth forest that was last harvested in 1980. Dominant tree species are Eucalyptus obliqua (messmate stringybark), Eucalyptus radiata (narrow leaf peppermint) and Eucalyptus rubida (candlebark) with an average canopy height of 25m.

The understorey consists mainly of patchy grasses and the soil is a silty-clay overlying clay. The forest is managed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment and management includes selective harvesting and prescribed burning regimes.

The climate of the study area is classified as cool-temperate to Mediterranean zone with cold and wet winters (May-Aug) and warm and dry summers (Dec-Feb). Mean annual rainfall in the region in the last 20 years was between 600-700 mm.

Data

Data from this site is available through the OzFlux data portal international FLUXNET database or via the investigators email jason.beringer[@]uwa.edu.au

Further Information

• Prof. Jason Beringer
• School of Agriculture and Environment
• The Australian Flux Network (OzFlux)
• The Terrestrial Ecosystem Science Network (TERN)
• The Terrestrial Ecosystem Science Network (TERN) Supersite network
• The National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS)
• The International FLUXNET

Acknowledgements

This site is produced by Prof. Jason Beringer, UWA, School of Agriculture and Environment and proudly part of the Australian Flux Network(OzFlux) and partly supported by the Australian NCRIS Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (TERN).