Remote Sensing and Ecological Modelling Research Group 2013 PhD Project List Title: Integrating remote sensing, landscape flux measurements, and phenology to understand the impacts of climate change on Australian landscapes Supervisors: Professor Alfredo Huete, Dr Natalia Restrepo-Coupe, Dr Mark Broich Project Description: The accurate representation of the spatial and seasonal patterns of vegetation functioning is a key requirement to drive ecosystem productivity and hydrologic models and predict future trends and changes resulting from climate change and land use impacts. Satellite remote sensing generate consistent and systematic observations of the land surface and provide a powerful tool in characterization of vegetation structure, measurement of ecosystem processes, and estimation of primary production and evapotranspiration (ET). In this project we aim to integrate satellite time series with eddy covariance tower flux measurements to more accurately project the seasonal and spatial distributions of water and carbon fluxes across Australian landscapes. The expected outcomes would provide independent assessments of ecosystem fluxes for comparison with and constraining of models, such as CABLE, and improve our understanding of the controls on phenological aspects of function from the major biomes in Australia. Specific goals include,

Desirable skills and qualifications: Relevant prior course degree in either ecology or remote sensing. Some knowledge of image analysis, data processing, or programming Funding: ARC Discovery, AusCover-TERN

The coupling and upscaling of ground- and tower based in-situ biophysical measurements to satellite imagery. Courtesy of Bigfoot validation site.

Title: Spatio-temporal patterns in vegetation productivity -rainfall relationships and biome resilience with climate variability Supervisors: Professors Alfredo Huete and Derek Eamus Project Description: Large-scale, warm droughts have recently occurred in North America, Africa, Europe, Amazonia, and Australia resulting in major impacts on terrestrial ecosystems, carbon balance, and food security. Understanding how changes in rainfall variability and future climate change impact on regional and continental-scale carbon and water balances are required for policy, planning, management of land and water resources, and assessments of ecosystem health and functioning. In this project, spatio-temporal vegetation responses and sensitivities to changing precipitation patterns in Australia will be examined with high temporal frequency satellite data sets and site level meteorological and flux data information. Water availability generally limits plant growth and production in the landscapes of Australia. However, such biomes may differ greatly in their sensitivity of net productivity to interannual variations in rainfall. The overall aim is to assess broadscale ecological controls of vegetation responses to climate variability across Australian biome types (arid regions to tropical savannas and forests) with satellite data sets. Rain use efficiencies (RUE= annual above ground NPP/annual rainfall) and water use efficiencies (WUE= GPP/Transpiration) will be used to characterize vegetation productivity- water cycle relationships across biomes and climate regimes.

Desirable skills and qualifications: Relevant prior course degree in either ecology or remote sensing. Some knowledge of image analysis, data processing, or programming

Funding: ARC Discovery

Recent drought and flood events in Australia observed with satellite MODIS enhanced vegetation index (EVI) anomalies in 2009-2010.

Title: Interactions of vegetation canopy bio-optical properties with leaf chemistry, structure, and phenology Supervisors: Dr Natalia Restrepo-Coupe and Professor Alfredo Huete Project Description: How plants interact with sunlight is central to the functioning of ecosystems and provides a basis for remote sensing of biogeochemical cycles of carbon and water fluxes at biome scales. Remote sensing data from satellite and in situ spectral cameras capture ecosystem phenological cycles described by vegetation greening or browning, where greening, is generally related to increasing photosynthetic activity. In this project, we aim to investigate biophysical interactions between complex tree-grass plant canopies and incident radiation with an innovative integration of in situ digital spectral cameras, spectral sampling radiometers, and intense measures of a host of leaf and canopy level traits on a continuous diurnal through seasonal basis. This includes investigations of leaf spectral changes diurnally and seasonally as well as relationships between leaf optical properties and leaf traits to assess their seasonal dependencies

Desirable skills and qualifications: Relevant prior course degree in either ecology or remote sensing. Some knowledge of image analysis, data processing, or programming

Funding: AusCover-TERN

Natalia Restrepo-Coupe of C3 group mounts continuous measuring spectral cameras at

Chowilla OzFlux tower site.

Title: On-Farm Adaptation Options in Dealing with Climate Change Risk Supervisors: Dr Qunying Luo and Professor Qiang Yu

Project Description: This project aims to evaluate on-farm adaptation options in dealing with climate change risk. To achieve this aim, both participatory research approach (PRA) and system modelling approach will be utilised. The PhD candidate will directly work with farmer representatives or farmers groups to attain local knowledge about possible adaptation options in the face of climate change. The Agricultural Production System sIMulator (APSIM) crop models will then be used to evaluate the effectiveness of a range of nominated management options in dealing with adverse climate change impact. Cost-benefit analysis will be conducted to help the identification of effective adaptation options. The proposed research is in line with the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Plan: Primary Industries facilitated by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF).

Desirable Skills and Qualifications: The candidate should have strong communication skills in engaging farmers and farmers group and have crop modelling skills including bio-economic modelling.

NCCARF research aims to ensure that Australia’s primary industries will continue to be sustainable by taking advantage

of opportunities and benefits and reducing unavoidable climate change impacts.