SuperSites

Cumberland Plain Woodland SuperSite

TERN’s Cumberland Plain SuperSite is in remnant Eucalyptus species woodland on the Cumberland Plain, at the University of Western Sydney’s Hawkesbury campus at Richmond, New South Wales. Associated research infrastructure extends into the Blue Mountains ecoregion. The traditional custodians are the Darug peoples, and we invite all interested parties to work with us and share their stories.

Site Infrastructure & Characteristics

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SuperSite Research Infrastructure
  • One eddy-covariance flux tower (in-situ)
  • One mobile flux observatory (on trailer)
  • Full meteorological station
  • Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) experiment
  • Fuel moisture sensors
  • Coupled sapflow sensors and dendrometers
  • Soil water content and neutron probe sensors
  • Phenocams
  • Camera traps
  • 48 Nutrient Network Plots
  • DroughtNet shelters
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SuperSite Details
  • Vegetation type: Remnant Eucalyptus species woodland
  • Elevation: ~25 m
  • Rainfall: ~800 mm/yr
  • Mean Temperature: ~19°C
  • Soils: Sandy and clayey alluvium

Site Research

The key research questions addressed by users of the Cumberland Plain Woodland SuperSite relate to processes controlling biogeochemical fluxes and the impacts of extreme climate events and climate change thereon, biodiversity, conservation management and restoration of remnant Eucalypt woodland and pastures of Western Sydney.

Featured Dataset

This dataset consists of measurements of the exchange of energy and mass between the surface and the atmospheric boundary-layer in dry sclerophyll forest at Cumberland Plain using eddy covariance techniques. The eddy covariance data collected in 2012-2013 includes measurements of turbulent fluxes but not the storage flux of CO2, and the micrometeorological data does not include soil moisture or soil temperature recordings.

More Datasets

Site Partners

Research Publications

Since its inception, TERN’s infrastructure has enabled the publication of more than 1600 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles or books.