SuperSites

Daintree Rainforest SuperSite

TERN’s affiliate Daintree Rainforest SuperSite is comprised of two field sites.  The primary site is at the Daintree Rainforest Observatory (DRO) at Cape Tribulation. It comprises a long-term monitoring site, canopy crane and extensive researcher and teaching infrastructure. Nearby is the Daintree Discovery Centre site at Cow Bay, an ecotourism interpretive centre featuring a canopy tower, flux tower, aerial walkway and scientific monitoring. The sites are located about 120 km north of Cairns, Queensland.

Site Infrastructure & Characteristics

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SuperSite Research Infrastructure

Daintree Rainforest Observatory

  • Canopy crane
  • Weather station
  • 1 ha core plot
  • Gauging station
  • Soil water content, soil water potential, soil temperature sensors
  • Logging dendrometer bands
  • Faunacams
  • Sap flow system
  • Groundwater logging bores (3)
  • Rainout shelter
  • Comprehensive herbarium and insect collections for identifications

 

Daintree Discovery Centre

  • Eddy covariance flux tower
  • Weather station
  • 1 ha core plot
  • Phenocams (1 above canopy)
  • Soil water content, soil temperature sensors
  • Sap flow system
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SuperSite Details

Daintree Rainforest Observatory

  • Vegetation type: Complex Mesophyll Vine Forest (CMVF) 20 – 35 m canopy
  • Elevation: 65 m
  • Rainfall: ~5143 mm/yr
  • Mean Temperature: 24.4°C
  • Soils: acidic, dystrophic, brown dermosol and colluvial gravels

 

Daintree Discovery Centre

  • Vegetation type: Complex Mesophyll Vine Forest (CMVF) 20 – 35 m canopy
  • Elevation: 86 m
  • Rainfall:~4425 mm/yr
  • Mean Temperature: 24.0 °C
  • Soils: acidic, dystrophic, brown dermosol

Site Research

Research using the Daintree Rainforest SuperSite aims to:

Featured Datasets

This dataset consists of measurements of the exchange of energy and mass between the surface and the atmospheric boundary-layer in lowland tropical rainforest at the Daintree Rainforest Observatory located near Cape Tribulation, Queensland, using eddy covariance techniques.

This dataset consists of measurements of the exchange of energy and mass between the surface and the atmospheric boundary-layer in lowland tropical rainforest at the Daintree Discovery Centre near Cow Bay in Far North Queensland, using eddy covariance techniques.

More Datasets

Site Partners

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Research Publications

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