SuperSites
Samford Peri-Urban SuperSite
TERN’s Samford Peri-Urban SuperSite is in the area fringing metropolitan Brisbane in the Samford Valley, around 20kms north west of Brisbane, Queensland. The site is part of the Queensland University of Technology’s Samford Ecological Research Facility (SERF), and comprises a mosaic of natural resources; native flora and fauna; significant landscapes; as well as supporting urban, agricultural and recreational land uses. The traditional custodians of the Samford Valley are of the Yugara nation. Clan relations may well have extended into and from the Jinibara and Kabi Kabi clans neighbouring this region as well.
Site Infrastructure & Characteristics
SuperSite Research Infrastructure
- One eddy-covariance flux tower
- Automated greenhouse gas monitoring chambers
- Weather station
- Acoustic sensors
- Water quality sensors
- Gauging station to measure discharge
- Soil water content and electrical conductivity depth sensors
SuperSite Details
- Vegetation type: Open Eucalypt and notophyll vine forest
Site Research
Research using the Samford Peri-Urban SuperSite aims to ascertain if key ecosystem services are being maintained in an urbanising environment. Research at the site is documenting elemental and nutrient fluxes in the peri-urban catchment of Samford Creek and upper reaches of the South Pine River, which make up the Samford Valley. High resolution, long-term data are being used to understand the effects of urbanisation and land use change on water quality and biodiversity. Quantifying the nutrient delivery from different land uses to waterways improves understanding of the biological and chemical changes occurring both within and downstream of the catchment.
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.
