Land and air

The ACCSP investigated the processes that govern the exchanges of gases and energy between the atmosphere and the biosphere and how they are likely to vary in a changing climate.

Through the ACCSP, researchers identified the importance of aerosols on the climate. As well as increasing our understanding of our atmosphere, this research has informed the development of climate models that can better simulate the real world.

The ACCSP supported the maintenance and operation of two flux stations as part of OzFlux, the Australian flux network. These stations continuously measure the exchange of carbon dioxide, as well as water and heat, between the atmosphere and the terrestrial surface. The results have improved our understanding of the interactions between climate, hydrology and carbon cycling in Australian ecosystems.

ACCSP science highlights

• Increasing our understand the behaviour of aerosols and how they influence our climate.
• Establishing a link between increased rainfall in northern Australia and Asian-sourced atmospheric aerosols.
• Improving our understanding of cloud feedbacks and how they may change in the future.
• Supporting the first multi-annual carbon dioxide flux measurements in Australian ecosystems.
• Quantifying for the first time the uptake and release of carbon dioxide, water and heat from a typical Australian ecosystem.
• Increasing our understanding of interactions between terrestrial carbon and water cycles and the climate in Australian ecosystems, and improving the modelling of these processes.
• Supporting the development of the Carbon Water Observatory.