Stories
The Story of the Understorey: How Rising Carbon Dioxide Changes What’s Under The Trees
26 February 2018: Six years into the EucFACE experiment, Western Sydney University’s research showed that Australian trees can’t take advantage of extra carbon due to a lack of soil phosphorus and that rainfall has bigger effects on forest growth than elevated carbon dioxide. Now, new research shows that elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) causes significant changes in the diversity of grasses in the forest understorey. Read more...
1 March 2018
Launched at Customs House in Sydney on Wednesday 28 February 2018, the new Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub serves as a collaborative union between four major universities including Western Sydney University, NSW Office of the Environment and Heritage (OEH), and other state government and industry partners.
19 January 2018
Have you ever wondered what lives in your dirt? Researchers are now one step closer to answering this question, with Western Sydney University experts teaming up with researchers from the United States, Spain and UK to compile the world’s first ‘soil atlas’ which tracks the most common types of soil bacteria around the world.
22 December 2017
Australian health authorities regularly issue public reminders not to touch bats because they can host Australian Bat Lyssavirus (ABLV). This type of health education is necessary because it reduces human exposure to bat-borne diseases. However, subsequent sensationalist media reporting risks demonising bats, which increases human-wildlife conflict and poses barriers to conservation.
18 December 2017
When we think of Christmas, what colour comes to mind? For most people, that colour is probably red. Even Santa himself is red. It’s a colour reminiscent of family, good food, Santa and his gifts and festive holidays...
13 December 2017
For PhD student Tracey Steinrucken, her graduation on Wednesday 13 December brings to a close three of the most intense and fulfilling years of her life. During her studies at Western Sydney University and CSIRO, Tracey has travelled to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar, uncovered new insights into the control of woody weeds, and most recently, become a mum to baby Isabelle.
26 October 2017
Since its launch in 2012, the iconic EucFACE experiment has exposed a patch of native forest in north-west Sydney to high levels of carbon-dioxide - replicating our predicted future atmosphere. Levels of carbon dioxide in our air are increasing steadily every year and are now over 400 parts per million, the highest recorded levels in hundreds of thousands of years.
30 Sept 2017
Predicting the severity of a bushfire season isn't easy, and – much like the near-annual announcements of the "worst flu season on record" – repeated warnings can diminish their urgency. However, new modelling that combines Bureau of Meteorology data with NASA satellite imaging has found that record-setting July warmth and low rainfall have created conditions very similar to 2013, when highly destructive bushfires burned across NSW and Victoria..
10 July 2017
One of the expected benefits from rising atmospheric carbon dioxide is that plants may use less water and avoid some of the damaging effects of drought. This publication "Water availability affects seasonal CO2-induced photosynthetic enhancement in herbaceous species in a periodically dry woodland" is Varsha's first scientific publication, issued in the highly-respected journal Global Change Biology
24 July 2017
Scott Bevins, environmental scientist and graduate from Western Sydney University, has been spending his weekends since February 18th relocating hundreds of kangaroos from Bathurst's Mount Panorama with the Bathurst Kangaroo Project.
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