Research News

Distinguished Professor Jamie Kirkpatrickwinner of the Royal Society of Tasmania’s Clive Lord Medal 2019 Cyclic dynamics in Tasmanian high mountain treeless vegetation Sunday 6th September 2020, 3:00pm Please register in advance for this online presentation: bit.ly/RST-September  Tasmanian high mountain treeless vegetation is globally outstanding for its dominance by shrubs, hard-leaved graminoids and cushion plants, many of which…
Read more

‘A new book on the history of the Snowy Mountains and especially Kosciuszko National Park tells the story of how the park, against the odds, was established and protected for all Australians to enjoy. Kosciuszko: A Great National Park tells the story of land use transformation, from exploitation of the mountains for mining, logging, grazing and tourism…
Read more

A recent research project involving Snowy Hydro Ltd, the University of Western Australia and the University of Queensland, investigated the hydrometeorology of the Australian snowpack and highlighted the fundamentally important role that individual meteorological events play in its development. Fieldwork took place in the Pipers Creek catchment, adjacent to Perisher Valley, with a particular focus…
Read more

Last month John Morgan and I travelled to the Old Man Range in central Otago, New Zealand to monitor vegetation change behind an old rickety fence. The Snowfence was built by the (now) old man himself, Emeritus Professor Sir Alan Mark, Otago University in 1959 as part of a forestry experiment – which, of course,…
Read more

What will happen to Australia’s alpine flora when there is no longer a reliable covering of winter snow? Seasonal snow cover creates an insulating barrier, a blanket if you will, that keeps plants snug until it’s time to emerge later in spring. Across the Australian Alps, the depth and duration of snow cover has been…
Read more