Who we are
We are a group of scientists at James Cook University who are passionate about research and teaching for better management of land and water in the future.
We belong to the:
We belong to the:
- ‘College of Science and Engineering’ ('Earth and Environmental Science' Academic Group).
- ‘Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS)’
- ‘Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER)’
- ‘ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH)’.
Location
We are in the magnificent and diverse tropical region of North Queensland, Australia. Within two hours’ drive of our campuses in Cairns and Townsville, we have
- Landscapes including recent volcanoes, ancient weathered plains, rugged mountains, large rivers, coastal coral reefs and beaches, the Great Barrier Reef, and a large continental shelf;
- Natural ecosystems including rainforests (cloud, montane and lowland), woodlands, savannas, wetlands, mangroves, estuaries, coral reefs and seagrass flats;
- Land and water uses including the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, National Parks, Indigenous land, extensive grazing, mining, fisheries, cities, a thriving tourism industry and diverse agricultural systems, including the wet coastal zone, irrigated dry tropics, subtropical horticulture, dairy and emerging native crops, and grazed dry tropical savannas.
Facilities
Field research sites: Daintree Rainforest Observatory, Orpheus Island Research Station, Fletcherview Research Station, and the Environmental Research Complex on Cairns campus
Equipment for surveying/sampling/analyzing land, soil, water, plants and atmosphere in the field, including drilling rigs, soil/water/gas analysers,
Remote sensing equipment, including remotely piloted aircraft (drones) with hyperspectral and thermal sensors
Laboratory analysis of elemental, isotopic and molecular nature of plants, soil, water and gas, and JCU’s Advanced Analytical Centre
Glasshouses and shade houses for conducting experiments on campus
Equipment for surveying/sampling/analyzing land, soil, water, plants and atmosphere in the field, including drilling rigs, soil/water/gas analysers,
Remote sensing equipment, including remotely piloted aircraft (drones) with hyperspectral and thermal sensors
Laboratory analysis of elemental, isotopic and molecular nature of plants, soil, water and gas, and JCU’s Advanced Analytical Centre
Glasshouses and shade houses for conducting experiments on campus