Soil conditions underpin landscapes, forming part of the foundation of an ecosystem.
Measuring changing in soil properties over the longterm can indicate not only soil health, but overall ecosystem health, and inform conservation land management practises.
Climate change is expected to bring about major changes to the function of soils (Farrell et al 2018).
In Australia, projected increases in the number of hot days and hot spells, decreases in rainfall, and longer, more frequent droughts means forewarning of changing soil conditions will also be key to adapting conservation land management practices.
We’re working with soil experts from Monash University’s School of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment and conservation land managers, Bush Heritage Australia, to develop a longterm remote soil monitoring system that measures soil moisture, CO2, pH, temperature and salinity in order to develop a baseline of soil data.