Climate change mitigation by Greater Adelaide councils

This paper reports on carbon mitigation actions adopted by Greater Adelaide councils (n=14) in South Australia. A survey of environmental officers profiled carbon mitigation actions, emissions auditing, and motives for emissions reduction by councils. The main reasons for carbon actions were a climate change plan, showing climate leadership, and cost savings

Jerramungup Moort type Soils - Soil Description, Analyses and Discussion

Hard Setting Grey Clays, colloquially termed Moort Clays by the Central South Coast farmers of Western Australia, fall into the typical class of Sunday soils (i.e. too dry to sow a crop on Saturday and too wet on Monday) - acknowledgment that these soils can be difficult to manage. The local soil name derives from the dominant endemic vegetation growing on this soil (Eucalyptus platypus ssp) usually with no competing understory vegetation. Moort clays are most often found on mid to upper valley slopes and depending on parent material and pedogenesis are often alkaline (sometimes acidic), hard setting, sometimes cracking, highly sodic, no evidence of lateritisation, and may occasionally demonstrate alluvial layers. The associated soil-landscape is easily identifiable by the vegetation, and the soil is unique for the Gnowangerup-Jerramungup-Fitzgerald area

Bremer-Gairdner catchment appraisal report 2003

Assessment of the condition and future risks to agricultural and natural resources within the Bremer-Gairdner region in Western Australia using the Rapid Catchment Appraisal. Details include climate, geology, soil-landscape information, hydrology, waterways, wetlands and estuaries, natural vegetation, land use and infrastructure, agricultural production, demographics; soil degredation risks, hydrology risks, farming system impacts, vegetation condition and risks, infrastructure assets; and management options

Soil peels: their preparation and presentation

Soil peels are an exciting and inexpensive technique for collecting an exact reproduction of soil profiles. They are an excellent product for displays and soil extension activities. Introduced in the mid-1960s, the soil peel (lackfilm) technique was initially developed using a flexible glue product in combination with a cloth base, and was used to preserve soil stratigraphy at geo-archaeological excavations (Voight & Gittins 1977). The method described in this update introduces refinements to the technique for heavy and consolidated clay or duplex soils in Western Australia. Applying and removingtechnique was initially developed using a flexible glue product in combination with a cloth base, and was used to preserve soil stratigraphy at geo-archaeological excavations (Voight & Gittins 1977). The method described in this update introduces refinements to the technique for heavy and consolidated clay or duplex soils in Western Australia

Frankland-Gordon area : catchment appraisal 2003

Rapid catchment appraisal to assess the condition of, and future risks to, agricultural and natural resources within the Frankland Gordon area in Western Australia

Soil Information Sheets for Ravensthorpe and Part of the Jerramungup Agricultural Areas

The soil information sheets produced for the Ravensthorpe Land Conservation District provide an easy reference guide to the soils for part of the Jerramungup and Ravensthorpe agricultural areas, and provide land use and soil management recommendations. Soil data are shown on the front of the sheet, and land use and land management information is given on the back. The information should be used as a guide, and encourage the user to seek further information through the relevant people and organisations

Talking the Same Soil Language - a Simple Guide for Describing WA Soils

The Western Australian Government is working to conserve and manage the State\u27s natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations. In support of this, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) have prepared a simple instructional field guide for recording and describing Western Australian unique and challenging soils and landscapes

Capacity for increasing soil organic carbon stocks in dryland agricultural systems

Assessment of the potential for soil carbon sequestration based on soil type, land use, and climate scenarios is crucial for determining which agricultural regions can be used to help mitigate increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. In semi-arid and Mediterranean-type environments, soil organic carbon (SOC) storage capacity is rarely achieved under dryland agricultural systems. We aimed to assess both actual (measured) and attainable (modelled) SOC stock values for the dryland agricultural production zone of Western Australia. We measured actual SOC storage (0–0.3 m) and known constraints to plant growth for a range of soils types (3–27% clay) and land uses (continuous cropping, mixed cropping, annual and perennial pastures) on the Albany sand plain in Western Australia (n = 261 sites), spanning a rainfall gradient of 421–747 mm. Average actual SOC stocks for land use–soil type combinations ranged from 33 to 128 t C/ha (0–0.3 m). Up to 89% of the variability in actual SOC stock was explained by soil depth, rainfall, land use, and soil type. The scenarios modelled with Roth-C predicted that attainable SOC values of 59–140 t C/ha (0–0.3 m) could be achieved within 100 years. This indicated an additional storage capacity of 5–45% (7–27 t C/ha) depending on the specific land use–soil type combination. However, actual SOC in the surface 0–0.1 m was 95 to >100% of modelled attainable SOC values, suggesting this soil depth was ‘saturated’. Our findings highlight that additional SOC storage capacity in this region is limited to the subsoil below 0.1 m. This has implications for management strategies to increase SOC sequestration in dryland agricultural systems, as current practices tend to concentrate organic matter near the soil surface