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Alice Springs—gateway to the stars

Scientists are using the unique advantages of Australia’s Red Centre to conduct high-altitude balloon flights for astronomical research. The clear air and low population of central Australia make it the ideal location for balloon-based research. For most types of astronomy, observatories are typically built high on the tops of mountains, far out in space or [...]

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Animals contribute to greenhouse gases

Smoke-belching coal-fired power stations and factories and fossil fuel-guzzling motor vehicles may be seen as the big villains of the global climate change debate, but they aren’t the only ones contributing to the greenhouse effect.

Australia’s hundreds of millions of cattle, sheep, pigs and other agricultural animals – not to mention our native fauna – also release significant amounts of methane and other gases into the atmosphere.

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The world needs science – science needs women

Since 1998, a public-private partnership between L’Oréal and UNESCO has promoted women in science. The L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards For Women in Science recognises outstanding women researchers who have contributed to scientific progress.

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Rescuing the South Pacific’s weather data

Climate specialists from Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology are helping Pacific nations save precious weather data threatened by decay, vermin attack and tropical weather.

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A satellite clue to extreme bushfire threat

The extreme weather conditions that can turn an already dangerous bushfire into an explosive firestorm can now be better predicted, thanks to the work of a 30-year veteran of the Bureau of Meteorology.

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Unlocking secrets of significant declines in regional rainfall in Australia

Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre climate scientists believe they have part of the answer to significant declines in Australian regional rainfall and subsequent stream flow since the 1970s.

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Managing tropical fires for greenhouse gas abatement

The economic potential of carbon is the focus of a new fire project on the Tiwi Islands, 80 kilometres north of Darwin in the Northern Territory and home to 2,000 Aboriginal Australians. Nearly half of the Tiwi Islands are burnt every year, resulting in significant greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing the extent of fire may provide substantial financial benefits under the emerging carbon economy.

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Representing traditional ecological knowledge in northern Australia

Traditional knowledge can tell us much about the ecology of northern Australia.

The Nauiyu community from Daly River in the Northern Territory have worked with CSIRO’s Emma Woodward to create a seasonal calendar.

The seasonal cycle recorded on the calendar closely follows the cycle of annual speargrass (Sarga spp.), with many of the 13 seasons identified named according to speargrass life stages.

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Understanding how Indigenous people value rivers

Indigenous people value rivers in many ways. Rivers provide bush foods and medicines, they are part of a culturally significant landscape, and have the potential to sustain future water-related businesses and employment.

So it’s important to know what impact changing river flow patterns and water allocations could have on Indigenous communities.

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