Environment Research and Technology

ANSTO conducts and enables inter-disciplinary research using nuclear and isotopic techniques to address some of Australia’s and the world’s most challenging environmental problems, focusing on water resource sustainability, climate change, and the impact of contaminants.

There is a commitment to train early career researchers from Australia and overseas from in the application of nuclear techniques to study environmental systems, as well as develop new research tools and products.

ANSTO undertakes partnerships and collaborations with other eminent research and science organisations and industry and provides advice to all levels on government on environmental issues.

Water research

ANSTO undertakes research on Australia's water resources to inform more sustainable water management practices.

Environmental change

Targeted research to improve knowledge of past and present climate and the evolution of landscape.

Impact of contaminants

Research to understand how contaminants move through the soil and affect ecosystems and humans as well estimating emissions.

Analytical Services

The Environment Research and Technology Group has a range of analytical services to support environmental research.

Radon analytical facilities

Measurements of the naturally-occurring radioactive gas radon can be used to accurately categorise the degree of atmospheric mixing.

Food provenance

ANSTO's unique capabilities are being used to develop a quick analytical tool to determine the geographic origin of seafood and authenticates quality.

Reconstructing Australia’s fire history from cave stalagmites

Research is being undertaken through an Australian Research Council Discovery Project "Reconstructing Australia’s fire history from cave stalagmites", led by Professor Andy Baker at UNSW Sydney and Dr. Pauline Treble at ANSTO. The project aims to calibrate the fire-speleothem relationship and develop coupled fire and climate records for the last millennium in southwest Australia.

Water Isotope Network

Currently ANSTO partners with the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to operate the Australian GNIP stations with samples analysed at ANSTO’s Environmental Isotope Laboratories in Sydney.

Australia's bushfire crisis linked to colonial land use change

News

Environment

Using marine fossils, a large international collaboration decodes a fundamental process in Earth's history

News

Environment

Removal of dangerous contaminants from dirty water

Case Study

Australian Synchrotron

Environment

The impact of copper on a native fish

Case Study

Australian Synchrotron

Environment

How climate change is erasing the world’s oldest rock art

Case Study

Australian Synchrotron

Environment

Ancient foods provide clues to past rainfall

Environment

Dr Carol Tadros

Science Research Leader and Environmental Scientist

Patricia Gadd

Science Research Leader and Instrument Scientist

Dr Mark Peterson

Science Research Leader

Dr Karina Meredith

Director of the new Environment Research and Technology Group

See all partners

Environmental Radioactivity Measurement Centre

This state-of-the-art facility offers a range of ultra-low level radioactivity measurement capabilities.

Lucas Heights Weather Station

ANSTO continually collects meteorological data from its 50-metre tower. A summary of ANSTO's climate statistics including temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure and rainfall recorded at this location are provided below.

Environment Research and Technology