Deserts in Australia burn – and burn big – if fuel is left to build up. But this year, Indigenous rangers across the deserts have burned huge tracts early to make Country healthier.
From a shipwreck to ancient dunes, these researchers created 3D visualisations of seafloor features around Australia – from as shallow as 22 metres to depths of over 4.8 kilometres.
This is an enhanced satellite image of Western Australia’s Great Sandy Desert. Yellow sand dunes cover the upper right, red splotches indicate burned areas, and other colours show different types of surface geology.
USGS/Unsplash
The United States Geological Survey has a vast collection of satellite images capturing breathtaking geological features of our planet. As a geologist, I’ve picked eight of the most fascinating.
Populations of Fleay’s barred frog in Australia’s ancient rainforests were decimated by the chytrid fungus. Now, the frogs have developed a natural resistance.
As sea levels rise, this natural form of beach replenishment might be an important factor in offsetting some of the damaging effects of climate change on beaches.
Abandoned building and barrel at Wilkes Station.
Darren Koppel
That there’s legacy waste in Antarctica may come as a surprise to some, as we often think of Antarctica as a pristine wilderness. These photos show why cleaning up is long overdue
Northern Australia’s tropical savanna is one of the most fire-prone regions on the planet. We need to change the way we manage fires so we can help native wildlife come back from the brink.
Palm cockatoo breeding pair at the nesting hollow. Female on left, male on the right.
Christina N. Zdenek
Goby fish and coral rely on each other to survive. But new research found gobies are declining under climate change, dealing a double blow to Australia’s reefs.
This, if you can believe it, is part of a magpie nest.
Kathy Townsend
A world-first study inspected 900 bird nest specimens from 1823 to 2018. The types of debris the birds use reflect changes in Australian society over time.
Rebecca Allen, Swinburne University of Technology and Sara Webb, Swinburne University of Technology
More than 60 images capturing huge expanses of sky are sent to us from Chile. Within them we can see thousands of bright spots. What do we find when we look closer?
For phascogales, tree hollows are getting harder to find. I venture into forests and study how well artificial hollows made with chainsaws can replace them.
This isn’t a painting or a stained-glass window — it’s a microscope image of light shining through the Earth’s mantle.
Heather Handley
I look at fragments of the Earth’s mantle under a microscope to learn how fast molten rock moves from deep in the Earth to the surface. This can help us prepare for future volcanic eruptions.
A big coral bommie in the lagoon at Norfolk Island.
John Turbull
Researcher and photographer Claire Greenwell explains why people are the biggest threat to nesting shorebirds, and the simple ways you can help keep them safe next time you’re at the beach.
Dragon springtails (pictured) are widely distributed in forests of eastern Australia — yet they’re still largely unknown to science.
Nick Porch
Australia’s invertebrates have an ancient lineage and a fascinating evolution. Get up close with macrophotography to discover tiny, unique animals you’ve probably never seen before.
Coordinator Swinburne Astronomy Online | Program Lead of Microgravity Experimentation, Space Technology and Industry Institute, Swinburne University of Technology