Prior to commencing with the Centre, Angelica and her colleagues from the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment at Western Sydney University, were able to show that during extreme heatwaves, Eucalyptus trees ‘sweat’ to keep cool (transpiration) but stop taking up carbon (photosynthesis).

This disconnect between transpiration and photosynthesis was previously unknown and has large implications for our understanding of the role of trees in carbon and water ecosystem cycling during heatwaves. The next step is to include these findings in the climate models to improve our predictions of future climate change.

The research was published in the prestigious scientific journal Global Change Biology (ranked top-5 for Environmental Sciences in 2016) and was picked up in several media outlets, including The Australian and The Guardian.

As part of a team of diverse, high-calibre professionals, Angelica brings a wealth of research knowledge and experience to the Centre.