Dr Niels Munksgaard ~ Senior Research Fellow

The long road to JCU Cairns started with a PhD in Petrology at the University of Copenhagen, then via Big Oil in the North Sea, driving an Electron Microprobe in Sydney, mapping Antarctic mountains, and years of researching metals in mud, water and biota for environmental monitoring all over Northern Australia. At JCU my task is to develop new portable instruments for field-based analysis of stable isotopes (H, C, O) in water, soil and other environmental samples. This work includes building some world-first gadgets that help provide new insights into weighty questions about global water and carbon cycling.

Interests

Research

• The use of stable isotopes in environmental science, for example to track water from rain through soil and river flow to freshwater plumes in the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon or to understand the CO2 emissions from plants and soil as part of the carbon cycle and how this contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
• The art of measuring metals and other elements at very low concentration levels in the marine environment and using stable lead isotopes to trace the dispersion of emissions from mining and smelting operations.

Research Disciplines

• Environmental Science and Management (0502)
• Soil Sciences (0503)
• Plant Biology (0607)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Expanding Knowledge (9701)
• Climate and Climate Change (9603)
• Atmosphere and Weather (9602)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• Bird M, McBeath A, Ascough P, Levchenko V, Wurster C, Munksgaard N, Smernik R and Williams A (2017) Loss and gain of carbon during char degradation. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 106. pp. 80-89
• Munksgaard N, Chessman A, English N, Zwart C, Kahmen A and Cernusak L (2017) Identifying drivers of leaf water and cellulose stable isotope enrichment in Eucalyptus in northern Australia. Oecologia, 183 (1). pp. 31-43
• Munksgaard N, Warnakulasooriya K, Kennedy K, Powell L and Gibb K (2017) Enrichment of ¹⁵N/¹⁴N in wastewater-derived effluent varies with operational performance of treatment systems: implications for isotope monitoring in receiving environments. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 189 (36). pp. 1-10
• Cernusak L, Barbour M, Arndt S, Cheesman A, English N, Feild T, Helliker B, Holloway-Phillips M, Holtum J, Kahmen A, McInerney F, Munksgaard N, Simonin K, Song X, Stuart-Williams H, West J and Farquhar G (2016) Stable isotopes in leaf water of terrestrial plants. Plant, Cell & Environment, 39 (5). pp. 1087-1102
• Holloway-Phillips M, Cernusak L, Barbour M, Song X, Cheesman A, Munksgaard N, Stuart-Williams H and Farquhar G (2016) Leaf vein fraction influences the Péclet effect and ¹⁸O enrichment in leaf water. Plant, Cell & Environment, 39 (11). pp. 2414-2427
• Zwart C, Munksgaard N, Kurita N and Bird M (2016) Stable isotopic signature of Australian monsoon controlled by regional convection. Quaternary Science Reviews, 151. pp. 228-235
• Kaestli M, Harrington G, Mayo M, Chatfield M, Harrington I, Hill A, Munksgaard N, Gibb K and Currie B (2015) What drives the occurrence of the melioidosis bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei in domestic gardens? PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 9 (31). pp. 1-16
• Munksgaard N, Zwart C, Kurita N, Bass A, Nott J and Bird M (2015) Stable isotope anatomy of tropical cyclone Ita, North-Eastern Australia, April 2014. PLoS ONE, 10 (3). pp. 1-15
• Tonyes S, Wasson R, Munksgaard N, Evans K, Brinkman R and Williams D (2015) Sand dynamics as a tool for coastal erosion management: a case study in Darwin harbour, Northern Territory, Australia. Procedia Engineering, 125. pp. 220-228
• Tweed S, Munksgaard N, Marc V, Rockett N, Bass A, Forsyth A, Bird M and LeBlanc M (2015) Continuous monitoring of stream δ18O and δ2H and stormflow hydrograph separation using laser spectrometry in an agricultural catchment. Hydrological Processes, 30 (4). pp. 648-660
• Tweed S, LeBlanc M, Bass A, Harrington G, Munksgaard N and Bird M (2015) Leaky savannas: the significance of lateral carbon fluxes in the seasonal tropics. Hydrological Processes, 30 (6). pp. 873-887
• Wurster C, Munksgaard N, Zwart C and Bird M (2015) The biogeochemistry of insectivorous cave guano: a case study from insular Southeast Asia. Biogeochemistry, 124 (1-3). pp. 163-175

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

• A Deeper Understanding of Isoscapes in the Tropics (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.