Dr Rene Van der Sant’s PhD research began with the Bushfire CRC and was completed in 2016. Rene tested the hypothesis that landscape aridity could be used as a predictor of post-fire erosion and runoff response. Her findings showed that increased aridity affected long and short-term soil properties, which reduced infiltration capacity and increased runoff production. Higher aridity areas generated more surface runoff and recovered more slowly, increasing the likelihood of high magnitude debris flows during rainfall after a fire. These findings from her research are essential for understanding the hydrogeomorphic implications and management applications of aridity in a burnt landscape.
Rene is now working at Melbourne Water as a Land Asset Practitioner.
