Dr
Karen Holmes
Research Scientist
Dr Karen Holmes

My role in the department

I work with a team of soil, water, and data scientists, supplying advice and information products to increase agricultural production and efficiency, and decrease environmental risks.  My goal is to make soil information more accessible and easy to use. To achieve this, I lead methods development to take advantage of computing advances and remote and proximal sensing in agricultural landscapes.    

Specifically, I

Analyse and map land qualities by combining on-ground measurements with geographic information using statistics 

Customise maps to suit specific uses or format requirements

Collaborate with agricultural scientists, consultants, and land managers to support for example yield modelling, identification of suitable areas for new enterprises, and adaptation to a changing climate; and

Develop methods to track natural resource condition over time to support environmental regulation. 

Contact information

+61 (0)8 9368 3917

My background

I have 20 years experience applying geographical methods to understand and map landscapes within Australia, the US, South America, and under the Indian Ocean.  Since joining DAFWA in 2007, I have focused on developing soil and water information to more effectively and sustainably manage agricultural land in Western Australia.  This work is strongly collaborative inside and outside of DAFWA, and has produced a number of science papers and reports, many of which are available via researchgate.

Projects

  • Land and water development for irrigated agriculture: Pilbara and Kimberley regions
  • Subsoil constraints: spatial extent and approaches for management
  • Ironstone gravel soils in southwestern WA: extent, differences, and management
  • Land cover monitoring using remote sensing

Key Expertise

Soil, land, Digital soil mapping (DSM), catchment modelling, geographical information science (GIS), sampling designs, geostatistics, spatial analysis, natural resource management

Qualifications

  • PhD and MA in Geography (Earth System Science), University of California Santa Barbara, 2003 and1999
  • BA in Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, 1995
  • BA in Latin American Studies, Wesleyan University, 1993

My articles

Friday, 20 March 2015 - 11:37am
Thursday, 1 December 2016 - 10:18am
Wednesday, 19 October 2016 - 7:45am

Pages