Louise Barton

Louise Barton is an Associate Professor in the UWA School of Agriculture and Environment at the University of Western Australia. She earned her PhD from the University of Waikato in New Zealand between 1995 and 1998, with a dissertation focused on denitrification rates in forested land treatment systems. Her early career at UWA included roles as Graduate Research Assistant from 1993 to 1995, where she investigated soil acidification in legumes, and Research Officer in 1992, compiling soil methods manuals. From 1998 to 2001, she served as Research Scientist at Landcare Research in New Zealand, concentrating on soil biogeochemistry and nitrous oxide emissions. Additionally, she worked as Land Conservation Officer at the Western Australia Department of Agriculture in Moora from 1992 to 1993, assisting with farm plans to address soil degradation.

Much of Louise Barton's professional career has centered on soil nitrogen cycling across various land uses, developing management strategies to minimize environmental nitrogen losses such as nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching. Her research explores interactions between soil biology, chemistry, and physics influencing nitrogen fate in agriculture, forestry, and horticulture under Mediterranean, semi-arid, and temperate climates. Key interests also encompass trace gas emissions including methane and nitrous oxide, soil water repellency management, turfgrass water use efficiency, and impacts of soil inversion. She has co-led the UWA Turf Research Program since 2001 and teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Agricultural and Environmental Science, coordinating units like AGRI5549 International Agriculture: Research and Development and ENVT2236 Soil Science, while supervising PhD students and serving as Student Academic Conduct Advisor. Barton holds positions as Treasurer of the Soil Science Australia WA Branch and member of the Australian Soils Network. Notable publications include 'Nitrous oxide emissions from a cropped soil in a semi-arid climate' (2008), 'Sampling frequency affects estimates of annual nitrous oxide fluxes' (2015), 'Incorporating organic matter alters soil greenhouse gas emissions and increases grain yield in a semi-arid climate' (2016), 'Ammonia volatilisation losses from urea applied to acidic cropping soils is regulated by pH buffering capacity' (2023), and 'Soil N2O emissions during dry fallow periods' (2024). She received the UWA Student Choice Award in 2020 and the Award of Excellence-Research Project in 2016.

Professional Email: louise.barton@uwa.edu.au