Luke Mosley

Associate Professor Luke Mosley

Associate Professor

School of Agriculture, Food and Wine

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Biogeochemistry Research Group

The overarching aim of the biogeochemistry research group I lead is to understand and help solve complex environmental issues across multi-disciplinary boundaries (soil, water, ecology, human impacts). Research carried out by the group has increased understanding of processes affecting the generation and fate of chemical species and contaminants (e.g. metals, nutrients and organic matter), and how to manage systems to prevent undesirable impacts. Much of our current research is directed to understanding the effects of climate change arising from increasing droughts, reduced river flows, and sea level rise. We are also focused on developing novel measurement techniques and geochemical models to assist in this area, particularly for assessing soil and water acidification. The group’s research is conducted and linked at various scales; from molecular-level studies in the laboratory, to field-scale experiments, and national-global scale assessments.

Our group has strong collaborations with government agencies and industry. We have a proven and extensive track record in delivering complex research advice and outputs to assist them to manage their environmental issues. Importantly these projects also provide students the opportunity to research and solve "real world" issues, and gain valuable contacts and skills to enhance their future employment prospects. The group is located at the Waite Campus in Adelaide, a stimulating and highly collaborative environment. 

I have published over 100 peer reviewed papers in leading scientific journals which have received >3000 citations, my h-index is 30.

I am an Editor for the Environmental Science and Pollution Research journal, and Associate Editor for the European Journal of Soil Science, on the management committee of the University of Adelaide's Water Research Centre, Deputy Director of the Acid Sulfate Soils Centre, and from 2018-2020 was President of Soil Science Australia.

In Science We Trust......

Current research areas

  • Geochemistry and management of acidic soils
  • Impacts of drought and climate change on water and soils – increased CO2, drought, sea level rise
  • Nutrient dynamics in the Coorong (estuarine lagoon at end of Australia's largest river system) as part of Project Coorong
  • Modelling of soil acidification at different scales
  • Soil corrosivity to fencing wire
  • Development of novel methods and instrumentation for measurement of pH and lime movement in soil
  • Understanding and improving water quality in constructed wetlands
  • Remediation of hypersaline and sulfidic systems
  • Blue carbon dynamics and restoration of coastal and inland floodplains and wetlands

Recent media & communications

Opportunities to work with us

I would be delighted to consider working with and mentoring you as a postgraduate student; however, please note that due to the limited number of students I can effectively supervise, I have to be highly selective about the students I take on. 

Funded research consulting requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. We have a very capable research team and collaborator network that is experienced in delivering on both small-scale assessments to multi-million dollar research programs.

Any employment opportunities will be advertised via the University of Adelaide job vacancies page.

The skills in our research group attract large amounts of competitive research, government and industry grant funding as evidenced by the list of selected projects below over last 4 years:

Year Project Title Client Amount $
2020-2022 Health Coorong - Healthy Basin Nutrient Dynamics Project Goyder Institute 1.3 million
2018 Investigating Potential environmental Factors Causing Corrosion of Feral Proof Fencing  Arid Recovery and Waratah Pty Ltd 15,000
2018 Riverine Project Investigation - Assessing the impacts and management of acid sulfate soils and soil microbial communities in managed wetlands (DEWNRF-00020652) Contract No 1077 Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) 450,373
2018 Principal Support, SARFIIP Surface Water Modelling (Q125SW) (W125SW) Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) 40,300
2018 A Tidal Restoration Trial at the Dry Creek Salt Fields to Improve Sediment, Water Quality and Ecological Outcomes Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) 6,093
2018 Calculation of environmental land management allocations South Australian Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board 14,400
2017-2020 Extreme soil acidification and metal release risks from increasing drought (with Prof. Rob Fitzpatrick and Prof. Mike McLaughlin) Australian Research Council (ARC) 508,000
2017 Principal Support, SARFIIP Surface Water Modelling (W089SMKSW) Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) 19,968
2017-2019 Goyder Project CA-16-08 - From Salt to C: carbon sequestration through ecological restoration at the Dry Creek Salt Field with Flinders University Goyder Institute, WaterED Australia Pty Ltd (ICEWaRM) 330,000
2017 Evaluation of the Environmental Land Management Application (ELMA) in the Lower Murray Reclaimed Irrigation Area (LMRIA) SA Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board 22,000
2017 Principal Support, SARFIIP Surface Water Modelling (W089SMKSW) Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) 34,577
2017 Determining the critical operating limits of irrigation infrastructure in the Lower Murray Reclaimed Irrigation Area (LMRIA) Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) 13,874
2017 Ecological assessment of the risks from acid drainage discharges to the Lower River Murray under low flow conditions project - Sediment metals and release component Environment Protection Authority SA 43,610
2016 A Tidal Restoration Trial at the Dry Creek Salt Fields to Improve Sediment, Water Quality and Ecological Outcomes Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) 230,307
2016 Synthesis of Coorong Water Quality Data (W087SE) Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) 10,527
2016 Analysing River Murray Water Quality Data Murray Darling Basin Authority 6,000
2016 A Tidal Restoration Trial at the Dry Creek Salt Fields Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board 353,225
2016 Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Summary Report Environment Protection Authority SA 18,000
2016 Modelling of proposed saline drainage discharges to the Pike River Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) 4,700
2016 Lower River Murray Irrigation Area Risk Assessment Modelling Environment Protection Authority SA 14,000
2016 SARFIIP Blackwater Risk Assessment Stage 1 SMEC Australia Pty Ltd 16,658
2015 Expert Input into the Water Quality Risk Assessment for the South East Flows Restoration Project Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) 10,325
2015 Report on Flow Optimisation Trial from barrages SA Water 7,000
2015 National Acid Sulfate Soils Guidance CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) 8,400
2014-2017 Sustaining irrigation and soil condition under changing climate and land use in Lower Murray irrigation areas Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) 438,000
2014 Pre-trial research to inform a tidal cycling trial at the Dry Creek site Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) 49,884
  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2022 Co-Supervisor The effect of plant litter on wetland nutrient cycling under drying and rewetting cycles Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Rui Yan
    2022 Principal Supervisor Effects of drought and climate change on the water quality of river Murray-Darling Basin Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Dilanka Niroshan Athukorala Athukoralalage
    2022 Co-Supervisor Impact of Liming and Organic Amendments on pH and Nutrient Availability in Acid Soils Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Birhanu Iticha Ayanssa
    2020 Principal Supervisor Understanding and Optimising Water Quality in the Laratinga Wetlands Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Danielle Jean Allen
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2020 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Evaluating the use of diagnostic soil attributes as predictors for mapping fence corrosion risk in South Australian soil environments to enhance management of exclusion fences used in conservation programs Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Andrea Donne Stiglingh
    2020 - 2023 Principal Supervisor Spectroscopy as a Tool for the Management of Soil Acidification Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Ruby Zelda Hume
    2018 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Exploring the Composition, Dissolution Kinetics and Passivation of Jarosite from an Acid Sulfate Soil Master of Philosophy Master Full Time Mr Austin Myles Trueman
    2017 - 2020 Co-Supervisor Influence of pH, phosphorus addition and soil water content on phosphorus pools in acid sulfate soils Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Sonia Samanthi Mayakaduwage
    2017 - 2023 Co-Supervisor Earth observation remote sensing of spatial and temporal relationships between rivers and receiving coastal waters Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Hannah Caitlin Claire Auricht
    2017 - 2022 Principal Supervisor EFFECT OF RISING SEA LEVELS ON THE GEOCHEMISTRY OF COASTAL SOILS IN SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Emily Ruth Leyden
    2015 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Nitrogen and Phosphorous Removal from Wastewater Added to Sand by Wheat Straw Addition and Wheat Plants Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Thi Huong Xuan Le
    2015 - 2016 Co-Supervisor Effect of organic matter and sulfidic clay addition on pH and redox potential of inland acid sulfate soils Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mrs Nilmini Jayalath
    2015 - 2019 Principal Supervisor Spectrophotometric Determination of pH and its Influence in Soils Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Sima Bargrizan
    2014 - 2017 Co-Supervisor Capacity of Organic Materials to retain Metals and Protons Released from Sulfuric Acid Sulfate Soils Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Tan Thanh Dang
    2014 - 2015 External Supervisor REMEDIATION OF ACID SULFATE SOILS BY ORGANIC MATTER ADDITION Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Chaolei Yuan
  • Committee Memberships

    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2011 - ongoing Advisory Board Member Coorong Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth Scientific Advisory Committee Department for Environment and Water Australia
  • Consulting/Advisories

    Date Institution Department Organisation Type Country
    2017 - ongoing Certified Professional Soil Scientist Soil Science Australia Business and professional Australia
  • Industry Partnerships

    Date Engagement Type Partner Name
    2014 - ongoing Consultant Recently I have undertaken consultancies for the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) South Australia, Murray-Darling Basin Authority, CSIRO, Murray-Darling Basin Authority, and Department for Environment, Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR).
  • Offices Held

    Date Office Name Institution Country
    2018 - ongoing President Soil Science Australia Australia
    2017 - ongoing Vice President, Soil Science Australia Soil Science Australia Australia
  • Position: Associate Professor
  • Phone: 83135453
  • Email: luke.mosley@adelaide.edu.au
  • Campus: Waite
  • Building: John Davies, floor 1
  • Org Unit: Agricultural Science

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