Nik Callow is a Geographer, working across the areas of hydrology, geomorphology, Geographical Information Science (GIS) and remote sensing. His work focuses on advancing physical geography, our understanding of Australian landscape processes and understanding changes from climate and human interaction with landscapes.

He is one of three founding co-Directors of the UWA Centre for Water and Spatial Science (CWSS). CWSS partners with industry, government, and non-governmental organizations to provide science-based solutions locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Nik is the drone operations Chief Remote Pilot and Maintenance Controller for UWA, and oversees the institutional Remote Operators Certificate (ReOC). He established and manages the Remotely Piloted Aerial Sensing Platform and supports operations of ~50 drone pilots across UWA.

Major projects include work Associate Professor Nik Callow is leading with UWA's work on mobile and drone plant phenotyping using LiDAR and hyperspectral drones as part of the Western Node Partnership with the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and four other Australia Universities as part of the Australia Plant Phenomics Network (APPN), and sits on the Expert Technical Working Group. Nik leads the WaterSmart Dams project in partnership with the Grower Group Alliance (GGA) through the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub. He is also one of five UWA Chief Investigators on the $48M NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub, in collaboration with ~50 other scientists from across Australia. Nik is a member of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Expert Scientific Advisory Council.

Nik holds a Bachelor of Science Honours (First Class, Geography) and PhD (2007) in Geography at The University of Western Australia. He completed a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education (GCHEd) from UQ (2011). Nik is recognised as a Certified Environmental Practitioner – Geomorphology Specialist (CEnvP – Geomorphology), through the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand.

Nik teaches across the UWA Geographical Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Geographical and Spatial Sciences areas, including subjects in: field science; introductory physical geography; catchment management and geomorphology; GIS, spatial science and remote sensing, and; landscape and climate processes and change. He is degree coordinator for the Geographical Sciences major and Bachelor of Geographical and Spatial Science at UWA.

Recognition of his work includes the European Geophysical Union (EGU) Jim Dooge Award (2020) for his work on salinity and wetlands of international significance. Successful research collaboration and industry partners include: Snowy Hydro, BHP, RioTinto, GRDC, ARC, Rock Art Australia, NCRIS – APPF, GGA, DBCA, DPRD, DWER, DCCEEW, Spanish National Research Council.

Follow his work on: Twitter (@NikCallow), Google Scholar, Scopus LinkedIn and ORCiD

- Australian Plant Phenomics Network (APPN) Mobile drone platform, Western Node Partnership (UWA, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS))

- Unlocking the environmental archives of the Kimberley’s last 60,000 years (LP170100242, with Rock Art Australia)

- Next-gen analytics to improve profit from integrated weed management (Grains Research and Development Corporation - GRDC)

- Marginal snowpacks: characterizing and developing techniques for monitoring and modelling their hydrological and ecological importance and evolution under climate warming (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – CSIC, Spanish National Research Council).)

- Ecological and Indigenous values of south-western Australian rivers (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Resilient Landscapes Hub)

- Impact of climate change and groundwater inflow on the Donnelly River (with Department of Water and Environmental Regulation – DWER, WA Gov)

- Using drone remote sensing approaches to monitor Tetratheca butcheriana population dynamics in the Brockman Range (Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (DBCA, Kings Park Science Division) and Rio Tinto

Completed Projects (last 5 years)

- Geomorphology review of the 2023 flood impacts on the Fitzroy Crossing community and township (Department of Water and Environmental Regulation)

- Enhanced medium term inflow forecasting capability for the Snowy Mountains scheme (with Snowy Hydro)

- Understanding the environmental drivers and how climate change impacts flowering patterns in southwestern Australia (with the CRC for Honey Bee Products)

- Wellstead Evaporation Trial Review (Water Corporation of Western Australia)

- Review of aerial imagery for monitoring riparian vegetation (BHP WA Iron Ore)

- Understanding and managing threats to savana riparian zones in Northern Australia (with NESP Northern Hub)

- Investigate the environmental fate of Silver Iodine and Indium (III) Oxide used for cloud seeding operations in the Snowy Mountains (with Snowy Hydro)

- Implementing improved vineyard floor management for premium grape production in a warm and dry Mediterranean climate (Australian Government Future Drought Fund)

- Climate change impacts on woodland ecosystem, integrating above and belowground hydrological processes at relevant scales (LP140100736, with Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions – DBCA, WA Gov)

- Developing new spatial temperature measurement and mapping tools to assist growers, advisors and extension specialists manage frost risk at farm scale (CSP10098, with the GRDC,)

- The applicability, efficacy and risks of natural sequence farming in the dryland agricultural zone of south west Western Australia (DPIRD)

My research is funded directly by industry, and in partnership with the following groups through the Australian Research Council Linkage and CRC Programmes, Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC), National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) and other Schemes:

-    ANDS/NeCTAR

-    Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), including Kings Park - Botanical Parks & Gardens Authority

-    Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER)

-    Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DIPRD)

-    Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW

-    Australian Government Future Drought Fund 

-    Snowy Hydro Limited

-    Rock Art Australia

-    South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub & Grower Group Alliance (GGA)

-    National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Resilient Landscapes Hub

-    Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – CSIC, Spanish National Research Council

-    Rio Tinto Iron Ore

-    BHP Iron Ore

-    Wheatbelt NRM

-    RPAS/Drones/Aerial Sensing: SciAero, Sensoren, AgriEye,  Specterra Systems

Theme 1: Hydrology, geomorphology and ecohydrology of wetlands and catchments under pressure from climate, humans and resource condition changes including land degradation, with a focus on Australian landscapes.

Geomorphology, hydrology and biogeomorphology:

• Advancing our understanding of geomorphology, particularly biogeomorphology in dryland Australian rivers and response to changing hydrology and land degradation
• Improving our understanding of remote-area hydrology and ecohydrology of large, remote and data-scarce dryland river basins, including management of dryland rivers and wetlands impacted by land management, resource condition degradation and climate change
• Alpine hydrology and sediment transport processes, including response of the marginal Australian snowpack to a warming climate and processes of sediment transport, redistribution and accumulation and impacts of silver used in cloud seeding to enhance snow precipitation

Australian climate and hydrology across the Quaternary:

• Palaeoclimate, snow hydrology and climate drivers of the Snowy Mountains
• Climate dynamics and cyclone frequency during the human occupation of north western Australia

Climate variability and climate change impacts on biodiverse and alpine ecosystems:

• Woodlands and Wetlands of biodiverse SW WA
• Snowpack dynamics and snowmelt in the Australian Alps
• Climate impacts and dynamics in carbon-rich coastal wetlands

Theme 2: Innovation and new knowledge for studying physical geography and environment processes.

• Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs, or drones) for remote sensing of environmental processes in natural and agricultural landscapes, including improved methods for low-level remote sensing and Structure-from-Motion (SfM) point cloud data analysis
• GIS and spatial analysis and remote sensing of hydrological processes, to study the hydrology of data-poor and dryland landscapes]
• Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) using optic-fibre cable for high resolution spatio-temporal measurement using temperature directly and as an environmental process proxy
•  

Techniques and Expertise

- Fluvial geomorphology and surface water processes

- Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS/drones, <25kg multirotor and <7kg fixed-wing RePL)

- Remote sensing (satellite, drone and ground-based: optical, spectral, thermal)

- Photogrammetry, Structure from Motion (SfM) and topographic change analysis

- Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS)

- Sediment tracing and dating

- Ecohydrology

- Water stable isotope

- Palaeoclimate

Undergraduate Teaching:
GEOG1106 Climate Change: Environment and Society

GEOG2202 Reading Landscapes: People and Processes

Postgraduate Teaching

ENVT4406 Using Drones for Catchment and Environmental Management

ENVT5516 Environmental Monitoring and Sensors