The rural air quality monitoring network, DustWatch, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2025. It is one of the largest and longest-running volunteer-supported environmental monitoring programs in Australia.

During this time, the network has grown to 39 stations from the humble 7 sites it started with in 2005. Details on the purpose and achievements of DustWatch were published earlier in the year in the Celebrating 20 years of Community DustWatch report and a short video.

A solar panel and air monitoring tripod set up behind a barbed wire fence in a flat, grassy field, with a view of distant trees and houses
Installation of the first DustWatch site at Bidura Station in 2005.
Credit: DustWatch
Installation of the first DustWatch site at Bidura Station in 2005

Milestones

Significant milestones of the program include:

  • assisting with improving land management practices through higher levels of groundcover, resulting in less wind erosion and fewer dust storms (Leys et al. 2023; Leys et al. 2016)
  • adoption of DustWatch by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) to monitor wind erosion as part of a comprehensive national monitoring framework (Leys et al. 2009)
  • raising awareness about wind erosion and dust storms in local communities (Leys et al. 2016)
  • monitoring smoke as well as dust across rural south-eastern Australia, especially during the 2019–20 bushfires
  • winning the NSW Science and Engineering Award in 2011 and receiving a nomination for the 2016 Eureka Prizes for Innovation in Citizen Science
  • successful transition to the Climate and Atmospheric Science team to include air quality measurements in 2017.
A huge orange dust cloud encroaches on trees, cars and low-set buildings
Dust storm passing through Mildura on 7 May 2019.
Credit: Sydney Morning Herald
Dust storm passing through Mildura on 7 May 2019

References

Leys JF, Shields T, Murphy SR and Koen T (2023) ‘Changes in land management practices have reduced wind erosion in the cropping areas of far south-western New South Wales, Australia’, The Rangeland Journal, 44(5–6):309–319, doi.org/10.1071/RJ22028.

Leys J, Heidenreich S, Koen T and Colson I (2016) ‘DustWatch Network and Roadside Survey 2016’, Local Land Services.

Leys J, Smith J, MacRae C, Rickards J, Yang X, Randall L, Hairsine P, Dixon J and McTainsh G (2009) ‘Improving the capacity to monitor wind and water erosion: a review’, Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Commonwealth of Australia.