Position

Associate Professor

Biography 

Alistair joined the academic staff of UKZN in 2014 as a Lecturer in Agrometeorology. Areas of expertise include measurement and estimation of plant water use and evapotranspiration, the surface radiation and energy balance, water and carbon fluxes, the water-balance and soil water measurement. He has recently been involved in lightning detection studies and setup near real-time early warning weather systems using Amazon Web Services systems.

Qualifications

PhD in Hydrology
MSc. in Agrometeorology
BSc.(Hons.) in Hydrology
BSc. in Hydrology and Soils

Current Research Projects

• Mapping and assessing the impacts of crop-weed competition in neglected and underutilized crops. Funded by the South African Water Research Commission. April 2023 – March 2026.
• Determine water use of Cannabis tree in Eastern Cape and KwaZulu – Natal Provinces. Funded by the South African Water Research Commission. April 2021 – March 2025.
• Leveraging the Google Earth Engine to analyse very-high spatial resolution unmanned aerial vehicle data to guide and inform precision agriculture in smallholder farms. Funded by the South African Water Research Commission. April 2023 – March 2026.
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) of Neglected and Underutilised Crop species (NUS) for improved water use and productivity in smallholder farms. Funded by the South African Water Research Commission. April 2022 – March 2026.

Recently Completed Projects:

• Clulow, A, Kaptein, N., Everson, C. S., Germishuizen, I., Kunz, R.P., Gokool, S.1, and Toucher, M.L., 2023. The Expansion of Knowledge on Evapotranspiration and Stream Flow Reduction of Different Clones/Hybrids to improve the Water Use Estimation of SFRA Species (i.e. Pinus, Eucalyptus, and Wattle Species): Volume 1: Improved Water Use Estimation of SFRA Species Final Report, WRC Report No. TT 898/1/22, Water Research Commission, Pretoria, South Africa (ISBN: 978-0-6392-0048-4).
• Clulow, A.D., Kunz, R.P., Gokool, S., Toucher, M.L., Schutte, S., Schulze, R.E., Horan, R., Everson, C.E., Thornton-Dibb, S.L.C., Horan, M.J.C., Kaptein, N., Clark, D.J. and Germishuizen, I., 2023. The Expansion of Knowledge on Evapotranspiration and Stream Flow Reduction of Different Clones/Hybrids to improve the Water Use Estimation of SFRA Species (i.e. Pinus, Eucalyptus, and Wattle Species): Volume 2: SFRA Assessment Utility Final Report, WRC Report No. TT 898/2/22, Water Research Commission, Pretoria, South Africa (ISBN: 978-0-6392-0355-3).
• Everson, C.S., Gumede M.P., Everson, T.M., Clulow, A.D. and Kunz, R.P., 2022. Quantification of the evapotranspiration and stream flow reduction caused by bamboo species on water resources in South Africa, WRC Report No. TT875/22, Water Research Commission, Pretoria, South Africa (ISBN: 978-0-6392-0336-2).
• Taylor, N.J., Mazhawu, E ., Clulow, A ., Roets, N ., Midgley, S.J.E., Smit, T., and Annandale, J.G., 2021. Water Use of Avocado Orchards Volume 1, WRC Report No. 2552/1/21, Water Research Commission, Pretoria, South Africa (ISBN: 978-0-6392-0272-3).
• Taylor, N.J., Smit, T., Smit, A,, Midgley, S.J.E., Clulow, A., Annandale, J.G., Dlamini, K., Roets, N., 2021. Water Use of Macadamia Orchards Volume 2. WRC Report No. 2552/2/21, Water Research Commission, Pretoria, South Africa (ISBN: 978-0-6392-0273-0).

Hobbies and Interests:

• Sailing

Selected Recent Publications

• Aldworth T.A.; Toucher M.L.W.; Clulow A.D., 2024. The Potential Impact of Woody Encroachment on Evapotranspiration Losses in South Africa’s Savannas: A combined Systematic Review and meta-Analysis Approach, Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology, 27-35, DOI 10.1016/j.ecohyd.2023.08.016.
• Gokool, S., Mahomed, M., Brewer, K., Naiken, V., Clulow, A., Sibanda, M., Mabhaudhi, T., 2024. Crop mapping in smallholder farms using unmanned aerial vehicle imagery and geospatial cloud computing infrastructure, Heliyon 10(5). https://doi.org/10.17159/wsa/2024.v50.i1.4056.
• Kaptein, N., Clulow, A. D., Everson, C.S., Germishuizen, I., 2024. Water use and potential hydrological implications of fast-growing Eucalyptus grandis x Eucalyptus urophylla hybrid in northern Zululand, South Africa. Water SA, 50 (1), 57 – 68. https://doi.org/10.17159/wsa/2024.v50.i1.4056.
• Kaptein, N.D., Everson, C.S., Clulow, A.D., Toucher, M.L. and Germishuizen, I., 2023. Transpiration rates from mature Eucalyptus grandis x E. nitens clonal hybrid and Pinus elliottii plantations near the Two Streams Research Catchment, South Africa, Hydrol.EarthSyst.Sci.,27,4467–4484, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-4467-2023
• Daniel, S., Mengistu, M.G., Olivier, C., Clulow, A.D., 2023. Analysis of Dry-Spells in the Western Maize-Growing Areas of South Africa, Water, 15(6), 1056. DOI 10.3390/w15061056.