The Effects of Nano and Ultrafine Particles from Traffic Emissions on Children's Health. The socio-economic benefits to Australia will include (i) quantitative knowledge of the exposure to nano and ultrafine particles, pollutants in the centre of current scientific, medical and policy debates and (ii) a breakthrough in the scientific understanding of the specific particle properties, which have impacts on health effects. The ultimate economic benefit will be improved urban design to lower, in pa ....The Effects of Nano and Ultrafine Particles from Traffic Emissions on Children's Health. The socio-economic benefits to Australia will include (i) quantitative knowledge of the exposure to nano and ultrafine particles, pollutants in the centre of current scientific, medical and policy debates and (ii) a breakthrough in the scientific understanding of the specific particle properties, which have impacts on health effects. The ultimate economic benefit will be improved urban design to lower, in particular, children's exposure to ultrafine particles, thus reducing life long impacts, health care cost and productivity losses. The research will also place Australia at the forefront of international progress towards better methods for achieving environmental and public health sustainability.Read moreRead less
The ARC Earth System Science Research Network. The ARC Earth System Science Network incorporates data collectors, modellers and impacts researchers to address the impacts of climate change and variability on Human, biological and physical systems. Our capacity to adapt to changes in water availability, agricultural productivity, the likelihood of species extinctions, and risks to human health will be enhanced through the Network's use of frontier technologies. The enhanced capacity to use data a ....The ARC Earth System Science Research Network. The ARC Earth System Science Network incorporates data collectors, modellers and impacts researchers to address the impacts of climate change and variability on Human, biological and physical systems. Our capacity to adapt to changes in water availability, agricultural productivity, the likelihood of species extinctions, and risks to human health will be enhanced through the Network's use of frontier technologies. The enhanced capacity to use data and model the Earth System will allow policymakers to make more informed decisions with regard to water, biodiversity, human health, industry and agriculture sustainability; thereby enhancing the national capacity to respond to climate change and variability and securing our common interest.Read moreRead less
Physical, Chemical and Radiative Characteristics of Australian Continental Aerosols. Australian desert dust, and the biomass burning aerosol particles produced in the top-end burning season, have the potential to impose an environmental burden not only on Australia, but also on the surrounding region. While most of the world's major aerosol types have been well studied in recent years, these two remain largely unknown. There are good reasons to believe that Australian aerosols are different from ....Physical, Chemical and Radiative Characteristics of Australian Continental Aerosols. Australian desert dust, and the biomass burning aerosol particles produced in the top-end burning season, have the potential to impose an environmental burden not only on Australia, but also on the surrounding region. While most of the world's major aerosol types have been well studied in recent years, these two remain largely unknown. There are good reasons to believe that Australian aerosols are different from many others. We therefore intend to fully characterize their relevant properties, so we may monitor them from space, and evaluate their environmental impacts.Read moreRead less
Reengineering a dynamic vegetation model to explore the stability of Australian terrestrial carbon. Overseas models do not represent Australian biophysical processes well: our flora and fauna are unique and our soils are old and nutrient poor. In contrast, the National Carbon Accounting System (NCAS) is a world-class framework for estimating current carbon processes. By building NCAS expertise into an overseas model of soil and vegetation processes we can develop the capacity to increase our con ....Reengineering a dynamic vegetation model to explore the stability of Australian terrestrial carbon. Overseas models do not represent Australian biophysical processes well: our flora and fauna are unique and our soils are old and nutrient poor. In contrast, the National Carbon Accounting System (NCAS) is a world-class framework for estimating current carbon processes. By building NCAS expertise into an overseas model of soil and vegetation processes we can develop the capacity to increase our confidence in future projections of carbon and vegetation change. Our proposal, linking Universities, CSIRO and the Australian Greenhouse Office establishes a team that is internationally competitive. It will enhance local expertise and local model development to ensure national policy development is underpinned by world-class science.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354594
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
The Australian Climate System Network. The climate system integrates the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, biosphere, land-surface and the fluxes of energy, water and biogeochemical quantities between these elements. Changes in climate affect Australia dramatically: for example, the cost of the recent drought exceeded $10 billion. To enable internationally competitive climate system research, networking is required to enhance our national capability and our international connectivity. We will expl ....The Australian Climate System Network. The climate system integrates the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, biosphere, land-surface and the fluxes of energy, water and biogeochemical quantities between these elements. Changes in climate affect Australia dramatically: for example, the cost of the recent drought exceeded $10 billion. To enable internationally competitive climate system research, networking is required to enhance our national capability and our international connectivity. We will explore the establishment of a Climate System Network by facilitating communication between Universities, government agencies and CRCs. The Climate System Network will enable new climate-related questions relating to the sustainability of the Australian physical and Human environments to be explored.Read moreRead less
Molecular Ecology of Cryptosporidium in Rural and Urban NSW. Cryptosporidiosis is of particular concern in rural NSW. Significant increases in the incidence of cryptosporidiosis coupled with repeated outbreaks in regional areas demonstrate a need for improved management strategies. This project will identify transmission patterns of this disease relevant to the Australian environment, which is essential for future control. The reduction of economic costs for medical treatment of cryptosporidiosi ....Molecular Ecology of Cryptosporidium in Rural and Urban NSW. Cryptosporidiosis is of particular concern in rural NSW. Significant increases in the incidence of cryptosporidiosis coupled with repeated outbreaks in regional areas demonstrate a need for improved management strategies. This project will identify transmission patterns of this disease relevant to the Australian environment, which is essential for future control. The reduction of economic costs for medical treatment of cryptosporidiosis and improved on-farm management through control of Cryptosporidium transmission from farm animals are significant to public health and of national and community benefit. The primary national benefit will be improved rural community health through prevention of cryptosporidiosis outbreaks.Read moreRead less
Anomalous isotope effects in atmospheric ozone and carbon dioxide. The anomalous isotopic composition of atmospheric ozone, which has been a puzzle for over twenty years, will be investigated by laboratory and atmospheric measurements. An understanding of the source of this anomaly and its effect on the isotopic composition of other trace atmospheric gases, especially CO2, would provide unique opportunities for constraining the tropospheric and stratospheric ozone budgets and determining the his ....Anomalous isotope effects in atmospheric ozone and carbon dioxide. The anomalous isotopic composition of atmospheric ozone, which has been a puzzle for over twenty years, will be investigated by laboratory and atmospheric measurements. An understanding of the source of this anomaly and its effect on the isotopic composition of other trace atmospheric gases, especially CO2, would provide unique opportunities for constraining the tropospheric and stratospheric ozone budgets and determining the history of a particular air mass. The method of detection will be high resolution FTIR spectroscopy which, in contrast to traditional mass-spectrometric methods, provides information about the position of the heavy atom in an enriched ozone molecule and requires no sample preparation.Read moreRead less
The best astronomical site on earth? A modern optical/infrared telescope is only as good as its site. We have previously shown that the infrared skies above the South Pole are up to 100 times darker than skies elsewhere, leading to enormous potential gains in sensitivity. We now seek to extend these measurements to Antarctic sites that are even higher, drier and colder than the South Pole. These are expected to be the best observing sites on Earth, paving the way for the deployment of telescop ....The best astronomical site on earth? A modern optical/infrared telescope is only as good as its site. We have previously shown that the infrared skies above the South Pole are up to 100 times darker than skies elsewhere, leading to enormous potential gains in sensitivity. We now seek to extend these measurements to Antarctic sites that are even higher, drier and colder than the South Pole. These are expected to be the best observing sites on Earth, paving the way for the deployment of telescopes of unprecedented sensitivity able to explore the origins of planets, stars and galaxies.
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Do terrestrial processes intensify Australian droughts ? Australia's agricultural productivity is strongly affected by climate, climate variability and climate change. Recent climate changes in Western Australia forced adaptation strategies costing $500 million while the anomalously intense 2002 Murray-Darling Basin drought significantly affected agriculture. Any further intensification of droughts would affect Australia's rural economy. This proposal will assess the role of terrestrial processe ....Do terrestrial processes intensify Australian droughts ? Australia's agricultural productivity is strongly affected by climate, climate variability and climate change. Recent climate changes in Western Australia forced adaptation strategies costing $500 million while the anomalously intense 2002 Murray-Darling Basin drought significantly affected agriculture. Any further intensification of droughts would affect Australia's rural economy. This proposal will assess the role of terrestrial processes, linked to increasing CO2, in causing the drought intensification and declines in rainfall. This will provide knowledge that will guide the development of future environmental management strategies.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668470
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,000.00
Summary
High resolution Fourier transform infrared spectrometer for atmospheric remote sensing and laboratory spectroscopy. Climate change is a major global concern, with the potential for major consequences in Australia. This proposal contributes directly to climate change research relevant to Australia through direct measurements of the atmosphere relevant to the understanding of phenomena such as increasing greenhouse gas concentrations and stratospheric ozone depletion. Australia's geographical posi ....High resolution Fourier transform infrared spectrometer for atmospheric remote sensing and laboratory spectroscopy. Climate change is a major global concern, with the potential for major consequences in Australia. This proposal contributes directly to climate change research relevant to Australia through direct measurements of the atmosphere relevant to the understanding of phenomena such as increasing greenhouse gas concentrations and stratospheric ozone depletion. Australia's geographical position in the less populated southern hemisphere, and its advanced scientific infrastructure, mean that it has an especially important and valuable role to play in global atmospheric research. The proposed research participates in several international research programmes.Read moreRead less