Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100203
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
Advanced Geochemical Facility for Climate and Environmental Change Research: a Western Australian/Indian Ocean focus. Research outcomes from this new facility will empower government bodies, resource industries, and indigenous stakeholders with key baseline information to ensure the sustainable and sensitive development of west Australia's unique coastal and offshore regions, across heavily populated and pristine environments. This includes projecting future impacts on local industries (eg. ener ....Advanced Geochemical Facility for Climate and Environmental Change Research: a Western Australian/Indian Ocean focus. Research outcomes from this new facility will empower government bodies, resource industries, and indigenous stakeholders with key baseline information to ensure the sustainable and sensitive development of west Australia's unique coastal and offshore regions, across heavily populated and pristine environments. This includes projecting future impacts on local industries (eg. energy, fisheries, tourism), rising shorelines with critical implications for existing and developing communities, and enhancing the resilience of habitats at risk. These are crucial to mitigate the impacts from environmental change that could severely affect our regional and national economies, as well as the style and quality of life of current and future generations.Read moreRead less
Ocean Acidification in a Rapidly Increasing CO2 World. Carbon dioxide not only acts as a greenhouse gas but is being dissolved at increasing rates into the surface waters of the world's oceans, causing ocean acidity. We will examine how the rapidly increasing trend towards acidity in the oceans surrounding Australia is effecting the ability of marine organisms to calcify and determine the rate at which the world's ocean sink for CO2 is being reduced. New constraints will be placed on the critica ....Ocean Acidification in a Rapidly Increasing CO2 World. Carbon dioxide not only acts as a greenhouse gas but is being dissolved at increasing rates into the surface waters of the world's oceans, causing ocean acidity. We will examine how the rapidly increasing trend towards acidity in the oceans surrounding Australia is effecting the ability of marine organisms to calcify and determine the rate at which the world's ocean sink for CO2 is being reduced. New constraints will be placed on the critical threshold limits of CO2 emissions for sustainable calcification in both shallow tropical and deep-water marine ecosystems of the Southern Oceans.Read moreRead less
Deep-sea coral records of Southern Ocean climate and nutrient dynamics . Deep-sea coral and seawater nutrient profiles collected from the Southern Ocean (SO) facing submarine canyons of south-west Australia will be used to provide new insights into the role of the SO overturning circulation in modulating global climate as well as supplying the essential nutrients that make these canyons biodiversity hot-spots for seasonal aggregations of killer and blue whales. This frontier project made possib ....Deep-sea coral records of Southern Ocean climate and nutrient dynamics . Deep-sea coral and seawater nutrient profiles collected from the Southern Ocean (SO) facing submarine canyons of south-west Australia will be used to provide new insights into the role of the SO overturning circulation in modulating global climate as well as supplying the essential nutrients that make these canyons biodiversity hot-spots for seasonal aggregations of killer and blue whales. This frontier project made possible by samples collected using Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) technology rarely available in Australia, will also help to understand how SO circulation has influenced past changes in global climate and its future role in controlling ocean productivity in a warming world with rapidly increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Read moreRead less
Hydrodynamics of Fringing Reef Systems. Ningaloo Marine Park is part of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas. Coral reefs are in a state of decline worldwide, yet Ningaloo Reef has remained in a relatively pristine state. However, its close proximity to land makes it particularly vulnerable to human activities, which are forecast to significantly grow in the near future. Results from this project will advance our ability to predict circulation on reefs and other similar c ....Hydrodynamics of Fringing Reef Systems. Ningaloo Marine Park is part of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas. Coral reefs are in a state of decline worldwide, yet Ningaloo Reef has remained in a relatively pristine state. However, its close proximity to land makes it particularly vulnerable to human activities, which are forecast to significantly grow in the near future. Results from this project will advance our ability to predict circulation on reefs and other similar coastal systems. This will provide insight into various ecological processes that are linked to hydrodynamics (e.g. recruitment), and will provide a foundation for conducting risk analysis of processes that threaten the integrity of nearshore environments (e.g. contaminant spills).Read moreRead less
Holding coral reefs together with soluble cement. This project aims to characterise and understand cement formation in coral reefs. Coral reefs are constructed by cementing together aragonite building blocks made by corals. The main cementing agent is high-magnesium calcite, the most soluble carbonate mineral and susceptible to ocean acidification. High-magnesium calcite cements are best developed on the high energy margins of coral reefs. This project will quantify how crustose coralline algae ....Holding coral reefs together with soluble cement. This project aims to characterise and understand cement formation in coral reefs. Coral reefs are constructed by cementing together aragonite building blocks made by corals. The main cementing agent is high-magnesium calcite, the most soluble carbonate mineral and susceptible to ocean acidification. High-magnesium calcite cements are best developed on the high energy margins of coral reefs. This project will quantify how crustose coralline algae produces high-magnesium calcite and controls the dissolution and reprecipitation of high-magnesium cements. This project intends to quantify rates of reef cementation, susceptibility to ocean acidification and warming, and possible mitigating effects of alkalinity addition.Read moreRead less
Ocean-reef interactions as drivers of continental shelf productivity in a changing climate. Poor coastal management results in the irreparable destruction of reef systems' function and biodiversity, nationally and globally. To manage marine resources effectively we must implement sustainable practices, including forward planning in the context of climate change. A critical limitation in determining appropriate actions is a poor understanding of mechanisms driving productivity. Our project will p ....Ocean-reef interactions as drivers of continental shelf productivity in a changing climate. Poor coastal management results in the irreparable destruction of reef systems' function and biodiversity, nationally and globally. To manage marine resources effectively we must implement sustainable practices, including forward planning in the context of climate change. A critical limitation in determining appropriate actions is a poor understanding of mechanisms driving productivity. Our project will provide key information on the oceanographic mechanisms supporting Australia's coastal systems, linking nutrient supply, physical drivers and climate. By linking all these factors we will both assist in determining appropriate ecosystem management, and provide a knowledge base to support adaptation to future changes in Australia's climate.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989731
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
Instrumentation for Innovative Marine Biogeochemistry. Rising greenhouse gases are changing the chemistry of the oceans, by altering the availability of nutrients and causing ocean acidification. Along with local pollutants, these changes pose significant threats to the productivity and sustainability of Australia's marine ecosystems. The proposed instrumentation will support world-leading research into the nature, impact, and potential for mitigating these changes. This will underpin our abilit ....Instrumentation for Innovative Marine Biogeochemistry. Rising greenhouse gases are changing the chemistry of the oceans, by altering the availability of nutrients and causing ocean acidification. Along with local pollutants, these changes pose significant threats to the productivity and sustainability of Australia's marine ecosystems. The proposed instrumentation will support world-leading research into the nature, impact, and potential for mitigating these changes. This will underpin our ability to manage and preserve the environmental, societal and economic values of our coastal and open ocean marine resources.Read moreRead less
Impact of increased sediment and nutrient discharges on the long-term sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's greatest natural assets, is under increasing threat from extreme climatic events caused by global warming and from land-based pollution. This research will identify the main sources of sediment and nutrient pollution caused by river runoff and by how much this has increased above 'natural levels'. We will discover how the very sensitive offsho ....Impact of increased sediment and nutrient discharges on the long-term sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's greatest natural assets, is under increasing threat from extreme climatic events caused by global warming and from land-based pollution. This research will identify the main sources of sediment and nutrient pollution caused by river runoff and by how much this has increased above 'natural levels'. We will discover how the very sensitive offshore coral reefs have responded to increased pollution and whether this is the cause of the very devastating crown-of-thorn-starfish infestations. Understanding the long-term effects of land-based pollution on the ecology of coral reefs in the GBR will thus provide a scientific basis to help ensure that it has a sustainable future.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100007
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$552,000.00
Summary
A fisheries and oceanographic observing system for the continental shelf. This project aims to create a floating, mobile fisheries and oceanographic observing system for Eastern Australia. Australian oceanographic and fisheries research has been hampered by the lack of appropriately sized and equipped research vessels required to investigate continental shelf waters and beyond. The automated floating facility will provide data to support ongoing ARC-funded research programs in marine biogeochemi ....A fisheries and oceanographic observing system for the continental shelf. This project aims to create a floating, mobile fisheries and oceanographic observing system for Eastern Australia. Australian oceanographic and fisheries research has been hampered by the lack of appropriately sized and equipped research vessels required to investigate continental shelf waters and beyond. The automated floating facility will provide data to support ongoing ARC-funded research programs in marine biogeochemistry, climate change, ocean acidification, coastal hydrology, biological oceanography, active acoustics, and fisheries resources and technology in the continental shelf and beyond. The expected outcome will bridge a major gap in fisheries and oceanographic research capacity to make observations in a critical region of the Australian marine estate and provide a stronger scientific basis for early detection of changes in seawater chemistry, biology and fisheries in priority waters experiencing rapid change.Read moreRead less
Indian Ocean Climate Change: Ningaloo Reef, a litmus test for the survival of coral reefs. Coral reefs are at the frontline from the effects of rapidly rising levels of carbon dioxide that is causing both global warming and oceans to become more acid-like. Our research program will determine how the survival of one of the World’s most pristine and best preserved coral reefs, Ningaloo Reef, is linked to the response of Australia’s Indian Ocean to climate change. For the first time, we will simula ....Indian Ocean Climate Change: Ningaloo Reef, a litmus test for the survival of coral reefs. Coral reefs are at the frontline from the effects of rapidly rising levels of carbon dioxide that is causing both global warming and oceans to become more acid-like. Our research program will determine how the survival of one of the World’s most pristine and best preserved coral reefs, Ningaloo Reef, is linked to the response of Australia’s Indian Ocean to climate change. For the first time, we will simulate realistic ‘future’ conditions and see how actual coral reef systems respond. This will provide a ‘yardstick’ against which the best-case survival potential of the world’s coral reefs can be assessed, critical for underpinning the urgently needed action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if we are to ensure the survival of coral reefs.Read moreRead less