El Niño in a changing climate: novel long-term perspectives from Pacific corals and model simulations. El Niño and La Niña events have a profound influence on Australian drought conditions and rainfall. Forecasting is hampered by short climate records, which do not capture the full range of El Niño dynamics. This project aims to generate records of unprecedented length and spatial coverage from key sites across the western and central equatorial Pacific. Five hundred years of continuous, monthly ....El Niño in a changing climate: novel long-term perspectives from Pacific corals and model simulations. El Niño and La Niña events have a profound influence on Australian drought conditions and rainfall. Forecasting is hampered by short climate records, which do not capture the full range of El Niño dynamics. This project aims to generate records of unprecedented length and spatial coverage from key sites across the western and central equatorial Pacific. Five hundred years of continuous, monthly-resolution climate data will be integrated with output from state-of-the-art climate model simulations to distil the key processes that cause El Niño to vary. This project aims to provide major advances in determining the full range of El Niño and La Niña behaviour, leading to improved forecasts of future changes, with consequences for Australia's water security.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100017
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$404,950.00
Summary
A pictorial and geochemical history of Great Barrier Reef changes. This project aims to determine the timing and associated drivers behind dramatic changes in coral communities on reef flat environments since European settlement. It will use Uranium-Thorium dating, palaeoecological and geochemical techniques, as well as spatial elevation surveys to determine the timing and cause of ecological transition for inshore coral communities. This project will contribute baseline knowledge on the timing ....A pictorial and geochemical history of Great Barrier Reef changes. This project aims to determine the timing and associated drivers behind dramatic changes in coral communities on reef flat environments since European settlement. It will use Uranium-Thorium dating, palaeoecological and geochemical techniques, as well as spatial elevation surveys to determine the timing and cause of ecological transition for inshore coral communities. This project will contribute baseline knowledge on the timing and mechanisms associated with dramatic declines in coral cover on inshore reefs of the world heritage listed Great Barrier Reef, and provide a robust scientific foundation for effective monitoring.Read moreRead less
In situ remediation in mine site rehabilitation. In situ remediation in mine site rehabilitation. By enhancing and guiding abiotic and biotic processes of soil development, this project aims to accelerate the in situ remediation of bauxite residue (alumina refining tailings). Over 7 gigatonnes of tailings are produced globally every year, comprising complex mineral assemblages at extremes of pH and salinity with minimal biological activity. This project will build detailed knowledge on the chemi ....In situ remediation in mine site rehabilitation. In situ remediation in mine site rehabilitation. By enhancing and guiding abiotic and biotic processes of soil development, this project aims to accelerate the in situ remediation of bauxite residue (alumina refining tailings). Over 7 gigatonnes of tailings are produced globally every year, comprising complex mineral assemblages at extremes of pH and salinity with minimal biological activity. This project will build detailed knowledge on the chemical, physical, and biological properties of bauxite residue and apply this to develop field-scale in situ remediation strategies. This research will also advance understanding of soil development and primary succession of microbial communities in extreme, anthropogenic environments such as those presented by tailings.Read moreRead less
A new paradigm for the accumulation and persistence of metastable iron sulphides in sulphidic soils. Metastable iron sulphide minerals have a critical role in controlling surface- and ground-water quality. This project will transform our understanding of the environmental geochemistry of metastable iron sulphides in sulphidic soils. This will greatly enhance our ability to predict and manage water quality in a wide range of important aquatic systems.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100013
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$170,000.00
Summary
Eddy correlation lander array. The proposed Eddy Correlation Lander Array will be the first in world and, as such, will allow ground-breaking research to be undertaken resulting in advances in a variety of fields. As such, this equipment will significantly enhance many core research programs at Southern Cross University and Monash University and enhance our ability to deliver high quality research in the National Research Priority Area of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, with priority g ....Eddy correlation lander array. The proposed Eddy Correlation Lander Array will be the first in world and, as such, will allow ground-breaking research to be undertaken resulting in advances in a variety of fields. As such, this equipment will significantly enhance many core research programs at Southern Cross University and Monash University and enhance our ability to deliver high quality research in the National Research Priority Area of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, with priority goals in water resources, responding to climate change and variability, overcoming soil loss, salinity and acidity and sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100050
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$970,000.00
Summary
A new national electron microprobe facility. A new national electron microprobe facility: Precise chemical microanalysis underpins research on Earth materials. The Electron Microprobe (EMP) is the main instrument to achieve this. It performs rapid quantitative analysis and element mapping on solid materials at micron resolution. This facility will support an impressive variety of research including experimental, igneous and metamorphic petrology and geochronology. It will foster increased collab ....A new national electron microprobe facility. A new national electron microprobe facility: Precise chemical microanalysis underpins research on Earth materials. The Electron Microprobe (EMP) is the main instrument to achieve this. It performs rapid quantitative analysis and element mapping on solid materials at micron resolution. This facility will support an impressive variety of research including experimental, igneous and metamorphic petrology and geochronology. It will foster increased collaboration between partner organisations including universities and major geoscience institutes.Read moreRead less
Electron flow in iron hyper-enriched acidifying coastal environments: reaction paths and kinetics of iron-sulfur-carbon transformations. Iron hyper-enriched acidifying coastal lowlands have a direct social, economic and environmental impact on communities in many parts of Australia. This project will determine how iron transforms and accumulates. The new knowledge will be of immediate relevance for the remediation of coastal plains.
Physical and geochemical coupling in a subterranean estuary. This project aims to determine and quantify key mechanisms governing chemical transport and transformation in a tidally dominated subterranean estuary. The project will be the first attempt worldwide to measure simultaneously the temporal and spatial variability of coupled physical and geochemical processes in the intertidal zone of a subterranean estuary. The project will generate much-needed understanding of the role of subterranean ....Physical and geochemical coupling in a subterranean estuary. This project aims to determine and quantify key mechanisms governing chemical transport and transformation in a tidally dominated subterranean estuary. The project will be the first attempt worldwide to measure simultaneously the temporal and spatial variability of coupled physical and geochemical processes in the intertidal zone of a subterranean estuary. The project will generate much-needed understanding of the role of subterranean estuaries in controlling fluxes of land-derived chemicals to the ocean via submarine groundwater discharge. The outcomes will have important implications for assessing and minimising the impact of groundwater contamination on the coastal zone. It will provide better understanding of the pathway of land-derived nutrients and contaminants entering coastal waters, leading to improvement of strategies for sustainable coastal resources management and development, and integration of upland and lowland catchments management.Read moreRead less
Role of water in earth and planetary evolution. This project aims to understand the role of water in the building of our solar system, Mars and Earth. Surprisingly little is known about key issues surrounding the origin of water and its subsequent recycling on Earth. This project will use new techniques for measuring low abundances of water along with oxygen isotopes, to measure water abundances and oxygen isotopes in meteorites and terrestrial rocks to establish how water was delivered to Earth ....Role of water in earth and planetary evolution. This project aims to understand the role of water in the building of our solar system, Mars and Earth. Surprisingly little is known about key issues surrounding the origin of water and its subsequent recycling on Earth. This project will use new techniques for measuring low abundances of water along with oxygen isotopes, to measure water abundances and oxygen isotopes in meteorites and terrestrial rocks to establish how water was delivered to Earth and to understand how water is geologically recycled. This is expected to have direct bearing on where and how Earth's water originated, how water is retained in mantle and crustal minerals and it will have broad implications for understanding volcanic hazards and formation of ore deposits. This will lead to a new capability for combined water and oxygen isotope analysis in Australian geoscience leading to technological development and commercialisation of instrumentation.Read moreRead less
Multi-array, multi-frequency probing of the Earth's heterogeneity. Multiple seismic arrays will be combined into an 'internal telescope' to locate sources of seismic energy from earthquakes or by scattering from heterogeneity in the Earth. This will provide strong new constraints on fine scale structure in the crust, mantle and core, and thereby help to define Earth's internal processes.