Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100391
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$386,500.00
Summary
Island resilience to tropical cyclones and rising sea levels. This project aims to produce a dynamic model to address the global problem of low-lying island inundation following high-energy events, such as tropical cyclones and storm surges. These events threaten coastal habitats and biodiversity, and in worst cases, displace human populations. The model will identify islands at risk to inundation thereby enabling governments to adopt appropriate mitigation and/or adaptation strategies to impr ....Island resilience to tropical cyclones and rising sea levels. This project aims to produce a dynamic model to address the global problem of low-lying island inundation following high-energy events, such as tropical cyclones and storm surges. These events threaten coastal habitats and biodiversity, and in worst cases, displace human populations. The model will identify islands at risk to inundation thereby enabling governments to adopt appropriate mitigation and/or adaptation strategies to improve outcomes for island economic, societal and biological values.Read moreRead less
Longshore Sediment Supply to the Deep Ocean. The current model to supply sand to deep water off continental margins is that provided by rivers operating at low sea level. We propose an alternative model in which sand is provided by longshore transport to deep water at high sea level north of Fraser Island, SE Queensland. Here we will test the validity of our new model by site studies of sea bottom morphology, composition and dynamics. If the model proves true, we will have: 1) generated an entir ....Longshore Sediment Supply to the Deep Ocean. The current model to supply sand to deep water off continental margins is that provided by rivers operating at low sea level. We propose an alternative model in which sand is provided by longshore transport to deep water at high sea level north of Fraser Island, SE Queensland. Here we will test the validity of our new model by site studies of sea bottom morphology, composition and dynamics. If the model proves true, we will have: 1) generated an entirely new exploration model for deepwater hydrocarbons, 2) provided new expertise and seabed maps for generating a superior marine naval defence capability.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882854
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,000,000.00
Summary
Australian Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will provide high-leverage access to the largest, and most effective international geoscience program.
Results from drilling within Australia's marine jurisdiction will give understanding of the oceans' state under past climates through high resolution records of the range of oceanographic and biological responses to climate change, the role of the deep biosphere in shapin ....Australian Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will provide high-leverage access to the largest, and most effective international geoscience program.
Results from drilling within Australia's marine jurisdiction will give understanding of the oceans' state under past climates through high resolution records of the range of oceanographic and biological responses to climate change, the role of the deep biosphere in shaping oil and gas deposits, hydrothermal and igneous processes involved in ore genesis, and enhanced understanding of some of the world's largest earthquake- and tsunami-generating processes.
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New tools for old rocks: first cycle provenance information. The aims of this research are to enhance stratigraphic understanding of sedimentary sequences in Western Australia through application of novel provenance fingerprinting tools in K-feldspar (Pb isotopes) & apatite (U-Pb, Sr isotopes and grain chemistry). While much stratigraphic characterization has been based on detrital zircon ages & their correlation to basement sources, two major limitations are apparent: a) zircon may be multicycl ....New tools for old rocks: first cycle provenance information. The aims of this research are to enhance stratigraphic understanding of sedimentary sequences in Western Australia through application of novel provenance fingerprinting tools in K-feldspar (Pb isotopes) & apatite (U-Pb, Sr isotopes and grain chemistry). While much stratigraphic characterization has been based on detrital zircon ages & their correlation to basement sources, two major limitations are apparent: a) zircon may be multicycle, blurring source-sink relationships, b) zircon may be absent in mafic lithologies thus biasing investigations. In this work K-feldspar & apatite provenance investigation will be undertaken on a state wide basis and include case studies in the Yilgarn Craton and Canning & Northern Carnarvon Basins.
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Reconstruction of marine ecosystems following the greatest mass extinction during the Phanerozoic history of Earth life: Lessons for the present. Frequent defaunation events strongly threaten sustainable development of marine resources and human environments especially in countries that are surrounded by oceans such as Australia. By analysing recovery mechanisms of marine ecosystems following the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, the greatest crisis of Earth life, we will develop predictive tool ....Reconstruction of marine ecosystems following the greatest mass extinction during the Phanerozoic history of Earth life: Lessons for the present. Frequent defaunation events strongly threaten sustainable development of marine resources and human environments especially in countries that are surrounded by oceans such as Australia. By analysing recovery mechanisms of marine ecosystems following the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, the greatest crisis of Earth life, we will develop predictive tools for analysing restoration of modern marine defaunated ecosystems. Understanding biotic extinction and recovery is crucial to understanding the evolution of the Earth's biosphere. This study increases Australia's research profile on this global issue. The target strata are quality oil source rocks in Perth Basin, and thus this project is beneficial to the Australian petroleum industry.Read moreRead less
Chronostratigraphic and tectonothermal history of the northern Capricorn Orogen: constructing a geological framework for understanding mineral systems. The application of innovative age dating techniques with field mapping and a new deep seismic survey across the Capricorn Orogen by this project will help construct a vastly improved geological framework for understanding large mineral systems. Outcomes of this project will reduce uncertainty and risk in exploration, thereby improving the discove ....Chronostratigraphic and tectonothermal history of the northern Capricorn Orogen: constructing a geological framework for understanding mineral systems. The application of innovative age dating techniques with field mapping and a new deep seismic survey across the Capricorn Orogen by this project will help construct a vastly improved geological framework for understanding large mineral systems. Outcomes of this project will reduce uncertainty and risk in exploration, thereby improving the discovery rate of natural resources.Read moreRead less
Latest Jurassic history of the Exmouth Sub-basin, North West Shelf: lowstand deposits of the basal Barrow Group. Sand-filled canyons may be excellent petroleum reservoirs, however, interpretation of formation and sediment filling of these major deep marine features is controversial. This project seeks to elucidate the origin of canyons and associated basin floor fans by combining sedimentological data with seismic interpretation and modelling to generate new insights into the history of the E ....Latest Jurassic history of the Exmouth Sub-basin, North West Shelf: lowstand deposits of the basal Barrow Group. Sand-filled canyons may be excellent petroleum reservoirs, however, interpretation of formation and sediment filling of these major deep marine features is controversial. This project seeks to elucidate the origin of canyons and associated basin floor fans by combining sedimentological data with seismic interpretation and modelling to generate new insights into the history of the Exmouth Sub-basin during the Latest Jurassic. In particular, this project provides an opportunity to explore the role of tectonism in canyon formation, the results of which will be of international interest. Geological models developed in this project will enhance our understanding of deep marine systems.Read moreRead less
Integrated provenance analysis: towards better ways of interpreting the source of ancient sediments. Determining the provenance of sedimentary grains is a key element of testing competing geological hypotheses. Most provenance analyses are based on single-grain analytical techniques that may miss vital information. This project will develop an integrated, systematic approach to provenance analysis by applying a broad range of modal, geochemical and isotopic techniques to enable the effective i ....Integrated provenance analysis: towards better ways of interpreting the source of ancient sediments. Determining the provenance of sedimentary grains is a key element of testing competing geological hypotheses. Most provenance analyses are based on single-grain analytical techniques that may miss vital information. This project will develop an integrated, systematic approach to provenance analysis by applying a broad range of modal, geochemical and isotopic techniques to enable the effective identification of sources of grains in sedimentary rocks. The new system will be used to test hypotheses of when the Pilbara and Yilgarn cratons amalgamated to form the core of the Australian continent.Read moreRead less
The origin of iron formations: implications for ancient ocean chemistry and the evolution of microbial life. Iron formations host most of the world's iron reserves and are central to our understanding of ancient ocean chemistry and the diversity of microbial life. Despite their scientific importance, questions remain about their original composition and formation. Preliminary work suggests that basic assumptions about their deposition require reevaluation. This project will use new technology an ....The origin of iron formations: implications for ancient ocean chemistry and the evolution of microbial life. Iron formations host most of the world's iron reserves and are central to our understanding of ancient ocean chemistry and the diversity of microbial life. Despite their scientific importance, questions remain about their original composition and formation. Preliminary work suggests that basic assumptions about their deposition require reevaluation. This project will use new technology and novel methods to investigate the precursor sediments of iron formations and their temporal relationship with periods of global magmatism and atmospheric oxygenation. Results will be used to test and develop new depositional models for iron formations, underpinning interpretations about the composition of the Precambrian ocean, atmosphere and biosphere. Read moreRead less
Developing a new tectonothermal and mineralization history for the Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia: Assisting mineral exploration in greenfields terrains. Successful exploration models rely on the development of a reliable geological framework through which to understand the specific processes responsible for the formation of economic ore deposits. A framework cannot be constructed without robust age data. This Project will apply advanced geochronology, combined with regional- and deposit-sc ....Developing a new tectonothermal and mineralization history for the Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia: Assisting mineral exploration in greenfields terrains. Successful exploration models rely on the development of a reliable geological framework through which to understand the specific processes responsible for the formation of economic ore deposits. A framework cannot be constructed without robust age data. This Project will apply advanced geochronology, combined with regional- and deposit-scale field mapping, to formulate a new and improved stratigraphic and tectonic framework for a prospective greenfields region in Western Australia. Outcomes from this Project will lead to more effective exploration models and thereby better exploration targeting. Reducing uncertainty and risk in exploration is key to the discovery and development of deep Earth resources. Read moreRead less