Tidal generation of internal waves and currents. The North West Shelf (NWS) is a region of great significance to Australia, due mainly to the presence of the multi-billion dollar oil and gas industry, but also for fishing and national defense issues. This project will combine laboratory, numerical and field studies to quantify the production of internal waves on the NWS. The results will aid engineering design of offshore pipeline and structures, for both current production facilities and for fu ....Tidal generation of internal waves and currents. The North West Shelf (NWS) is a region of great significance to Australia, due mainly to the presence of the multi-billion dollar oil and gas industry, but also for fishing and national defense issues. This project will combine laboratory, numerical and field studies to quantify the production of internal waves on the NWS. The results will aid engineering design of offshore pipeline and structures, for both current production facilities and for future developments in deeper waters. The project will also provide quantitative knowledge and predictive behavior of the marine environment, allowing the development of earth and marine resources in a sustainable and informed way to protect the marine-based biodiversity.Read moreRead less
Sensitivity and Change in the Global Ocean Overturning. The dynamics of the global, deep overturning circulation in the oceans and the way this adjusts to increasing greenhouse forcing will be examined in order to improve our conceptual knowledge of the oceans and the accuracy of climate models. By understanding how the ocean responds to changing surface heat and freshwater fluxes, and particularly the global role of rapid changes in high-latitude seas, we aim to help refine estimates of climate ....Sensitivity and Change in the Global Ocean Overturning. The dynamics of the global, deep overturning circulation in the oceans and the way this adjusts to increasing greenhouse forcing will be examined in order to improve our conceptual knowledge of the oceans and the accuracy of climate models. By understanding how the ocean responds to changing surface heat and freshwater fluxes, and particularly the global role of rapid changes in high-latitude seas, we aim to help refine estimates of climate response times and the warming expected for a given increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases. These two important characteristics of the climate system underlie climate change policy decisions.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100067
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$210,000.00
Summary
Wind profiler network for planetary boundary layer research. Understanding winds in the lower atmosphere is of great fundamental and practical importance. This new wind monitoring network will help Australian scientists to better predict propagation of tropical cyclones, to improve the efficiency of wind energy production, and to better understand atmosphere-ocean interactions affecting weather and climate.
Transient coastal upwelling along Western Australia: The dynamics of the Ningaloo Current system. This project will lead to significant advances in our understanding of the Ningaloo Current system that dominates the regional circulation surrounding Ningaloo Marine Park, part of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas. The numerical model and field measurements will, for the first time, elucidate which physical factors drive the Ningaloo Current and the resulting spatial and ....Transient coastal upwelling along Western Australia: The dynamics of the Ningaloo Current system. This project will lead to significant advances in our understanding of the Ningaloo Current system that dominates the regional circulation surrounding Ningaloo Marine Park, part of the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas. The numerical model and field measurements will, for the first time, elucidate which physical factors drive the Ningaloo Current and the resulting spatial and temporal variability of upwelling. This will ultimately provide insight into how various ecological processes are linked to hydrodynamics (e.g., nutrient delivery, bleaching) and help assess how susceptible the reef ecosystem may be to changes to physical forcing resulting from climate change.Read moreRead less
Coupled physical and biogeochemical dynamics on the Australian North West Shelf. Information regarding the natural function of the Australian North West Shelf is urgently required to sustainably manage the often conflicting uses of the region. This project will study the role of ocean processes in driving ocean productivity on the North West Shelf and determine the impact of projected climate variability.
Extreme tidal forcing of a topographically complex coastal region: the Kimberley, Western Australia. This project will lead to significant advances in our understanding of the ocean circulation of the Camden Sound region of the Kimberley, Western Australia. The combination of field and laboratory observations, coupled with numerical modelling will, for the first time, elucidate the influence of the series of islands, reefs and headlands on the circulation and mixing along this coast. This will u ....Extreme tidal forcing of a topographically complex coastal region: the Kimberley, Western Australia. This project will lead to significant advances in our understanding of the ocean circulation of the Camden Sound region of the Kimberley, Western Australia. The combination of field and laboratory observations, coupled with numerical modelling will, for the first time, elucidate the influence of the series of islands, reefs and headlands on the circulation and mixing along this coast. This will ultimately provide insight into other similar systems with complex coastal topography, such as the Great Barrier Reef, and provide the frame work to understand the various physical processes that drive the marine ecology of the region.Read moreRead less
The role of internal wave-driven near-bed turbulent dynamics in coastal ocean sediment mobilisation. This project will determine the process of internal wave-driven sediment resuspension and transport in the coastal ocean. This will be achieved by using a combination of field observations and numerical modelling, at two diverse but representative Australian coastal regions where nonlinear internal waves dominate the dynamics. The study has significant application to the offshore oil and gas indu ....The role of internal wave-driven near-bed turbulent dynamics in coastal ocean sediment mobilisation. This project will determine the process of internal wave-driven sediment resuspension and transport in the coastal ocean. This will be achieved by using a combination of field observations and numerical modelling, at two diverse but representative Australian coastal regions where nonlinear internal waves dominate the dynamics. The study has significant application to the offshore oil and gas industry engineering design and operations as well as to environmental management of the coastal ocean ecosystems. This project will achieve a process understanding and create predictive tools describing sediment resuspension and transport for use by industry and marine managers.Read moreRead less
From The Ocean Depths To Abrupt Climate Change - Missing Processes In The Global Overturning Circulation. The overturning circulation of the oceans is a driver of large and surprisingly abrupt climate shifts. We aim to understand the factors that control the rate of overturning, and whether it might soon slow down or cease owing to global warming. We also aim to resolve one of the biggest conundrums in oceanography by reconciling theoretical and measured rates of mixing in the deep ocean. Improv ....From The Ocean Depths To Abrupt Climate Change - Missing Processes In The Global Overturning Circulation. The overturning circulation of the oceans is a driver of large and surprisingly abrupt climate shifts. We aim to understand the factors that control the rate of overturning, and whether it might soon slow down or cease owing to global warming. We also aim to resolve one of the biggest conundrums in oceanography by reconciling theoretical and measured rates of mixing in the deep ocean. Improved knowledge of deep ocean dynamics, particularly in the Southern Ocean, will help us gauge the likely nature and pace of imminent climate changes in the Australian region, an essential step in assessing the impacts on water resources, ecosystems, agriculture, and energy demands. The research will add to a major new initiative in marine science at ANU.Read moreRead less