Vibrational Spectroscopy and Imaging from Interstellar Dust to Life. The outcome of this project will result in a more thorough understanding of the role of water in the atmosphere and in the Greenhouse effect, and will provide information leading to more accurate modelling of Global warming. The results will also lead to new insights into interstellar chemistry, the chemistry of cometary dust and the origins of life.
QUANTIFICATION OF INTERACTIONS DURING THE DISPERSION OF CORONA IONS AND AIRBORNE PARTICLES NEAR POWER LINES. Currently there is no method for quantification of concentration and dispersion of charged aerosols near high voltage power lines (HVPLs). However, hypothesis have been presented, but not yet proven scientifically, that residents of houses close to combustion sources such as highways or industrial plants and HVPLs may be subjected to health risk due to inhalation of charged aerosols. The ....QUANTIFICATION OF INTERACTIONS DURING THE DISPERSION OF CORONA IONS AND AIRBORNE PARTICLES NEAR POWER LINES. Currently there is no method for quantification of concentration and dispersion of charged aerosols near high voltage power lines (HVPLs). However, hypothesis have been presented, but not yet proven scientifically, that residents of houses close to combustion sources such as highways or industrial plants and HVPLs may be subjected to health risk due to inhalation of charged aerosols. The outcome of this project will be a model for quantitative assessment of the processes occurring during the transport and dispersion of corona ions and combustion aerosol, which will be a tool for predictive risk assessment and informed management of public resources in relation to power line design and maintenance.Read moreRead less
Development and validation of a model predicting charged aerosol characteristics in the proximity to high voltage powerlines. With over 780,000 km length of High Voltage Power Lines running through different parts of the country, the scientific and socio-economic benefits to Australia and worldwide include: (i) The developed novel semi-empirical model would become an important tool for research on human exposure and health effects in the vicinity of powerlines and vehicle transport routs, and fo ....Development and validation of a model predicting charged aerosol characteristics in the proximity to high voltage powerlines. With over 780,000 km length of High Voltage Power Lines running through different parts of the country, the scientific and socio-economic benefits to Australia and worldwide include: (i) The developed novel semi-empirical model would become an important tool for research on human exposure and health effects in the vicinity of powerlines and vehicle transport routs, and for developing future directions for management and control strategies for transport and land development plans; (ii) The ultimate benefit of this research will be reduction of risks and thus increase in health and well-being of Australians and reduction in health care costs. 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
Impacts of deforestation and afforestation on greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon and water resources in the Daly River catchment, north Australia. Over the last decade, north Australia have been viewed as a potentially exploitable resource, given issues of salinisation, soil acidification, over-allocation of water resources and rainfall declines in south Australian agricultural regions. Improved pastures and plantation forestry are two land uses that may expand in the NT. Clearing of savanna v ....Impacts of deforestation and afforestation on greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon and water resources in the Daly River catchment, north Australia. Over the last decade, north Australia have been viewed as a potentially exploitable resource, given issues of salinisation, soil acidification, over-allocation of water resources and rainfall declines in south Australian agricultural regions. Improved pastures and plantation forestry are two land uses that may expand in the NT. Clearing of savanna vegetation would be required, with implications for greenhouse gas emissions, soil health, water resources and dry season environmental flows. This project will track greenhouse emissions and water use from uncleared and cleared savanna that has been converted to pasture and timber plantations, providing critical understanding of the environmental implication of such land use change in savanna.Read moreRead less
Greenhouse gas emission from sugarcane and mangrove communities in coastal Queensland. Greenhouse gases threaten the global climate. Many estimates of vegetation as sinks and sources for greenhouse gases have a high degree of uncertainty. This project will generate important information about greenhouse gas emissions from Queensland coastal vegetation. Characterised by moist and nutrient rich conditions, sugarcane fields and mangrove ecosystems represent significant sources/sinks of potent green ....Greenhouse gas emission from sugarcane and mangrove communities in coastal Queensland. Greenhouse gases threaten the global climate. Many estimates of vegetation as sinks and sources for greenhouse gases have a high degree of uncertainty. This project will generate important information about greenhouse gas emissions from Queensland coastal vegetation. Characterised by moist and nutrient rich conditions, sugarcane fields and mangrove ecosystems represent significant sources/sinks of potent greenhouse gases nitrous oxide and methane. Sugarcane and mangroves exposed to different nutrient inputs will allow to (i) identify mechanisms of N2O and CH4 emission, (ii) model N2O and CH4 emissions under different nutrient and climate conditions, and (iii) control/reduce emissions by improving coastal ecosystem management.Read moreRead less
Assimilation of trace atmospheric constituents for climate (ATACC): Linking chemical weather and climate. Changes in atmospheric ozone and carbon dioxide affect many aspects of surface climate from changes in ultraviolet radiation (ozone) to long-term changes in temperature (carbon dioxide). Better mapping of these gases will help us understand, predict and manage these changes. For ozone, it will clarify the link between ozone and surface weather. For carbon dioxide, improved knowledge of the ....Assimilation of trace atmospheric constituents for climate (ATACC): Linking chemical weather and climate. Changes in atmospheric ozone and carbon dioxide affect many aspects of surface climate from changes in ultraviolet radiation (ozone) to long-term changes in temperature (carbon dioxide). Better mapping of these gases will help us understand, predict and manage these changes. For ozone, it will clarify the link between ozone and surface weather. For carbon dioxide, improved knowledge of the impact of tropical deforestation, land clearing and changes in the southern ocean on atmospheric CO2 will support sustainable development in Australia and our region. The project hence addresses the priority goal 'Responding to climate change and variability` under the National Research Priority 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia`.
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New methods assisting the detection and attribution of changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. New scientific tools to manage the global environment are an international priority. An Australian breakthrough in technology has the potential to revolutionise the measurement and management of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the single largest anthropogenic contributor to greenhouse warming. The fellowship levers sufficient resources to assess this potential in a number of critical applicatio ....New methods assisting the detection and attribution of changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. New scientific tools to manage the global environment are an international priority. An Australian breakthrough in technology has the potential to revolutionise the measurement and management of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the single largest anthropogenic contributor to greenhouse warming. The fellowship levers sufficient resources to assess this potential in a number of critical applications, including: early detection of predicted increases in Southern Ocean carbon dioxide emission; indefinite low cost monitoring of regional carbon flux changes over continental Australia; improved international standards for CO2 measurement; and improved manufacturing components for use world-wide in trace-gas measurement.Read moreRead less
Photochemistry of the Middle Atmospheres of Venus and the Earth. Ongoing changes in the Earth's atmosphere, such as ozone depletion, demonstrate the need to understand the processes that control atmospheric chemistry. The proposed research will improve the fidelity of photochemical models, provide additional insight into the recent evolution of the Venus atmosphere, and examine how atmospheric chemistry and climate change interact(ed) on Venus. This research will improve our understanding of l ....Photochemistry of the Middle Atmospheres of Venus and the Earth. Ongoing changes in the Earth's atmosphere, such as ozone depletion, demonstrate the need to understand the processes that control atmospheric chemistry. The proposed research will improve the fidelity of photochemical models, provide additional insight into the recent evolution of the Venus atmosphere, and examine how atmospheric chemistry and climate change interact(ed) on Venus. This research will improve our understanding of long-standing issues, such as how much water might have been present on Venus in the recent past. The research program will provide an opportunity for Australian science to participate in at least one spacecraft mission to Venus. Read moreRead less
Precise Atmospheric Density Correction Model Using Space Tracking Data for Accurate Debris Surveillance and Collision Warning. Our project will build new atmospheric density correction models (ADCMs) for accurate prediction of debris object and satellite orbits. This research will have tremendous impacts on realizing unaided debris laser ranging. An order of magnitude accuracy improvement to the ADCMs will lead to a significant breakthrough in space object tracking. The benefits of this research ....Precise Atmospheric Density Correction Model Using Space Tracking Data for Accurate Debris Surveillance and Collision Warning. Our project will build new atmospheric density correction models (ADCMs) for accurate prediction of debris object and satellite orbits. This research will have tremendous impacts on realizing unaided debris laser ranging. An order of magnitude accuracy improvement to the ADCMs will lead to a significant breakthrough in space object tracking. The benefits of this research are: it will put Australia in a leading position in the world on ADCM study; to maintain Australia's leading role in space surveillance and greatly enhanced operational capability & efficiency of Australian space tracking systems; and to contribute significantly to the space environment info management, e.g. accurate collision warning and space junk tracking.Read moreRead less