Links between bushfires in Victoria and floods in Queensland. This project will investigate connections between bushfires in Victoria and floods in Queensland under the framework that atmospheric blocking can be thought of as a common link. High resolution runs using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change future projections of the energetics of high impact weather will improve climate forecasts in sensitive coastal areas of the country.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100087
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$328,075.00
Summary
Internal wave breaking and mixing in the ocean. This project aims to quantify turbulent mixing in the ocean using ultra-high-resolution numerical modelling. Turbulent mixing is caused by internal waves which transport energy from the ocean boundaries into the interior, where they drive mixing of cold, deep water with warmer water above. This mixing is crucial to the ocean circulation which controls the storage of heat and carbon in the ocean, but is inadequately represented in current climate mo ....Internal wave breaking and mixing in the ocean. This project aims to quantify turbulent mixing in the ocean using ultra-high-resolution numerical modelling. Turbulent mixing is caused by internal waves which transport energy from the ocean boundaries into the interior, where they drive mixing of cold, deep water with warmer water above. This mixing is crucial to the ocean circulation which controls the storage of heat and carbon in the ocean, but is inadequately represented in current climate models. The anticipated outcome of the project is an enhanced, global-ocean model incorporating an accurate description of turbulent mixing. This should provide significant benefits to the Australian community by improving the accuracy of future climate predictions.Read moreRead less
ARC Centres of Excellence for Climate System Science. Our capacity to assess the threat of climate change is undermined by an unacceptable level of uncertainty in the understanding and modelling of regional climates. The Centre will undertake world-class research targeting identified weaknesses in the physical, chemical and biological components of the climate system. We will engage and nurture graduate students and postdoctoral follows through a program of graduate training and mentoring to per ....ARC Centres of Excellence for Climate System Science. Our capacity to assess the threat of climate change is undermined by an unacceptable level of uncertainty in the understanding and modelling of regional climates. The Centre will undertake world-class research targeting identified weaknesses in the physical, chemical and biological components of the climate system. We will engage and nurture graduate students and postdoctoral follows through a program of graduate training and mentoring to permanently transform our understanding of climate systems science particularly for the Australian region. The key outcome will be a dramatic enhancement in national capacity to understand and project the scale of future regional climate change.Read moreRead less
Tropical climate change, the Hadley and Walker Circulations, and Australian climate. Tropical climate systems, especially the overturning circulations and monsoons, have undergone change in recent decades and are expected to do so over the next century. However, a full understanding of these has proved elusive. The project will employ a suite of insightful diagnostics of these tropical circulations calculated from the latest, high-quality data and the results of modelling to isolate the key phys ....Tropical climate change, the Hadley and Walker Circulations, and Australian climate. Tropical climate systems, especially the overturning circulations and monsoons, have undergone change in recent decades and are expected to do so over the next century. However, a full understanding of these has proved elusive. The project will employ a suite of insightful diagnostics of these tropical circulations calculated from the latest, high-quality data and the results of modelling to isolate the key physical mechanisms at work. The research is significant in that tropical circulations determine the precipitation and temperature over large parts of the Earth’s surface, and particularly Australia. The physical underpinning of the changes will assist in forming outlooks for future climate for the ‘wet tropics’ and the ‘dry zones’.Read moreRead less
Oceanic gateways: a primary control on global climate change? The opening and closing of oceanic gateways, narrow passageways facilitating exchange between ocean basins, has been linked to major changes in Earth’s climate. This project will link the disparate fields of geodynamics and palaeo-climatology, for the first time, through an innovative methodology that models the changing width and depth of ocean gateways through time. It will address the role of gateways in modulating Earth’s climate ....Oceanic gateways: a primary control on global climate change? The opening and closing of oceanic gateways, narrow passageways facilitating exchange between ocean basins, has been linked to major changes in Earth’s climate. This project will link the disparate fields of geodynamics and palaeo-climatology, for the first time, through an innovative methodology that models the changing width and depth of ocean gateways through time. It will address the role of gateways in modulating Earth’s climate at key periods during the planet’s transition from a “Greenhouse” to “Icehouse” World.Read moreRead less
Are subterranean estuaries a source or sink of greenhouse gases? The aim of this project is to investigate the role of subterranean estuaries and submarine groundwater discharge on the marine cycle of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The expected outcome of this project is a better understanding of the role of coastal environments as a net source or sink of greenhouse gases.
Unsaturation of vapour pressure inside leaves: fundamental, but unknown. This project aims to determine when and to what extent the air inside leaves becomes unsaturated with water vapour. All current interpretation and modelling of leaf gas exchange assumes saturation under all circumstances. Compelling evidence has been obtained that suggests this is not true under moderate air vapour pressure deficits. A novel technique will be employed to assess the water vapour concentration of the air insi ....Unsaturation of vapour pressure inside leaves: fundamental, but unknown. This project aims to determine when and to what extent the air inside leaves becomes unsaturated with water vapour. All current interpretation and modelling of leaf gas exchange assumes saturation under all circumstances. Compelling evidence has been obtained that suggests this is not true under moderate air vapour pressure deficits. A novel technique will be employed to assess the water vapour concentration of the air inside leaves based on stable isotope analysis of carbon dioxide and water vapour exchanged between leaves and air. The project is expected to provide fundamental knowledge about how stomata regulate photosynthesis and water use, with significant implications for modelling vegetation function and for improving the performance of crop plants.Read moreRead less
Defend or retreat? Adapting to the impacts of sea level rise as a result of rapid climate change.
. Rapid sea level rise has been identified as a major threat to coastal Australia, where most of the Australian population lives. Our understanding and ability to respond to this threat is extremely limited at this point. This project will directly benefit Australian communities and businesses, specifically those in southeast Queensland by bringing together a team of distinguished, multidiscipli ....Defend or retreat? Adapting to the impacts of sea level rise as a result of rapid climate change.
. Rapid sea level rise has been identified as a major threat to coastal Australia, where most of the Australian population lives. Our understanding and ability to respond to this threat is extremely limited at this point. This project will directly benefit Australian communities and businesses, specifically those in southeast Queensland by bringing together a team of distinguished, multidisciplinary researchers and Super Science Fellows to explore the threats and challenges posed by rapidly rising sea levels. By building capacity and answering many urgent and difficult questions related to the legal, environmental and planning ramifications of sea level rise, this project will prepare communities and policymakers for the difficult times ahead.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101305
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$394,921.00
Summary
Extratropical Cyclones and their Associated Precipitation: Understanding, Model Evaluation, and Future Projections. Storms and their associated frontal systems are responsible for producing most of the precipitation in mid-latitudes. This project will combine several powerful analysis techniques to answer some fundamental and currently unanswered questions on storm-related precipitation, including the extremes. State-of-the-art climate models, our main tool in projecting future climate changes, ....Extratropical Cyclones and their Associated Precipitation: Understanding, Model Evaluation, and Future Projections. Storms and their associated frontal systems are responsible for producing most of the precipitation in mid-latitudes. This project will combine several powerful analysis techniques to answer some fundamental and currently unanswered questions on storm-related precipitation, including the extremes. State-of-the-art climate models, our main tool in projecting future climate changes, will then be evaluated to ensure they are able to capture the essential processes of storm-related precipitation that have been elucidated. This is essential to increase confidence in the projection of storm changes and their related precipitation, thereby providing better information to water managers.Read moreRead less
Next-generation vegetation model based on functional traits. Global vegetation models try to answer big questions, such as the effects of climate change and carbon dioxide (CO2) on ecosystems and vice versa. But as present models are outdated and give inconsistent results, the project is planning a new, more robust model that will fully exploit recent advances in plant functional ecology and earth system science.