New tools for managing ecosystem responses to climate change on the southern Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) underpins over $4 billions of economic activity each year. Recent evidence suggests that reefs like the GBR are vulnerable to climate change, which manifests itself at both local and global scales. Providing the tools for tracking and understanding these changes is vitally important to effective reef management strategies. This project will provide a major advance in o ....New tools for managing ecosystem responses to climate change on the southern Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) underpins over $4 billions of economic activity each year. Recent evidence suggests that reefs like the GBR are vulnerable to climate change, which manifests itself at both local and global scales. Providing the tools for tracking and understanding these changes is vitally important to effective reef management strategies. This project will provide a major advance in our understanding and the tools available to manage the impacts of climate change. In doing so, it will also produce the first comprehensive and multidisciplinary look at how environmental variability impacts coral reef organisms from corals to seabird populations.Read moreRead less
Enhancing Seagrass Restoration : Improving Hessian Durability in Marine Environments. The establishment of an environmentally benign method for restoration of seagrass beds (which provide habitat for a wide range of commercially, recreationally and ecologically important marine species) will enhance Australia's capability of maintaining its coastal marine environment in support of its fishing and ecotourism industries. Furthermore, it will ultimately improve our capacity to manage the environmen ....Enhancing Seagrass Restoration : Improving Hessian Durability in Marine Environments. The establishment of an environmentally benign method for restoration of seagrass beds (which provide habitat for a wide range of commercially, recreationally and ecologically important marine species) will enhance Australia's capability of maintaining its coastal marine environment in support of its fishing and ecotourism industries. Furthermore, it will ultimately improve our capacity to manage the environmental impact of human development on our natural resources. If successful, the knowledge gained of the dynamics of marine biofilms on differentially coated natural fibers could facilitate broader application of methods used in environmental restoration and marine based industries, and foreshadow new applications.Read moreRead less
Assessing the risk of ocean acidification for the Great Barrier Reef. The increase in greenhouse gases such as CO2 represents a challenge for coral reefs such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR). While the impact of greenhouse warming on coral reefs has been partially explored, the potentially serious implications of a decrease in ocean pH due have not been properly assessed. Detecting and understanding changes to carbonate concentrations and reef calcification are of great importance if ....Assessing the risk of ocean acidification for the Great Barrier Reef. The increase in greenhouse gases such as CO2 represents a challenge for coral reefs such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR). While the impact of greenhouse warming on coral reefs has been partially explored, the potentially serious implications of a decrease in ocean pH due have not been properly assessed. Detecting and understanding changes to carbonate concentrations and reef calcification are of great importance if managers are to respond strategically to potential ecological changes. This project directly addresses National Research Priority 1 of achieving 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia' by addressing the priority goal of 'Responding to climate change and variability'.Read moreRead less
Climate change and ocean acidification: will southern ocean coccolithophorids be winners or losers? Implications for the global carbon pump. This proposal brings skills on morphotaxonomy, microalgal culturing, physiology and biogeochemistry into the flurry of international activity focusing on consequences of ocean acidification. Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is predicted to reduce calcification in the phytoplankton Emiliania huxleyi, notably in the Southern Ocean. In contrast, hi ....Climate change and ocean acidification: will southern ocean coccolithophorids be winners or losers? Implications for the global carbon pump. This proposal brings skills on morphotaxonomy, microalgal culturing, physiology and biogeochemistry into the flurry of international activity focusing on consequences of ocean acidification. Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is predicted to reduce calcification in the phytoplankton Emiliania huxleyi, notably in the Southern Ocean. In contrast, higher CO2 may stimulate photosynthesis and enhanced stratification may also select for E. huxleyi. These changes will affect foodwebs and the ability of the ocean to absorb CO2. Predicting the future success of this key organism is vital to understand the consequences of global change in Australian and Southern Ocean waters and to set targets for carbon emissions.Read moreRead less
Novel technologies to resolve the role of organic matter on iron chemistry and bioavailability in the South Pacific Ocean. This project promotes cross-disciplinary scientific collaborations at national and international levels to understand the role iron plays in regulating oceanic biodiversity, primary production and ability to mitigate climate change. This project will thus benefit to human society as a whole. New promising technologies will be developed to assess iron oceanic limitation, the ....Novel technologies to resolve the role of organic matter on iron chemistry and bioavailability in the South Pacific Ocean. This project promotes cross-disciplinary scientific collaborations at national and international levels to understand the role iron plays in regulating oceanic biodiversity, primary production and ability to mitigate climate change. This project will thus benefit to human society as a whole. New promising technologies will be developed to assess iron oceanic limitation, therefore fostering the international competitiveness of Australian research. This project will contribute to National Research Priority: Sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity. In addition, the proposed research is a vital element of global effort to advance our understanding of iron-related oceanic processes, as manifest in several international scientific programs.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0668039
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$160,000.00
Summary
Sydney Harbour Institute of Marine Science (SHIMS) aquarium facility. With the global proportion of people living in cities now exceeding 50%, the Sydney Harbour Institute of Marine Science will champion the area of urban marine science. The proposed aquarium facility will support multidisciplinary research to find solutions for the environmental problems of marine habitats in urban areas. Research at SHIMS will examine how coastal environments are affected by human impacts, recreational fisheri ....Sydney Harbour Institute of Marine Science (SHIMS) aquarium facility. With the global proportion of people living in cities now exceeding 50%, the Sydney Harbour Institute of Marine Science will champion the area of urban marine science. The proposed aquarium facility will support multidisciplinary research to find solutions for the environmental problems of marine habitats in urban areas. Research at SHIMS will examine how coastal environments are affected by human impacts, recreational fisheries, invasive pests; develop novel technologies for detection of environmental and climate change; and provide management options to protect ports and harbours from threatening processes. The location in such a commercially and recreationally busy harbour provides excellent opportunities for research and education.Read moreRead less
Effects of river plumes on nearshore ecosystems: organic matter flows and food web consequences. River plumes may subsidize nearshore food webs by exporting land-derived material and by stimulating marine phytoplankton production via nutrient delivery. Whereas previous documentation of the biological responses to plumes has been mostly limited to large rivers and to primary production, this project targets small systems that discharge directly onto open coasts, and focuses on the fate of plume ....Effects of river plumes on nearshore ecosystems: organic matter flows and food web consequences. River plumes may subsidize nearshore food webs by exporting land-derived material and by stimulating marine phytoplankton production via nutrient delivery. Whereas previous documentation of the biological responses to plumes has been mostly limited to large rivers and to primary production, this project targets small systems that discharge directly onto open coasts, and focuses on the fate of plume material. Work on carbon pathways will centre on pelagic and benthic food chains associated with plumes, and will also test whether nearshore waters and sandy beaches are coupled via onshore advection of plume material.Read moreRead less
Towards a predictive model for coastal marine microbial assemblages. Coastal regions are overwhelmingly the most intense point of interaction between human activity and oceanic provinces. At this interface, the marine biological ecosystem provides critical services that are required to maintain industrial, economic and social well-being. Our work will identify how these marine systems respond to anthropogenic and climatic variability, National Research Priority 1, and in turn, how this response ....Towards a predictive model for coastal marine microbial assemblages. Coastal regions are overwhelmingly the most intense point of interaction between human activity and oceanic provinces. At this interface, the marine biological ecosystem provides critical services that are required to maintain industrial, economic and social well-being. Our work will identify how these marine systems respond to anthropogenic and climatic variability, National Research Priority 1, and in turn, how this response affects ocean services. This knowledge will inform management efforts in resource and biodiversity conservation, and identify novel areas for future resource exploration.Read moreRead less
Microbial Oceanography: Community Heterogeneity Fuelled by Environmental Variability. The ocean is a crucial resource to Australia. This work will open a new area of research within Australian habitats, which will improve our understanding of how the base of the ocean food web functions, and build a new perspective from which to look at the microscopic plankton that influence fisheries yield and species invasions. Appreciating how microbial communities respond to environmental perturbations will ....Microbial Oceanography: Community Heterogeneity Fuelled by Environmental Variability. The ocean is a crucial resource to Australia. This work will open a new area of research within Australian habitats, which will improve our understanding of how the base of the ocean food web functions, and build a new perspective from which to look at the microscopic plankton that influence fisheries yield and species invasions. Appreciating how microbial communities respond to environmental perturbations will provide an improved vantage-point to predict future changes to the Australian marine environment. Leading international scientists will provide conceptual and technical expertise in an Australian based project, applying novel analytical tools not currently employed within oceanographic surveys within Australian waters.Read moreRead less
Diatom frustules: nanostructures at the base of ocean food webs. Molecules interacting with surfaces are fundamental to biological, chemical and physical processes, including desalinization membrane design, lab-on-a-chip systems, industrial catalysis, bioremediation, neurophysiology and uptake of nutrients for incorporation into food webs. Here, we use diatoms as models for molecule-surface interactions to find basic principles that underlay all of these interactions. This research will train st ....Diatom frustules: nanostructures at the base of ocean food webs. Molecules interacting with surfaces are fundamental to biological, chemical and physical processes, including desalinization membrane design, lab-on-a-chip systems, industrial catalysis, bioremediation, neurophysiology and uptake of nutrients for incorporation into food webs. Here, we use diatoms as models for molecule-surface interactions to find basic principles that underlay all of these interactions. This research will train students and scientists and establish collaborations with leading international scientists in the field.Read moreRead less