Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560956
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$397,100.00
Summary
World-leading elemental and isotopic microanalysis and chemical speciation facilities for an environmentally sustainable Australia. We propose to establish a world-leading centre for the study of the elemental and isotopic composition of key environmental, archaeological and mineral samples. This will be based upon ultra-short wavelength laser ablation and speciation methods, combined with new advanced ICP-MS technologies developed in Australia. This will give the centre unrivalled capabilities ....World-leading elemental and isotopic microanalysis and chemical speciation facilities for an environmentally sustainable Australia. We propose to establish a world-leading centre for the study of the elemental and isotopic composition of key environmental, archaeological and mineral samples. This will be based upon ultra-short wavelength laser ablation and speciation methods, combined with new advanced ICP-MS technologies developed in Australia. This will give the centre unrivalled capabilities and allow new areas of research to be undertaken in global climate change, the impact of increased salinity and pollution on the sustainability of Australia's inland waterways and coastal environments, and the history of the first humans who inhabited Australia. This will provide a baseline and new quantitative measures to better plan for an environmentally sustainable Australia.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989731
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
Instrumentation for Innovative Marine Biogeochemistry. Rising greenhouse gases are changing the chemistry of the oceans, by altering the availability of nutrients and causing ocean acidification. Along with local pollutants, these changes pose significant threats to the productivity and sustainability of Australia's marine ecosystems. The proposed instrumentation will support world-leading research into the nature, impact, and potential for mitigating these changes. This will underpin our abilit ....Instrumentation for Innovative Marine Biogeochemistry. Rising greenhouse gases are changing the chemistry of the oceans, by altering the availability of nutrients and causing ocean acidification. Along with local pollutants, these changes pose significant threats to the productivity and sustainability of Australia's marine ecosystems. The proposed instrumentation will support world-leading research into the nature, impact, and potential for mitigating these changes. This will underpin our ability to manage and preserve the environmental, societal and economic values of our coastal and open ocean marine resources.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the role of the Southern Ocean for anthropogenic CO2 uptake. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change. Climate change is likely to have dramatic economic and environmental consequences for Australia. Knowledge and understanding of the complex carbon cycle is fundamental for predicting future atmospheric CO2 levels and managing climate change. The aim of the work proposed here is to quantify and improve our understan ....Quantifying the role of the Southern Ocean for anthropogenic CO2 uptake. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change. Climate change is likely to have dramatic economic and environmental consequences for Australia. Knowledge and understanding of the complex carbon cycle is fundamental for predicting future atmospheric CO2 levels and managing climate change. The aim of the work proposed here is to quantify and improve our understanding of the oceans role in controlling atmospheric CO2 levels. This will be done by combining modeling and observational expertise among UNSW and CSIRO (Marine Research) researchers. Our work will be the first to assess the extent of which the Southern Ocean (and Australian waters) acts as a carbon sink. This will reduce modeling uncertainties in predicting future atmospheric CO2 levels and will also be valuable to the federal government in future international negotiations on climate change.Read moreRead less
Large-scale climatic control of coastal erosion and shoreline changes based on long-term survey dataset and video monitoring technology. The Australian coastline is one of this country's greatest natural and economic resources. The asset value of existing coastal infrastructure is immeasurable. From past experiences in Australia and overseas, coastal erosion is a major and growing threat to the long-term sustainability of coastal development and the coastal environment. This research will int ....Large-scale climatic control of coastal erosion and shoreline changes based on long-term survey dataset and video monitoring technology. The Australian coastline is one of this country's greatest natural and economic resources. The asset value of existing coastal infrastructure is immeasurable. From past experiences in Australia and overseas, coastal erosion is a major and growing threat to the long-term sustainability of coastal development and the coastal environment. This research will integrate a unique multi-decade dataset of beach surveys and innovative coastal imaging technology, examining the relationship of shoreline movements to changing climatic signals, to enable better prediction of future shoreline changes. This new understanding will inform and strengthen the skills and capacity of Australia's coastal managers.Read moreRead less
Ocean-reef interactions as drivers of continental shelf productivity in a changing climate. Poor coastal management results in the irreparable destruction of reef systems' function and biodiversity, nationally and globally. To manage marine resources effectively we must implement sustainable practices, including forward planning in the context of climate change. A critical limitation in determining appropriate actions is a poor understanding of mechanisms driving productivity. Our project will p ....Ocean-reef interactions as drivers of continental shelf productivity in a changing climate. Poor coastal management results in the irreparable destruction of reef systems' function and biodiversity, nationally and globally. To manage marine resources effectively we must implement sustainable practices, including forward planning in the context of climate change. A critical limitation in determining appropriate actions is a poor understanding of mechanisms driving productivity. Our project will provide key information on the oceanographic mechanisms supporting Australia's coastal systems, linking nutrient supply, physical drivers and climate. By linking all these factors we will both assist in determining appropriate ecosystem management, and provide a knowledge base to support adaptation to future changes in Australia's climate.Read moreRead less
Interdisciplinary greenhouse gas assessment - nitrous oxide emissions from marine wastewater disposal. Data generated during this research will resolve ongoing uncertainties surrounding a blind spot in national greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement policy and methodology. Current national and international GHG emission estimates are unable to account for N2O emissions resulting from the downstream disposal phase of the wastewater management cycle, and as a result, actual GHG emissions may be far greate ....Interdisciplinary greenhouse gas assessment - nitrous oxide emissions from marine wastewater disposal. Data generated during this research will resolve ongoing uncertainties surrounding a blind spot in national greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement policy and methodology. Current national and international GHG emission estimates are unable to account for N2O emissions resulting from the downstream disposal phase of the wastewater management cycle, and as a result, actual GHG emissions may be far greater than currently estimated. This research will provide primary data on the magnitude of downstream N2O emissions coming from the near-shore marine disposal of primary-level municipal wastewater in Australia. Results from this research will help quantify the carbon footprint associated with marine disposal of poorly treated effluents worldwide.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100013
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$170,000.00
Summary
Eddy correlation lander array. The proposed Eddy Correlation Lander Array will be the first in world and, as such, will allow ground-breaking research to be undertaken resulting in advances in a variety of fields. As such, this equipment will significantly enhance many core research programs at Southern Cross University and Monash University and enhance our ability to deliver high quality research in the National Research Priority Area of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, with priority g ....Eddy correlation lander array. The proposed Eddy Correlation Lander Array will be the first in world and, as such, will allow ground-breaking research to be undertaken resulting in advances in a variety of fields. As such, this equipment will significantly enhance many core research programs at Southern Cross University and Monash University and enhance our ability to deliver high quality research in the National Research Priority Area of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, with priority goals in water resources, responding to climate change and variability, overcoming soil loss, salinity and acidity and sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity.Read moreRead less
An Investigation into Oceanic CO2 Variability and its Influence on Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations. Carbon dioxide is a powerful greenhouse gas whose observed atmospheric increase is the central cause
of climate change. The associated environmental, social and economic impacts to Australia could be
staggering via coral reef degradation, loss of agricultural production, coastal erosion and extreme climate
events. This work aims to better our understanding of how the oceans may mediate the effec ....An Investigation into Oceanic CO2 Variability and its Influence on Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations. Carbon dioxide is a powerful greenhouse gas whose observed atmospheric increase is the central cause
of climate change. The associated environmental, social and economic impacts to Australia could be
staggering via coral reef degradation, loss of agricultural production, coastal erosion and extreme climate
events. This work aims to better our understanding of how the oceans may mediate the effects of climate
change for Australia and therefore has a strong national benefit. Quantifying the importance Australia's
oceanic CO2 sink will be important for Australian policy makers within international climate negotiations
and also for better management practices to ensure the future prosperity of Australia's coral reef
ecosystem.Read moreRead less
Defining the relationship between microscale wave breaking and enhanced air-water interfacial exchange rates of low solubility gases. Accurate parameterisations of absorption rates of low-solubility gases (e.g. oxygen, carbon dioxide) across open air-water interfaces are important to industry and the environmental sciences, e.g. for estimating carbon dioxide transfer rates in industry and the global environment as well as rates of the re-aeration of nutrient-enriched water. Recent studies show t ....Defining the relationship between microscale wave breaking and enhanced air-water interfacial exchange rates of low solubility gases. Accurate parameterisations of absorption rates of low-solubility gases (e.g. oxygen, carbon dioxide) across open air-water interfaces are important to industry and the environmental sciences, e.g. for estimating carbon dioxide transfer rates in industry and the global environment as well as rates of the re-aeration of nutrient-enriched water. Recent studies show that at open air-water interfaces under moderate wind forcing, absorption rates are primarily determined by microscale wave breaking. This project will determine the dependence of gas flux rates on the scale, strength and intermittency of microscale wave breaking and, by incorporating this key process, produce substantially improved predictive schemes.Read moreRead less
Development and calcification in benthic marine invertebrates (Mollusca and Echinodermata) in an acidified and warm ocean. As an island continent Australia generates considerable wealth from its oceans with marine invertebrate resources playing a key role. These resources are at risk due to the impact of climate change, ocean acidification and warming, on availability of carbonate minerals for shell production. Of major concern is potential recruitment failure if planktonic larvae cannot produc ....Development and calcification in benthic marine invertebrates (Mollusca and Echinodermata) in an acidified and warm ocean. As an island continent Australia generates considerable wealth from its oceans with marine invertebrate resources playing a key role. These resources are at risk due to the impact of climate change, ocean acidification and warming, on availability of carbonate minerals for shell production. Of major concern is potential recruitment failure if planktonic larvae cannot produce their skeleton and if benthic stages cannot grow due to impaired skeleton formation. This project addresses uncertainties in knowledge of the response of ecologically and commercially important marine biota to climate change, knowledge crucial to inform risk assessment of future changes to our marine resources.Read moreRead less