SEA LEVELS, SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES AND EL NINO VARIABILITY DURING WARM INTERGLACIATIONS. Sea levels, sea surface temperatures and the variability of El Niño will be determined for previous warm interglacial periods using well dated, stratigraphically controlled fossil corals preserved in uplifted reefs. Relationships between past changes in sea level and warmer ocean temperatures will provide insights into the response of sea level to global warming. Knowledge of the frequency and amplitude o ....SEA LEVELS, SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES AND EL NINO VARIABILITY DURING WARM INTERGLACIATIONS. Sea levels, sea surface temperatures and the variability of El Niño will be determined for previous warm interglacial periods using well dated, stratigraphically controlled fossil corals preserved in uplifted reefs. Relationships between past changes in sea level and warmer ocean temperatures will provide insights into the response of sea level to global warming. Knowledge of the frequency and amplitude of El Nino events that occurred during previous interglacial warm periods will provide a better understanding of processes controlling extreme events in the climate system.Read moreRead less
Are humans responsible for recent changes in the behaviour of tropical cyclones? Decoupling natural variability from human influence using isotopes. An increase in the frequency of intense landfalling tropical cyclones will have a major impact upon Australia's economy and the safety of its citizens and visitors. There is little doubt that global climate change will cause this increase. Understanding when this might occur and the extent of this change over and above that which could also occur na ....Are humans responsible for recent changes in the behaviour of tropical cyclones? Decoupling natural variability from human influence using isotopes. An increase in the frequency of intense landfalling tropical cyclones will have a major impact upon Australia's economy and the safety of its citizens and visitors. There is little doubt that global climate change will cause this increase. Understanding when this might occur and the extent of this change over and above that which could also occur naturally will help reduce economic loss and save peoples' lives. Using isotope records of tropical cyclones and global climate models we will differentiate natural from human induced changes and ascertain the likely future impact of this hazard on Australia and its near neighbours.Read moreRead less
UPTAKE OF ATMOSPHERIC CO2 IN THE OCEANS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR GLOBAL CHANGE: NEW PROXY DEVELOPMENTS. This project aims to quantify the response of the oceans to increasing atmospheric CO2 from anthropogenic production. This will be achieved by using newly developed paleoceanographic indicators in deep sea sediments, corals and coralline sponges. These will be used to evaluate changes in seawater acidity and the response of the oceans to past variations in atmospheric CO2. The capacity and role o ....UPTAKE OF ATMOSPHERIC CO2 IN THE OCEANS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR GLOBAL CHANGE: NEW PROXY DEVELOPMENTS. This project aims to quantify the response of the oceans to increasing atmospheric CO2 from anthropogenic production. This will be achieved by using newly developed paleoceanographic indicators in deep sea sediments, corals and coralline sponges. These will be used to evaluate changes in seawater acidity and the response of the oceans to past variations in atmospheric CO2. The capacity and role of the oceans to buffer the rise of atmospheric of CO2 will be ascertained. This will provide constraints on the impact of increased seawater acidity on coral reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef.Read moreRead less
The key role of the Southern Ocean in atmospheric CO2 sequestration. The integrated approach proposed in this study aims to quantify past changes in marine productivity and its role in controlling past atmospheric CO2 variations. This will be achieved by studying deep sea sediments from the Southern Ocean, a key area with a fundamental importance in the global ocean biological pump. This research will enhance our understanding of the linkages connecting marine biota, the ocean carbon cycle and g ....The key role of the Southern Ocean in atmospheric CO2 sequestration. The integrated approach proposed in this study aims to quantify past changes in marine productivity and its role in controlling past atmospheric CO2 variations. This will be achieved by studying deep sea sediments from the Southern Ocean, a key area with a fundamental importance in the global ocean biological pump. This research will enhance our understanding of the linkages connecting marine biota, the ocean carbon cycle and global climate, providing the basis for more reliable predictions about the impacts of the recent rapid atmospheric CO2 increase. Possible remediation solutions involving marine phytoplankton to this CO2 excess will be thoroughly assessed.Read moreRead less
Constructing a temporally-constrained palaeoecological model of Quaternary faunal evolution and extinction in eastern Australia. Increased climatic variability and human-induced environmental degradation have had severe impacts on biodiversity, socio-economic sustainability and possibly our own future survival, thus attracting global attention. This study will help unravel the causes of the extinctions of Australia's large-size animals (megafauna) during the periods of last glaciation and earlie ....Constructing a temporally-constrained palaeoecological model of Quaternary faunal evolution and extinction in eastern Australia. Increased climatic variability and human-induced environmental degradation have had severe impacts on biodiversity, socio-economic sustainability and possibly our own future survival, thus attracting global attention. This study will help unravel the causes of the extinctions of Australia's large-size animals (megafauna) during the periods of last glaciation and earliest human colonisation of Australia. Investigating the causes of megafauna extinction is essential for an understanding of how those prehistoric events shaped the modern biota, and for the development of conservation strategies for our endemic faunas in an era of increased climatic and environmental variability and vulnerability.Read moreRead less
Palaeoclimate reconstructions from the isotopic signatures of fossilised leaf waxes. This project develops a method for using the chemical signature of fossilised leaf waxes to reconstruct hydrologic change in south-eastern Australia during the Holocene (last 10,000 years) and Eocene (56-34 million years ago). Understanding climate in the geologic past is essential for testing models and projecting future climate with rising carbon dioxide.
A new approach to quantitative interpretation of paleoclimate archives. Skeletons of marine organisms can be used to reconstruct past climates and make predictions for the future. The precondition is the knowledge of how climatic and environmental information is incorporated into the biominerals. This project will use cutting-edge nano-analytical methods to further our understanding of how organisms build their skeletons.
Fire and rain: Drivers of deep-time ecosystem assembly in Australia. This project aims to investigate the influence of bushfires and shifting rainfall patterns on the development of Australia’s dominant ecosystems. By combining a range of novel geochemical, isotopic and palaeontological techniques, this research seeks to reveal the causes and consequences of Australia’s transformation from a forested to mainly open landscape of grassland, shrubland and savannah. The expected outcome is detailed ....Fire and rain: Drivers of deep-time ecosystem assembly in Australia. This project aims to investigate the influence of bushfires and shifting rainfall patterns on the development of Australia’s dominant ecosystems. By combining a range of novel geochemical, isotopic and palaeontological techniques, this research seeks to reveal the causes and consequences of Australia’s transformation from a forested to mainly open landscape of grassland, shrubland and savannah. The expected outcome is detailed knowledge of how changes in fire and rain shaped the ecology and evolution of plants and animals. This knowledge is key to understanding how Australian ecosystems function and to protecting their cultural, economic and environmental values, especially as climate and fire regimes continue to change into the future.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100305
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$434,042.00
Summary
Unravelling the pathways of methane production and oxidation in mangroves. This project addresses a long-standing conundrum of why high methane emissions are sustained in saline coastal wetlands by identifying and quantifying methane production and oxidation processes in mangrove ecosystems. Using a novel combination of cutting-edge instrumentation for greenhouse gases, radiocarbon/stable isotope analysis, this project will generate a first complete picture of the mangrove methane cycle, to accu ....Unravelling the pathways of methane production and oxidation in mangroves. This project addresses a long-standing conundrum of why high methane emissions are sustained in saline coastal wetlands by identifying and quantifying methane production and oxidation processes in mangrove ecosystems. Using a novel combination of cutting-edge instrumentation for greenhouse gases, radiocarbon/stable isotope analysis, this project will generate a first complete picture of the mangrove methane cycle, to accurately quantify, for the first time, Australia’s contribution to global coastal mangrove emissions. The outcomes will establish currently lacking fundamental understanding of wetland methane cycling, advance global biogeochemical models, and improve strategies for natural climate solutions of coastal wetlands in Australia.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100022
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$580,000.00
Summary
New frontier in Geoscience: A tandem trace element and isotopes facility. The project aims to integrate a multicollector mass spectrometer with the existing laser ablation laboratory at Southern Cross University to establish a unique facility offering tandem trace element and isotopes analysis. This will provide new methodological advancement by expanding the analytical range and obtaining information otherwise inaccessible to stand-alone instruments using traditional standardisation methods. Sp ....New frontier in Geoscience: A tandem trace element and isotopes facility. The project aims to integrate a multicollector mass spectrometer with the existing laser ablation laboratory at Southern Cross University to establish a unique facility offering tandem trace element and isotopes analysis. This will provide new methodological advancement by expanding the analytical range and obtaining information otherwise inaccessible to stand-alone instruments using traditional standardisation methods. Specifically, the integration of an innovative split stream system allows precise matching of elemental concentration with isotopic ratios, crucial for microscale resolution and data accuracy. The new infrastructure will confirm Australia’s leadership role and maintain its competitive advantage in geosciences.Read moreRead less