Enhanced Weathering – a sustainable tool for CO2 Removal? This project aims to be the first to assess risks and co-benefits of Enhanced Weathering for marine pelagic ecosystems. Enhanced Weathering is a powerful tool that can reduce atmospheric CO2 with significant economic co-benefits. However, it perturbs seawater chemistry and associated impacts on marine ecosystems are unknown. This project expects to combine state-of-the-art field and laboratory research to reveal whether Enhanced Weatherin ....Enhanced Weathering – a sustainable tool for CO2 Removal? This project aims to be the first to assess risks and co-benefits of Enhanced Weathering for marine pelagic ecosystems. Enhanced Weathering is a powerful tool that can reduce atmospheric CO2 with significant economic co-benefits. However, it perturbs seawater chemistry and associated impacts on marine ecosystems are unknown. This project expects to combine state-of-the-art field and laboratory research to reveal whether Enhanced Weathering is a sustainable tool for CO2 Removal. The project provides significant benefits as it builds capacity within the currently emerging research field “ocean-based climate change solutions”. Within this capacity, it will help to identify a sustainable and economically viable future for Australia.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL160100131
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,496,651.00
Summary
Geoengineering the Southern Ocean? A transdisciplinary assessment. Geoengineering the Southern Ocean? A transdisciplinary assessment. The project aims to comprehensively evaluate the feasibility of offsetting climate change by using geoengineering to boost carbon dioxide removal by Southern Ocean microbes. With existing polar datasets as a platform, the project would combine experiments and modelling to quantify carbon dioxide removal and critically assess the economic feasibility and side effec ....Geoengineering the Southern Ocean? A transdisciplinary assessment. Geoengineering the Southern Ocean? A transdisciplinary assessment. The project aims to comprehensively evaluate the feasibility of offsetting climate change by using geoengineering to boost carbon dioxide removal by Southern Ocean microbes. With existing polar datasets as a platform, the project would combine experiments and modelling to quantify carbon dioxide removal and critically assess the economic feasibility and side effects of geoengineering. Anticipated outcomes include a framework for governance of future research and informed national/international policy on using geoengineering to mitigate climate change.Read moreRead less
Social networking in a changing ocean: Microbial-scale ecological interactions control ocean-scale chemistry. The function of the ocean is governed by microscopic organisms, including bacteria and phytoplankton. Oceanographers typically consider the ecology of these microbes across large ocean-scales, but their activities and interactions are defined at the scale of individual cells. This research will redefine our knowledge of important marine microbial processes by coupling novel physiologica ....Social networking in a changing ocean: Microbial-scale ecological interactions control ocean-scale chemistry. The function of the ocean is governed by microscopic organisms, including bacteria and phytoplankton. Oceanographers typically consider the ecology of these microbes across large ocean-scales, but their activities and interactions are defined at the scale of individual cells. This research will redefine our knowledge of important marine microbial processes by coupling novel physiological and molecular tools to resolve the microscale ecological links between bacteria and phytoplankton, and will identify how the chemical interactions between these groups change under shifting environmental conditions. This has significance for transforming our understanding of the factors that control the health and function of our important ocean ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Examining the vulnerability of ocean carbon biogeochemistry in a high CO2 world. Rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere from human activity is changing the biogeochemistry of the ocean, with large potential consequences on future atmospheric CO2. This work will explore these changes and will result in a more complete understanding of how the ocean will either accelerate or delay the increase in atmospheric CO2.
Diatom silica production under future ocean conditions, genes to biomes. This project aims to quantify how ocean warming and acidification will alter natural diatom assemblages and silica production rates to predict changes in the cycling and transfer of carbon and silicon in the future ocean. This project expects to generate new knowledge of environmental controls on diatom silicification and their ocean-scale implications by integrating the disciplines of physiology, molecular biology and quan ....Diatom silica production under future ocean conditions, genes to biomes. This project aims to quantify how ocean warming and acidification will alter natural diatom assemblages and silica production rates to predict changes in the cycling and transfer of carbon and silicon in the future ocean. This project expects to generate new knowledge of environmental controls on diatom silicification and their ocean-scale implications by integrating the disciplines of physiology, molecular biology and quantitative modelling. Expected outcomes include essential advancements in future simulations of marine productivity and silicon cycling and a deeper understanding of threats to marine life from climate change. This should provide significant benefits such as improved valuations on the sustainability of ocean ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Keystone microbes and planktonic guilds in Australia's oceans. This project aims to unveil the ocean’s hidden sentinels, “keystone microbes” that underpin precious ecosystem services, and which can be used to monitor and model changes in ocean function. Marine microbes account for 90 per cent of oceanic biomass and every litre of seawater contains ~20,000 different species, but it is not known which species control ocean health and productivity. This project intends to provide definitive evidenc ....Keystone microbes and planktonic guilds in Australia's oceans. This project aims to unveil the ocean’s hidden sentinels, “keystone microbes” that underpin precious ecosystem services, and which can be used to monitor and model changes in ocean function. Marine microbes account for 90 per cent of oceanic biomass and every litre of seawater contains ~20,000 different species, but it is not known which species control ocean health and productivity. This project intends to provide definitive evidence of these keystones’ cellular level biogeochemical and metabolic capacity. Ultimately, this knowledge is expected to predict the resilience of ocean ecosystems and their response to change. The capacity to predict their dynamics will help provide investment clarity and increase healthy outcomes from activities involving human-ocean interactions such as recreation, food production and tourism.Read moreRead less
DEEP SEA CORALS AS HIGH RESOLUTION RECORDERS OF SOUTHERN OCEAN NUTRIENT CHEMISTRY AND CIRCULATION. There is compelling evidence that the Earth has been warming dramatically since the end of the 19th century as a consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2. This study aims to understand the long-term role of the Southern Ocean as a 'store-house' for CO2, and its significance in controlling changes in the Earth's climate. We will use coral skeletons from the deep oceans as archives of ocean circu ....DEEP SEA CORALS AS HIGH RESOLUTION RECORDERS OF SOUTHERN OCEAN NUTRIENT CHEMISTRY AND CIRCULATION. There is compelling evidence that the Earth has been warming dramatically since the end of the 19th century as a consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2. This study aims to understand the long-term role of the Southern Ocean as a 'store-house' for CO2, and its significance in controlling changes in the Earth's climate. We will use coral skeletons from the deep oceans as archives of ocean circulation and nutrient levels. This information will help unravel how biological activity in the Southern Ocean has responded during previous episodes of climate change, and how this has controlled the levels of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere. This will provide a better understanding of greenhouse warming and its effect on our future climate.Read moreRead less
Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. This project aims to understand the effects of climate change on marine food webs, from plankton production to predation by iconic marine fauna, by integrating data on oceanographic conditions and fish distribution with the foraging patterns and breeding success of seabirds. Warming waters due to strengthening western boundary currents have unk ....Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. Resolving the warming East Australian Current's impact on a marine food web. This project aims to understand the effects of climate change on marine food webs, from plankton production to predation by iconic marine fauna, by integrating data on oceanographic conditions and fish distribution with the foraging patterns and breeding success of seabirds. Warming waters due to strengthening western boundary currents have unknown consequences for coastal marine food webs. Innovative prey capture signatures from accelerometers, and advanced movement models from satellite locations will show how predators locate and prey upon fish schools. Anticipated outcomes are insight into how changing resource availability in the oceans affects ecosystem resilience; improved viability for coastal industries; and ecosystem-based conservation management strategies.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
Deciphering strategies polar phytoplankton employ to lessen iron limitation. The Southern Ocean is of global importance. It comprises one-third of the global ocean by area and disproportionately absorbs two-thirds of anthropogenic ocean heat and half of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions even though phytoplankton in this region are chronically iron-limited. This project aims to understand why copper uptake by phytoplankton lessens the effects of iron limitation and how copper substitut ....Deciphering strategies polar phytoplankton employ to lessen iron limitation. The Southern Ocean is of global importance. It comprises one-third of the global ocean by area and disproportionately absorbs two-thirds of anthropogenic ocean heat and half of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions even though phytoplankton in this region are chronically iron-limited. This project aims to understand why copper uptake by phytoplankton lessens the effects of iron limitation and how copper substitutes for iron. This knowledge is critical for evaluating the impacts and feedbacks between iron and copper in regulating Southern Ocean productivity and ultimately its ability to drawdown atmospheric CO2. The results from this project will facilitate the development of improved ecosystem models and conservation tools.Read moreRead less