Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100180
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
An Australian fluid-inclusion facility for climate-change science. Understanding past temperature and rainfall changes is essential for improving climate projections. The proposed facility will generate new palaeotemperature and palaeorainfall information from cave deposits, leading to a better understanding of natural climate variability and change.
Coastal wetlands: are our valuable carbon sinks vulnerable? Saline coastal wetlands store large amounts of carbon and are potentially the most efficient sinks of carbon amongst natural ecosystems. This project will use isotopic tracers to quantify carbon retention within saline coastal wetlands in southeastern Australia, establish the vulnerability of these wetlands to sea-level rise using estimates of sediment accretion and surface elevation change, and use this information to predict the distr ....Coastal wetlands: are our valuable carbon sinks vulnerable? Saline coastal wetlands store large amounts of carbon and are potentially the most efficient sinks of carbon amongst natural ecosystems. This project will use isotopic tracers to quantify carbon retention within saline coastal wetlands in southeastern Australia, establish the vulnerability of these wetlands to sea-level rise using estimates of sediment accretion and surface elevation change, and use this information to predict the distribution of saline coastal wetlands and estimate the carbon sequestration potential of coastal wetlands within a ‘low-carbon economy’. This project will remove impediments to the proper economic evaluation of saline coastal wetlands and enable restoration coastal wetlands to be used to offset carbon emissions.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100045
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,000.00
Summary
A mass spectrometer to analyse carbonate isotope records of Australia's climate, soil and groundwater history. Water is a critical resource in Australia, yet there is a fundamental lack of knowledge about the causes and timing of groundwater recharge in the past. This facility will allow researchers to better understand climate and groundwater interactions through high resolution isotope analysis of deposits, such as cave stalagmites and marine corals.
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.
Predicting and understanding coccolithophorid calcification in a changing ocean. This project will investigate the entire natural coastal and oceanic coccolithophore assemblages. The least and most sensitive species to ocean change will be examined in innovative laboratory experiments and will enhance the understanding of how species-specific responses translate to the ecosystem level, necessary for predictions of future carbon cycling.
Were abrupt changes in the Precambrian global carbon cycle the trigger for animal appearance and radiation on Earth? The origin of complex life and the properties that allow that life to be sustained on this planet are recorded within the geologic record. This project will reveal the role that severe perturbations of the global carbon cycle and climate had in triggering the step-wise change to animal life after billions of years of only single cell organisms.
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
Sulfur Cycling in Toxic Oozes, Microbialites and Petroleum. This project will apply compound specific sulfur isotope analyses to sulfur-rich deposits from extreme environments including sulfidic black oozes (Peel-Harvey estuary); modern microbialites (for example, Shark Bay) and oils/source rocks (established and frontier oil fields). Sulfur isotopic data, integrated with other stable isotopic and molecular data, will greatly assist the study of sulfur biogeochemical cycles and mechanisms of org ....Sulfur Cycling in Toxic Oozes, Microbialites and Petroleum. This project will apply compound specific sulfur isotope analyses to sulfur-rich deposits from extreme environments including sulfidic black oozes (Peel-Harvey estuary); modern microbialites (for example, Shark Bay) and oils/source rocks (established and frontier oil fields). Sulfur isotopic data, integrated with other stable isotopic and molecular data, will greatly assist the study of sulfur biogeochemical cycles and mechanisms of organic sulfurisation at different diagenetic stages or geological ages. The project aims to address national concerns through measuring the respective impact of anthropogenic and natural changes on environments, helping to understand the evolution of life on Earth and contributing to efficient discovery of our natural petroleum systems.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the dynamics of nitrous oxide production in wastewater systems. This project aims to unravel the dynamics of Nitrous oxide (N2O) production in wastewater treatment systems by combining continuous stable isotope tracing techniques with innovative experimental design and sophisticated mathematical modelling. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas and a major contributor to the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment systems. Yet we have a poor understanding of how it is produc ....Unravelling the dynamics of nitrous oxide production in wastewater systems. This project aims to unravel the dynamics of Nitrous oxide (N2O) production in wastewater treatment systems by combining continuous stable isotope tracing techniques with innovative experimental design and sophisticated mathematical modelling. Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas and a major contributor to the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment systems. Yet we have a poor understanding of how it is produced in such systems. The outcomes of this project will benefit Australian water utilities by helping them to reduce N2O emissions.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100053
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$358,031.00
Summary
A national facility for the analysis of pyrogenic carbon. This project aims to develop a national facility for pyrogenic carbon analysis. Pyrogenic carbon is a poorly constrained, slow-cycling terrestrial carbon pool with significant carbon sequestration potential. The project expects to expand the newly developed hydrogen pyrolysis analytical capability to provide high throughput, robust measurement of the abundance and isotope composition of pyrogenic carbon in soils and sediments. This will p ....A national facility for the analysis of pyrogenic carbon. This project aims to develop a national facility for pyrogenic carbon analysis. Pyrogenic carbon is a poorly constrained, slow-cycling terrestrial carbon pool with significant carbon sequestration potential. The project expects to expand the newly developed hydrogen pyrolysis analytical capability to provide high throughput, robust measurement of the abundance and isotope composition of pyrogenic carbon in soils and sediments. This will provide significant benefit, such as the ability to make significant advances in areas as diverse as geochronology, archaeology, palaeoecology, soil science geomorphology and carbon cycle/sequestration science.Read moreRead less