Deep-sea coral ocean-climate records of the last glacial and recent eras. The project aims to predict the ocean carbon dioxide sink’s long-term capacity and future trajectories of global warming and increasing carbon dioxide. This project will use geochemical proxies encoded in the skeletons of deep-sea corals in the Perth Canyon, Tasman seas, and Antarctica, in the heart of the ocean-climate system, to reveal continuous long-term records of environmental change at annual-decadal resolution for ....Deep-sea coral ocean-climate records of the last glacial and recent eras. The project aims to predict the ocean carbon dioxide sink’s long-term capacity and future trajectories of global warming and increasing carbon dioxide. This project will use geochemical proxies encoded in the skeletons of deep-sea corals in the Perth Canyon, Tasman seas, and Antarctica, in the heart of the ocean-climate system, to reveal continuous long-term records of environmental change at annual-decadal resolution for our recent past (hundreds to thousands of years) and the Last Glacial Maximum. These records are expected to provide a more accurate understanding of Earth’s long-term responses to anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and global warming.Read moreRead less
Consequences of extraterrestrial impacts on the biosphere and geosphere. This project will investigate whether high-velocity meteorite impacts can account for the Earth's mass extinctions and whether meteorite impacts and mass extinctions were synchronous. This work will help scientists understand the long-term climatic and biologic effects of massive injections of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
How warm and how wet? New perspectives on paleoclimate records and hydrological regimes in arid zones of Australia. This project will develop a new and precise palaeotemperature record for southern Australia, and will investigate the hydrologic dynamics of inland Australia. Together, this research will lead to new discoveries in the way Australian ecosystems respond to climate variability and will enable better understanding of its impacts.
Deep-sea coral records of Southern Ocean climate and nutrient dynamics . Deep-sea coral and seawater nutrient profiles collected from the Southern Ocean (SO) facing submarine canyons of south-west Australia will be used to provide new insights into the role of the SO overturning circulation in modulating global climate as well as supplying the essential nutrients that make these canyons biodiversity hot-spots for seasonal aggregations of killer and blue whales. This frontier project made possib ....Deep-sea coral records of Southern Ocean climate and nutrient dynamics . Deep-sea coral and seawater nutrient profiles collected from the Southern Ocean (SO) facing submarine canyons of south-west Australia will be used to provide new insights into the role of the SO overturning circulation in modulating global climate as well as supplying the essential nutrients that make these canyons biodiversity hot-spots for seasonal aggregations of killer and blue whales. This frontier project made possible by samples collected using Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) technology rarely available in Australia, will also help to understand how SO circulation has influenced past changes in global climate and its future role in controlling ocean productivity in a warming world with rapidly increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Read moreRead less
Holding coral reefs together with soluble cement. This project aims to characterise and understand cement formation in coral reefs. Coral reefs are constructed by cementing together aragonite building blocks made by corals. The main cementing agent is high-magnesium calcite, the most soluble carbonate mineral and susceptible to ocean acidification. High-magnesium calcite cements are best developed on the high energy margins of coral reefs. This project will quantify how crustose coralline algae ....Holding coral reefs together with soluble cement. This project aims to characterise and understand cement formation in coral reefs. Coral reefs are constructed by cementing together aragonite building blocks made by corals. The main cementing agent is high-magnesium calcite, the most soluble carbonate mineral and susceptible to ocean acidification. High-magnesium calcite cements are best developed on the high energy margins of coral reefs. This project will quantify how crustose coralline algae produces high-magnesium calcite and controls the dissolution and reprecipitation of high-magnesium cements. This project intends to quantify rates of reef cementation, susceptibility to ocean acidification and warming, and possible mitigating effects of alkalinity addition.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100041
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
A high-resolution isotope facility for low cost analysis of water, plant, and soil/sediment samples to understand environmental change. The most significant environmental challenges facing Australia include ensuring sustainable management of our water resources and conservation of both terrestrial and marine biodiversity, particularly in the face of our changing climate and land-use. The new instruments will accelerate progress across a number of projects aimed at understanding the developme ....A high-resolution isotope facility for low cost analysis of water, plant, and soil/sediment samples to understand environmental change. The most significant environmental challenges facing Australia include ensuring sustainable management of our water resources and conservation of both terrestrial and marine biodiversity, particularly in the face of our changing climate and land-use. The new instruments will accelerate progress across a number of projects aimed at understanding the development of groundwater resources, the relative dependency of ecosystems on groundwater versus soil and surface water, and an assessment of the likely impacts of altered hydrology, especially dewatering and salinisation, on ecosystems. In addition, they will also be used to extend our knowledge of climate variability in the recent past and increase understanding of critical marine resources.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100203
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
Advanced Geochemical Facility for Climate and Environmental Change Research: a Western Australian/Indian Ocean focus. Research outcomes from this new facility will empower government bodies, resource industries, and indigenous stakeholders with key baseline information to ensure the sustainable and sensitive development of west Australia's unique coastal and offshore regions, across heavily populated and pristine environments. This includes projecting future impacts on local industries (eg. ener ....Advanced Geochemical Facility for Climate and Environmental Change Research: a Western Australian/Indian Ocean focus. Research outcomes from this new facility will empower government bodies, resource industries, and indigenous stakeholders with key baseline information to ensure the sustainable and sensitive development of west Australia's unique coastal and offshore regions, across heavily populated and pristine environments. This includes projecting future impacts on local industries (eg. energy, fisheries, tourism), rising shorelines with critical implications for existing and developing communities, and enhancing the resilience of habitats at risk. These are crucial to mitigate the impacts from environmental change that could severely affect our regional and national economies, as well as the style and quality of life of current and future generations.Read moreRead less
Unsaturated zone functioning in a semi-arid flash flood driven climate. Groundwater is the only perennial water source in arid and semiarid zones, which encompass 1/3 of the global landmass and 70 % of Australia. We still do not fully understand how the unsaturated zone contributes to groundwater recharge in semi-arid zone floodplains. We will study the dynamics of soil moisture, and its contribution to groundwater recharge respective to hydrological regimes and weather patterns. We will measure ....Unsaturated zone functioning in a semi-arid flash flood driven climate. Groundwater is the only perennial water source in arid and semiarid zones, which encompass 1/3 of the global landmass and 70 % of Australia. We still do not fully understand how the unsaturated zone contributes to groundwater recharge in semi-arid zone floodplains. We will study the dynamics of soil moisture, and its contribution to groundwater recharge respective to hydrological regimes and weather patterns. We will measure direct responses to flood events using loggers and compare them to indirect measurements inferred from hydrochemical and isotope tracer models to better understand recharge patterns, evaporative losses, and interactions between surface runoff, floodplains, and aquifers at different positions in the landscape.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
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100139
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$160,000.00
Summary
Isotope analyser with delta17O capability to examine water fluxes. Isotope analyser with delta-17-O capability to examine water fluxes: This project aims to investigate a range of processes, including quantifying evaporative losses, moisture recycling, groundwater-surface water interactions, and records of past climate in ice cores using novel capabilities for continuous measurement of triple oxygen isotopes (16-O, 17-O, 18-O) in water vapour. Enhanced understanding of water cycles is critical f ....Isotope analyser with delta17O capability to examine water fluxes. Isotope analyser with delta-17-O capability to examine water fluxes: This project aims to investigate a range of processes, including quantifying evaporative losses, moisture recycling, groundwater-surface water interactions, and records of past climate in ice cores using novel capabilities for continuous measurement of triple oxygen isotopes (16-O, 17-O, 18-O) in water vapour. Enhanced understanding of water cycles is critical for understanding the discrete changes occurring in water regimes under changing climates and land use to efficiently manage our limited freshwater resources. The instrumentation is intended to put Australia at the forefront of new and emerging research in d17O analysis of water, an area that has potential to greatly improve our understanding of the water cycle within arid climates including Antarctica.Read moreRead less