A novel approach for assessing environmental flows using satellite data. This project will determine how ecosystems respond to environmental flow by linking flooding history with vegetation responses, using remote sensing, climate data layers, spatial statistics, models of environmental flows and ecological theory. Beneficiaries will include water and land managers in Australia.
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354582
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
Australia-NZ Network for Vegetation Function and Futures. Plants shape our landscapes and drive ecosystem processes from local to global scale. Plant species vary widely in quantitative functional traits. Global datasets about functional variation are emerging, with Australian and NZ leadership. A network would be supported in both Australia and NZ and with strong links elsewhere. It would target seven ambitious but achievable research developments. Each of them demands intensive conversation be ....Australia-NZ Network for Vegetation Function and Futures. Plants shape our landscapes and drive ecosystem processes from local to global scale. Plant species vary widely in quantitative functional traits. Global datasets about functional variation are emerging, with Australian and NZ leadership. A network would be supported in both Australia and NZ and with strong links elsewhere. It would target seven ambitious but achievable research developments. Each of them demands intensive conversation between separate disciplines. Networking across all seven strands will create a broader linkage, spanning across palaeobiology, ecosystem function, vegetation structure, global change, ecophysiology, phylogeny, genomics, ecoinformatics and evolutionary theory.Read moreRead less
Monsoon extremes, environmental shifts, and catastrophic volcanic eruptions: quantifying impacts on the early human history of southern Australasia. The coincidence of a long, diverse Australasian human history with Earth's greatest climate systems presents the Australian and Indonesian communities with unrivalled opportunities for scientific discovery. Our study will improve understanding of global climate change, environmental shifts, volcanic catastrophes, and their role in early human disper ....Monsoon extremes, environmental shifts, and catastrophic volcanic eruptions: quantifying impacts on the early human history of southern Australasia. The coincidence of a long, diverse Australasian human history with Earth's greatest climate systems presents the Australian and Indonesian communities with unrivalled opportunities for scientific discovery. Our study will improve understanding of global climate change, environmental shifts, volcanic catastrophes, and their role in early human dispersal, and extinction, in Australasia. The significance of the results will extend to the modern world, where human behaviour modifies, and is modified by, climate and environment. Integration of research strengths in Australia and Indonesia will contribute to an improved bilateral relationship in science, education, and training, and engage the public in the excitement of scientific discovery.Read moreRead less
ARC Australia-New Zealand Research Network for Vegetation Function. Plant species vary widely in quantitative functional traits, and in their relations to climate, soils and geography. Global generalizations are emerging. Vegetation Function network will reach from plant function into genomics and crop breeding, into palaeoecology and vegetation history, into landscape management for carbon, water and salinity outcomes, into forecasting future ecosystems under global change, and into phylogeny, ....ARC Australia-New Zealand Research Network for Vegetation Function. Plant species vary widely in quantitative functional traits, and in their relations to climate, soils and geography. Global generalizations are emerging. Vegetation Function network will reach from plant function into genomics and crop breeding, into palaeoecology and vegetation history, into landscape management for carbon, water and salinity outcomes, into forecasting future ecosystems under global change, and into phylogeny, ecoinformatics and evolutionary theory. Across this span, working groups will target nine identified opportunities for breakthrough research. Each research target needs input from two or more disciplines. Together, the nine targets link across disciplines, as a network that spans from genomic to planetary scales.Read moreRead less
Multi-proxy fingerprinting, absolute dating, and large-scale modelling of Quaternary climate-volcano-environment impacts in southern Australasia. The discovery of Homo floresiensis (the Hobbit) revealed the surprising diversity of early humans and opened new ways for Australians and Indonesians to make tremendous scientific advances. Deployment of world-best analytical capabilities to untapped speleothem resources in Indonesia will put us at the forefront in understanding global climate change, ....Multi-proxy fingerprinting, absolute dating, and large-scale modelling of Quaternary climate-volcano-environment impacts in southern Australasia. The discovery of Homo floresiensis (the Hobbit) revealed the surprising diversity of early humans and opened new ways for Australians and Indonesians to make tremendous scientific advances. Deployment of world-best analytical capabilities to untapped speleothem resources in Indonesia will put us at the forefront in understanding global climate change, volcanic catastrophes, and environmental impacts on deep-time cultures shared by our nations. Our findings will extend to the modern world, where humans modify climates and landscapes at unprecedented rates. Integration of Australian and Indonesian research strengths will showcase bilateral science, education, and training, and engage the public in the excitement of scientific discovery.Read moreRead less
The Indian Ocean Dipole, Australasian drought, and the great-earthquake cycle: Long-term perspectives for improved prediction. The protracted drought across Australia and Boxing Day 2004 earthquake in Sumatra defied prediction, and are causing incalculable environmental, economic, and social harm. Knowledge of past climate extremes will enhance our ability to predict climate change, and alleviate adverse affects for Australasian nations who miss-out in the future redistribution of life-giving mo ....The Indian Ocean Dipole, Australasian drought, and the great-earthquake cycle: Long-term perspectives for improved prediction. The protracted drought across Australia and Boxing Day 2004 earthquake in Sumatra defied prediction, and are causing incalculable environmental, economic, and social harm. Knowledge of past climate extremes will enhance our ability to predict climate change, and alleviate adverse affects for Australasian nations who miss-out in the future redistribution of life-giving moisture. Insights into the great-earthquake cycle will help fulfil Australia's responsibility to predict tsunamis, for the benefit of nations fringing Australasian seismotectonic zones. Development of improved techniques in palaeoclimatology, palaeoclimate modelling, and palaeoseismology will provide new collaborations and opportunities for research, training, and education.Read moreRead less
Regulatory design for water quality management in urban catchments. This project aims, through empirical research (i) to evaluate the effectiveness of current regulatory, quasi-regulatory and other policy strategies for water quality management in urban catchments (including total/integrated catchment management); (ii) to provide practical policy prescriptions concerning how through judicious regulatory and institutional design, those problems may be best addressed for the future; and (iii) adva ....Regulatory design for water quality management in urban catchments. This project aims, through empirical research (i) to evaluate the effectiveness of current regulatory, quasi-regulatory and other policy strategies for water quality management in urban catchments (including total/integrated catchment management); (ii) to provide practical policy prescriptions concerning how through judicious regulatory and institutional design, those problems may be best addressed for the future; and (iii) advance regulatory theory by developing a framework for understanding the relative effectiveness of different regulatory regimes in the context of urban catchment management. Its empirical focus is on the Swan-Canning river in Western Australia.Read moreRead less
THE CORAL RECORD OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IN THE GREAT BARRIER REEF:QUANTIFICATION OF ANTHROPOGENIC FLUXES. The objective of this proposal is to quantify the environmental impacts of enhanced terrestrial fluxes and climate change on the coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef. This will be achieved by using an integrated approach based on coral proxy records of river plumes and sea surface temperatures that are preserved in carbonate skeletons of the long-lived (200-400 year old) Porites coral. ....THE CORAL RECORD OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IN THE GREAT BARRIER REEF:QUANTIFICATION OF ANTHROPOGENIC FLUXES. The objective of this proposal is to quantify the environmental impacts of enhanced terrestrial fluxes and climate change on the coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef. This will be achieved by using an integrated approach based on coral proxy records of river plumes and sea surface temperatures that are preserved in carbonate skeletons of the long-lived (200-400 year old) Porites coral. This will be integrated with monitoring and process studies of river flood plumes and coral reefs and provide a scientific basis to ensure the long-term sustainability of the GBR.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC190100031
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,973,202.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre in Data Analytics for Resources and Environments (DARE). Understanding the cumulative impact of actions regarding the use of our resources has important long-term consequences for Australia’s economic, societal and environmental health. Yet despite the importance of these cumulative impacts, and the availability of data, many decisions and policies are based on limited amounts of data and rudimentary data analysis, with little appreciation of the critical role that understand ....ARC Training Centre in Data Analytics for Resources and Environments (DARE). Understanding the cumulative impact of actions regarding the use of our resources has important long-term consequences for Australia’s economic, societal and environmental health. Yet despite the importance of these cumulative impacts, and the availability of data, many decisions and policies are based on limited amounts of data and rudimentary data analysis, with little appreciation of the critical role that understanding and quantifying uncertainty plays in the process. The aim of Data Analytics in Resources and Environment (DARE) is to develop and deliver the data science skills and tools for Australia’s resource industries to make the best possible evidence-based decisions in exploiting and stewarding the nation’s natural resources.Read moreRead less
Integrated Water Management in the Lower Richmond Catchment. Water quality in Richmond River estuary, NSW, is of critical concern to fishing, aquaculture, tourism and recreation industries. Upland horticulture on the Alstonville Plateau and drained acid sulfate soils in lowland floodplains discharge nutrient-rich, acidic water to the estuary. Previous studies have treated floodplains, upland and estuary separately. This study will develop an integrated catchment approach to water management in t ....Integrated Water Management in the Lower Richmond Catchment. Water quality in Richmond River estuary, NSW, is of critical concern to fishing, aquaculture, tourism and recreation industries. Upland horticulture on the Alstonville Plateau and drained acid sulfate soils in lowland floodplains discharge nutrient-rich, acidic water to the estuary. Previous studies have treated floodplains, upland and estuary separately. This study will develop an integrated catchment approach to water management in the Lower Richmond by treating surface water and groundwater as a single resource. The whole-of-system approach will help mitigate socio-economic and environment impacts of nutrient-rich and acidic drainage waters. It will be transferable to other "hot spots" in Australia.Read moreRead less