Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882836
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$160,000.00
Summary
A novel isotope facility to characterise high-molecular-weight fractions of natural organic matter in soils, sediments, water, petroleum and coal. This facility will improve our ability to forecast environmental responses to future climate change, and help Australia manage current threats to its biodiversity. Furthermore, this research will increase the ability to identify crude oil sources, to the benefit of petroleum exploration in Australia. This facility will also contribute to an improved u ....A novel isotope facility to characterise high-molecular-weight fractions of natural organic matter in soils, sediments, water, petroleum and coal. This facility will improve our ability to forecast environmental responses to future climate change, and help Australia manage current threats to its biodiversity. Furthermore, this research will increase the ability to identify crude oil sources, to the benefit of petroleum exploration in Australia. This facility will also contribute to an improved understanding of controls on water quality and will help to protect our precious freshwater resources, already under intense pressure from climate change. Importantly, this project will enable students and young professionals to be trained in state-of-the-art technology, leading to quality scientists ready for employment in industry.
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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
Environmental controls over Fe availability and transport in a forested coastal catchment. Iron is one of a number of elements that are mobilised in catchments, have recognised detrimental impacts to marine settings and are known to be nutrients for toxic cyanobacteria blooms. Knowledge of controls over distribution of Fe is important in catchment management and for sustainable forestry. The total catchment approach will result in an understanding of release and transport of Fe, and other heav ....Environmental controls over Fe availability and transport in a forested coastal catchment. Iron is one of a number of elements that are mobilised in catchments, have recognised detrimental impacts to marine settings and are known to be nutrients for toxic cyanobacteria blooms. Knowledge of controls over distribution of Fe is important in catchment management and for sustainable forestry. The total catchment approach will result in an understanding of release and transport of Fe, and other heavy metals. The outcomes of the study will enable useful comparison to coastal plantations elsewhere in Australia, and overseas. Determination of the relationship to rainfall and hydrological processes will enhance these comparisons plus consideration of climatic change.
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Resolving the geochemistry of coastal floodplain blackwaters. Deoxygenated dead zones are a rapidly growing global crisis in coastal areas. A major cause of dead zones in our estuaries is the formation and release of blackwaters from coastal wetlands. This project will provide the knowledge necessary to manage blackwaters in these wetlands and to greatly improve the health and sustainability of our estuaries.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100127
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$300,000.00
Summary
High resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (Orbitrap) for analyses of polar compounds in biomass, petroleum, potable and reclaimed water. Climate change and human impact can harm sensitive ecosystems, significantly threatening Australian biodiversity and water resources. Chemical and biological characterisation of aquatic and terrestrial environments is paramount to assessing and responding to these threats, as well as assisting natural resource utilisation. The high structural pola ....High resolution liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (Orbitrap) for analyses of polar compounds in biomass, petroleum, potable and reclaimed water. Climate change and human impact can harm sensitive ecosystems, significantly threatening Australian biodiversity and water resources. Chemical and biological characterisation of aquatic and terrestrial environments is paramount to assessing and responding to these threats, as well as assisting natural resource utilisation. The high structural polarity of many environmentally occurring organics from biological, petroleum and anthropogenic sources, unamenable to gas chromatographic resolution, can now be accommodated by the advanced organic analytical technology sought in this proposal. This project will enable scholars and young professionals to be skilled in state-of-the-art technology, and prepare quality scientists, ready for employment.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100088
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
A coupled high temperature elemental analyser - gas chromatograph - mass spectrometer for climate, water and ecological research. A coupled high temperature elemental analyser - gas chromatograph - mass spectrometer for climate, water and ecological research: This project is for a high temperature, elemental analysis, gas chromatography, isotope mass spectrometry facility. This would permit the analysis of the isotopes of up to four elements in a range of environmental samples such as tree cell ....A coupled high temperature elemental analyser - gas chromatograph - mass spectrometer for climate, water and ecological research. A coupled high temperature elemental analyser - gas chromatograph - mass spectrometer for climate, water and ecological research: This project is for a high temperature, elemental analysis, gas chromatography, isotope mass spectrometry facility. This would permit the analysis of the isotopes of up to four elements in a range of environmental samples such as tree cellulose, ecological samples and dissolved nutrients in surface and ground waters. Results will help improve our understanding of climate - surface water - ground water interactions, ecosystem function, and past climate and environmental change. The new facility will meet the need for organic isotope analyses to better understand the underlying physical processes.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100023
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Innovative isotopic techniques to study the response of soil and water resources to modern and past climate change. Innovative isotopic techniques to study the response of soil and water resources to modern and past climate change: The emergence of innovative isotopic tools has provided unprecedented opportunities to improve our understanding of the processes that shape the earth's resources and environment. The plasma-source mass spectrometer will be dedicated to applying these techniques to ea ....Innovative isotopic techniques to study the response of soil and water resources to modern and past climate change. Innovative isotopic techniques to study the response of soil and water resources to modern and past climate change: The emergence of innovative isotopic tools has provided unprecedented opportunities to improve our understanding of the processes that shape the earth's resources and environment. The plasma-source mass spectrometer will be dedicated to applying these techniques to earth surface processes, and establishing unique capabilities to decipher how soil and water resources respond to modern and past climate change in Australia.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0226357
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
Enhancement of VIEPS Stable Isotope Facilities: Environmental and Geological Research. This proposal will enhance the Monash/VIEPS stable isotope facility by automating a variety of analytical procedures. This will increase our throughput of samples, enable a broader range of analyses to be undertaken, and improve accuracy and precision. The enhanced facility will be state-of -the-art and used to support research in a broad range of fields, including: Hydrogeology (groundwater resources, salinit ....Enhancement of VIEPS Stable Isotope Facilities: Environmental and Geological Research. This proposal will enhance the Monash/VIEPS stable isotope facility by automating a variety of analytical procedures. This will increase our throughput of samples, enable a broader range of analyses to be undertaken, and improve accuracy and precision. The enhanced facility will be state-of -the-art and used to support research in a broad range of fields, including: Hydrogeology (groundwater resources, salinity, contaminant studies); Interaction of organic matter with groundwater systems; Cementation and diagenesis in sedimentary basins; Palaeoclimatology; Global carbon cycles; Crustal fluid flow; and Economic geology.Read moreRead less
Groundwater in the southeast Murray Basin: Developing an integrated hydrogeological model and predicting future changes. Agricultural and urban development increases demands on groundwater resources. The sustainable use of groundwater requires a thorough knowledge of hydrogeology. This project addresses the origins, age, and geochemical evolution of groundwater in the Murray Basin, in particular constraining groundwater flow patterns, aquifer-aquitard interaction, water-rock interaction, and gro ....Groundwater in the southeast Murray Basin: Developing an integrated hydrogeological model and predicting future changes. Agricultural and urban development increases demands on groundwater resources. The sustainable use of groundwater requires a thorough knowledge of hydrogeology. This project addresses the origins, age, and geochemical evolution of groundwater in the Murray Basin, in particular constraining groundwater flow patterns, aquifer-aquitard interaction, water-rock interaction, and groundwater-surface water interactions both under present day and previous climatic conditions. The results of this project will ensure that this groundwater resource can be more effectively used and managed sustainably over the long term. In particular, historical responses of the system will be used to predict the effects of landuse or climate changes.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100628
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$368,394.00
Summary
Dissolved organic carbon quality influences metal toxicity in freshwaters. This project aims to characterise the types of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) found within Australian freshwaters and investigate how these influence metal toxicity to organisms. DOC has the ability to decrease the toxicity of metals to organisms in natural waters, and the intensity of the decrease is related to the type of DOC. Information regarding the types of DOC commonly found within Australian waters is lacking, and ....Dissolved organic carbon quality influences metal toxicity in freshwaters. This project aims to characterise the types of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) found within Australian freshwaters and investigate how these influence metal toxicity to organisms. DOC has the ability to decrease the toxicity of metals to organisms in natural waters, and the intensity of the decrease is related to the type of DOC. Information regarding the types of DOC commonly found within Australian waters is lacking, and their impact on metal toxicity to Australian biota is unknown. This project aims to characterise DOC from different Australian ecoregions and investigate the influence of different DOCs on metal toxicity. The expected outcomes are better predictive toxicity models and better assessment of risks associated with metal contamination.Read moreRead less