Robotic investigation of water optical properties in the Southern Ocean. The project aims to improve our understanding of light–matter interactions in the waters of the Southern Ocean (SO), in particular the role of phytoplankton and associated material of biological origin. Phytoplankton are the energy source for the food web and a critical component of carbon cycling in the SO. However, their dynamics in the SO cannot be quantified using satellite observations because bio-optical data processi ....Robotic investigation of water optical properties in the Southern Ocean. The project aims to improve our understanding of light–matter interactions in the waters of the Southern Ocean (SO), in particular the role of phytoplankton and associated material of biological origin. Phytoplankton are the energy source for the food web and a critical component of carbon cycling in the SO. However, their dynamics in the SO cannot be quantified using satellite observations because bio-optical data processing algorithms perform poorly due to a lack of field data. This project seeks to remedy this by improving understanding of SO bio-optics, and by providing novel algorithms of known uncertainty, based on in situ data.Read moreRead less
Iron in the Antarctic sea ice zone and its role in the past and future climate. The Antarctic sea ice environment has remained poorly investigated for decades as it is difficult to access. Recent scientific advances have revealed that melting sea ice may provide a significant amount of the plant micro-nutrient iron to the Southern Ocean. Given that polar waters are iron-deficient and seasonal sea ice affects ~14 million square kilometres of ocean, the importance of iron fertilisation from deca ....Iron in the Antarctic sea ice zone and its role in the past and future climate. The Antarctic sea ice environment has remained poorly investigated for decades as it is difficult to access. Recent scientific advances have revealed that melting sea ice may provide a significant amount of the plant micro-nutrient iron to the Southern Ocean. Given that polar waters are iron-deficient and seasonal sea ice affects ~14 million square kilometres of ocean, the importance of iron fertilisation from decaying sea ice and its effect on global climate urgently need to be evaluated. This proposal aims at improving our understanding of Earth's complex system, and will inform future climate change policy in Australia.
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Changes in the ocean's biological pump: innovative models and diagnostics. This Project aims to quantify how the ocean’s biological pump, which exports newly formed organic matter into the ocean interior, responds to environmental change. The biological pump is a key control on the global carbon and oxygen cycles, and hence on the viability of marine life. New, efficient numerical models will be developed and analysed with highly innovative mathematical methods. Expected outcomes are optimised .... Changes in the ocean's biological pump: innovative models and diagnostics. This Project aims to quantify how the ocean’s biological pump, which exports newly formed organic matter into the ocean interior, responds to environmental change. The biological pump is a key control on the global carbon and oxygen cycles, and hence on the viability of marine life. New, efficient numerical models will be developed and analysed with highly innovative mathematical methods. Expected outcomes are optimised predictive models and a new understanding of the possible future evolutions of the ocean carbon cycle, acidification, and oxygenation. This should provide significant benefits such as predictions of future ocean health, identification of processes that are sensitive to change, and strategies for marine resource management.Read moreRead less
Impact of Metal - Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Interactions on Growth and Toxicity of Ichthyotoxic Algae in Australian Coastal Waters. Toxic algal blooms in estuarine and coastal waters can have devastating economic and ecological impacts but remarkably little is known about the factors that control either organism growth or toxin severity. Recent studies suggest that the interplay between delivery of the nutrient trace metals iron and copper and the method via which the organism acts to assimi ....Impact of Metal - Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Interactions on Growth and Toxicity of Ichthyotoxic Algae in Australian Coastal Waters. Toxic algal blooms in estuarine and coastal waters can have devastating economic and ecological impacts but remarkably little is known about the factors that control either organism growth or toxin severity. Recent studies suggest that the interplay between delivery of the nutrient trace metals iron and copper and the method via which the organism acts to assimilate these metals is critical to the generation and aggressiveness of the toxins produced. These processes will be investigated in this study and conceptual and mathematical models will be developed which will assist in assessing management options for estuarine and coastal environments.Read moreRead less
Natural iron fertilisation of oceans around Australia: linking terrestrial dust, marine biogeochemistry and climate. Oceans play a vital role in Earth’s climate through the control of atmospheric carbon dioxide. An important component of this system is the iron cycle, in which iron-rich dust is transported from the land via atmosphere to ocean; iron is a key micronutrient for marine phytoplankton, the scarcity of which limits essential biogeochemical processes and ocean fertility. This project w ....Natural iron fertilisation of oceans around Australia: linking terrestrial dust, marine biogeochemistry and climate. Oceans play a vital role in Earth’s climate through the control of atmospheric carbon dioxide. An important component of this system is the iron cycle, in which iron-rich dust is transported from the land via atmosphere to ocean; iron is a key micronutrient for marine phytoplankton, the scarcity of which limits essential biogeochemical processes and ocean fertility. This project will conduct an integrated oceanographic and atmospheric observational program for trace elements in the oceans around Australia. This will provide the critical information on iron supplied from atmospheric dust for ocean productivity and marine ecosystem health, providing the science for predicting a key factor in the future impact of the oceans on climate.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120100030
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
The role of Antarctic sea ice as a natural ocean fertiliser. This project will assess the importance of sea ice as a natural fertiliser in the climatically important polar region. The knowledge gained will aid climate modellers and Governmental policy-makers concerned with the commercial use of ocean iron fertilisation as an attempt to reduce human-induced atmospheric carbon dioxide and gain carbon credits.
Ocean fertilisation: a positive effect from Antarctica’s great thaw? This project will evaluate how the Antarctica's great thaw may fertilise the Southern Ocean with iron and help mitigate carbon dioxide emissions now and in the future. The Southern Ocean is anaemic, meaning that the iron levels are too low to sustain photosynthesis, a pathway by which the oceans transform carbon dioxide into carbon-rich sediments. There is evidence that melting ice may supply substantial amount of iron, capable ....Ocean fertilisation: a positive effect from Antarctica’s great thaw? This project will evaluate how the Antarctica's great thaw may fertilise the Southern Ocean with iron and help mitigate carbon dioxide emissions now and in the future. The Southern Ocean is anaemic, meaning that the iron levels are too low to sustain photosynthesis, a pathway by which the oceans transform carbon dioxide into carbon-rich sediments. There is evidence that melting ice may supply substantial amount of iron, capable of boosting marine life and removing carbon dioxide. As polar regions show the earliest and most severe impacts of anthropogenic activity, studying ice-ocean interactions is central to supporting national and international policy development that can effectively limit the worst impacts of climate change globally. Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR200100008
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000,000.00
Summary
The Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science. The Centre will revolutionise predictions of the future of East Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Changes in the Antarctic will be profoundly costly to Australia, including sea-level and fisheries impacts; but the speed and scale of future change remains poorly understood. A new national-scale and interdisciplinary Centre is required to understand the complex interactions of the ocean, ice sheets, atmosphere and ecosystems that will gov ....The Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science. The Centre will revolutionise predictions of the future of East Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Changes in the Antarctic will be profoundly costly to Australia, including sea-level and fisheries impacts; but the speed and scale of future change remains poorly understood. A new national-scale and interdisciplinary Centre is required to understand the complex interactions of the ocean, ice sheets, atmosphere and ecosystems that will govern Antarctica’s future. The Centre will combine new field data with innovative models to address Australia’s Antarctic science priorities, train graduate students, develop leaders, engage the public, and enable major economic benefit as Australia adapts to climate change in the coming years and beyond.Read moreRead less
Autonomous platforms and biotagging data: new approaches for understanding variability and change across the Antarctic ocean/sea-ice climate system. This project aims to advance our ability to assess and monitor climate change across the Antarctic ocean/sea-ice system. Ocean/sea-ice interactions have a critical role in the global climate and there is an urgent need to determine how these are responding to climate change. This project will overcome gaps in existing observational datasets that cur ....Autonomous platforms and biotagging data: new approaches for understanding variability and change across the Antarctic ocean/sea-ice climate system. This project aims to advance our ability to assess and monitor climate change across the Antarctic ocean/sea-ice system. Ocean/sea-ice interactions have a critical role in the global climate and there is an urgent need to determine how these are responding to climate change. This project will overcome gaps in existing observational datasets that currently limit our understanding of spatiotemporal variability and change in ocean around Antarctica. This study will use two new approaches, biotagging and autonomous platforms, to greatly improve our capacity to model and predict the impacts of climate change on the Antarctic ocean/sea ice system and beyond.Read moreRead less