The role of learning in conservation management: developing adaptive approaches for the conservation of biodiversity in a changing climate. Biodiversity underpins several major industries: agriculture, tourism, forestry and fisheries. To mitigate the loss of biodiversity, there have been significant investments from all levels of government, including 2.2 billion dollars to manage biodiversity and 138 million dollars simply to gather data on the impact of climatic changes. Despite this well inte ....The role of learning in conservation management: developing adaptive approaches for the conservation of biodiversity in a changing climate. Biodiversity underpins several major industries: agriculture, tourism, forestry and fisheries. To mitigate the loss of biodiversity, there have been significant investments from all levels of government, including 2.2 billion dollars to manage biodiversity and 138 million dollars simply to gather data on the impact of climatic changes. Despite this well intended funding, the key questions of how to best allocate this money between the many threatened species and regions of Australia, and how to adapt this allocation in light of climatic changes, remain unanswered. Our research will develop explicit and practical frameworks by which we can cost efficiently learn and act simultaneously.Read moreRead less
Biotransformation and biodegradation of organic nitrogen compounds from wastewater in bio-electrochemical systems. The rapid emergence of water recycling in Australia requires more vigilant control of pollutants that are discharged to sewers. This project will develop a novel, cost-effective process to remove organic nitrogen compounds (and likely other organics) present in many industrial wastewaters. It could provide an excellent solution for the pre-treatment of such industrial wastewaters at ....Biotransformation and biodegradation of organic nitrogen compounds from wastewater in bio-electrochemical systems. The rapid emergence of water recycling in Australia requires more vigilant control of pollutants that are discharged to sewers. This project will develop a novel, cost-effective process to remove organic nitrogen compounds (and likely other organics) present in many industrial wastewaters. It could provide an excellent solution for the pre-treatment of such industrial wastewaters at the source without any chemical addition, hence reducing the challenge and risks facing the water recycling plants. This innovative technology will further expand the growing research capacity and know-how in water recycling in Australia.Read moreRead less
Resilience of Moreton Bay to climate change: Links between nutrient inputs and plankton dynamics. A healthy Moreton Bay, with its lucrative fishing, iconic turtles, dugongs and seabirds, helps support the $9 billion per annum tourist industry in SE Queensland. Moreton Bay is under increasing threat from nutrients produced by a mushrooming coastal population and from climate change impacts. Here we investigate nutrient-plankton relationships and develop a simple model to evaluate future impacts o ....Resilience of Moreton Bay to climate change: Links between nutrient inputs and plankton dynamics. A healthy Moreton Bay, with its lucrative fishing, iconic turtles, dugongs and seabirds, helps support the $9 billion per annum tourist industry in SE Queensland. Moreton Bay is under increasing threat from nutrients produced by a mushrooming coastal population and from climate change impacts. Here we investigate nutrient-plankton relationships and develop a simple model to evaluate future impacts on bay health. This project will put Australian scientists at the forefront of research focused on the adaptation of coastal marine environments to climate impacts, and ensure that Moreton Bay remains healthy now and into the futureRead 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
Development of Environmental Health Indicators in the Context of Sustainable Development. Protecting and promoting community well-being and population health is an essential aspect of sustainable development (SD). It is critical, therefore, to develop rigorous environmental health indicators (EHIs) to provide solid bases for the planning of SD and environmental management decision-making. However, a framework for the development of EHIs has not been attempted. This research aims to increase fun ....Development of Environmental Health Indicators in the Context of Sustainable Development. Protecting and promoting community well-being and population health is an essential aspect of sustainable development (SD). It is critical, therefore, to develop rigorous environmental health indicators (EHIs) to provide solid bases for the planning of SD and environmental management decision-making. However, a framework for the development of EHIs has not been attempted. This research aims to increase fundamental knowledge on the relationship between EHIs and SD, to identify a core and extended set of EHIs, and to assess implications of EHIs in the planning of SD and environmental management. A framework for identification and application of EHIs will be developed.Read moreRead less
Integrated Carbon Accounting and Information Management Systems. The aim of this project is to integrate environmental science and information technology to enhance carbon accounting management. The project is significant because it will provide for the first time a mechanism by which potential investors in forestry/carbon sequestration programs will be able to acquire online advice on what trees and soil types are most compatible, when and how to plant. This project will provide an interactive ....Integrated Carbon Accounting and Information Management Systems. The aim of this project is to integrate environmental science and information technology to enhance carbon accounting management. The project is significant because it will provide for the first time a mechanism by which potential investors in forestry/carbon sequestration programs will be able to acquire online advice on what trees and soil types are most compatible, when and how to plant. This project will provide an interactive web based program to calculate the environmental and economic value of such an investment, assess current market trends and access to scientists, brokers, current legislation and applicable publications.Read moreRead less
Active-passive microwave soil moisture remote sensing: Towards sustainable land and water management from space. Soil moisture is a highly critical resource for the Australian agricultural economy which is stressed by climate change. Daily monitoring of paddock scale soil moisture from space represents a powerful tool to inform land management, allowing accurate crop yield and pasture growth predictions. At the continental scale, soil moisture information will result in better weather, climate a ....Active-passive microwave soil moisture remote sensing: Towards sustainable land and water management from space. Soil moisture is a highly critical resource for the Australian agricultural economy which is stressed by climate change. Daily monitoring of paddock scale soil moisture from space represents a powerful tool to inform land management, allowing accurate crop yield and pasture growth predictions. At the continental scale, soil moisture information will result in better weather, climate and extreme flood prediction skill and the ability to assess the effects of future climate change on Australia. It is therefore imperative that active-passive soil moisture retrieval algorithms be developed specifically for the Australian environment in order to take full advantage of the SMAP remote sensing mission when it is launched in 2012.Read moreRead less
High resolution mapping of surface and root zone soil moisture. Knowledge of the spatial and temporal variation of surface and root zone soil moisture content at high spatial resolution is critical to achieving more efficient water utilisation practices in agriculture. Australia's main river basins are under mounting pressure to satisfy a wide range of competing economic, social and environmental needs for water, particularly in terms of environmental flows and efficient irrigation. A better u ....High resolution mapping of surface and root zone soil moisture. Knowledge of the spatial and temporal variation of surface and root zone soil moisture content at high spatial resolution is critical to achieving more efficient water utilisation practices in agriculture. Australia's main river basins are under mounting pressure to satisfy a wide range of competing economic, social and environmental needs for water, particularly in terms of environmental flows and efficient irrigation. A better understanding of the soil moisture distribution at sub-farm scales will allow farmers to better utilise both the moisture in their soil and their limited allocation for irrigation. This will help alleviate soil moisture related problems in some of the nation's key catchments, such as the Murray Darling Basin.Read moreRead less
Optimal environmental monitoring under severe uncertainty. Environmental monitoring is a type of quality control that informs managers about the health of the environment and about how well their management systems are performing. Because it is a critical, but expensive, component of sustainable management, it is important to ensure value for resources spent on monitoring and that environmental impacts will be detected if they are occurring. We argue that current approaches to environmental mana ....Optimal environmental monitoring under severe uncertainty. Environmental monitoring is a type of quality control that informs managers about the health of the environment and about how well their management systems are performing. Because it is a critical, but expensive, component of sustainable management, it is important to ensure value for resources spent on monitoring and that environmental impacts will be detected if they are occurring. We argue that current approaches to environmental management ensure neither efficiency nor environmental security. The aim of the project is to develop theories and techniques to make monitoring both cost effective and reliable, thereby providing monetary savings and better environmental outcomes.Read moreRead less
Fire Scar Impacts on Surface Heat and Moisture Fluxes in Australia's Tropical Savanna and Feedbacks to Local and Regional Climate. Fire burns as much as 250,000 km2 of northern Australia every year, mostly tropical savanna land. The atmospheric impacts of burning extend beyond the direct emissions of aerosol and trace gases to include the effects of land surface alteration on atmospheric circulation. Using observation and modelling, this study examines the modification of surface heat and mois ....Fire Scar Impacts on Surface Heat and Moisture Fluxes in Australia's Tropical Savanna and Feedbacks to Local and Regional Climate. Fire burns as much as 250,000 km2 of northern Australia every year, mostly tropical savanna land. The atmospheric impacts of burning extend beyond the direct emissions of aerosol and trace gases to include the effects of land surface alteration on atmospheric circulation. Using observation and modelling, this study examines the modification of surface heat and moisture fluxes to the atmosphere caused by fire scars, along with the impact of such changes on atmospheric motion and precipitation at a range of scales. This unique work is of fundamental scientific interest and significance for current and future management of this important national resource.Read moreRead less