Clothes, fibres and filters that reduce pollution by micro and nano debris. This project aims to provide scientifically verified methods to avoid, intercept and redesign products that cause the most abundant type of marine plastic pollution – clothing fibres - which has increased by over 450% in 60 years. It will determine how natural and plastic fibres, clothing brands and washing machine filters, alter fibre emissions and ecological impacts. This will enable protocols to improve products and t ....Clothes, fibres and filters that reduce pollution by micro and nano debris. This project aims to provide scientifically verified methods to avoid, intercept and redesign products that cause the most abundant type of marine plastic pollution – clothing fibres - which has increased by over 450% in 60 years. It will determine how natural and plastic fibres, clothing brands and washing machine filters, alter fibre emissions and ecological impacts. This will enable protocols to improve products and the environment, and reduce health risks that will benefit the public, government regulation and companies in designing "eco-friendly" products.Read moreRead less
Addressing social and ecological constraints to expand marine restoration. This project aims to improve social and ecological outcomes of marine habitat restoration by increasing community and industry engagement in restoration practices with high socio-economic benefits. By understanding and overcoming social and ecological barriers to successful restoration efforts, this project will generate new knowledge on how communities – both human and marine – can work together to rapidly restore robust ....Addressing social and ecological constraints to expand marine restoration. This project aims to improve social and ecological outcomes of marine habitat restoration by increasing community and industry engagement in restoration practices with high socio-economic benefits. By understanding and overcoming social and ecological barriers to successful restoration efforts, this project will generate new knowledge on how communities – both human and marine – can work together to rapidly restore robust, productive reef habitats. Expected outcomes of this project include a new ecological, multi-species approach that boosts restoration resilience; and a collaborative framework for developing government policy that builds industry and community support for cooperative management of coastal ecosystem restoration.Read moreRead less
Investing in ecological portfolios: retaining migratory strategies of fish. In finance, investors minimize risk and optimize long term returns by building stock portfolios with different attributes. This contingency strategy also occurs in ecological systems. We will use portfolio effects as a conceptual model to characterise the poorly known sub-population variations in migratory strategies of estuarine fish and their response to environmental conditions. In doing so, we will determine how envi ....Investing in ecological portfolios: retaining migratory strategies of fish. In finance, investors minimize risk and optimize long term returns by building stock portfolios with different attributes. This contingency strategy also occurs in ecological systems. We will use portfolio effects as a conceptual model to characterise the poorly known sub-population variations in migratory strategies of estuarine fish and their response to environmental conditions. In doing so, we will determine how environmental change drives variations in migratory strategies, impacts long-term growth and population trophic web dynamics. Outcomes will foster novel and dynamic management frameworks that enhance population stability despite the predicted volatility of environmental conditions.Read moreRead less
Threats to the water quality and ecosystem of Coffin Bay, South Australia. Coffin Bay (South Australia) is experiencing worsening environmental conditions despite its major economic and ecological importance. Research is needed to understand the cause of this decline, particularly in light of a recent bacterial outbreak that impacted the aquaculture industry. This multidisciplinary project aims to deliver world-leading scientific advice based on novel field techniques and innovative models of th ....Threats to the water quality and ecosystem of Coffin Bay, South Australia. Coffin Bay (South Australia) is experiencing worsening environmental conditions despite its major economic and ecological importance. Research is needed to understand the cause of this decline, particularly in light of a recent bacterial outbreak that impacted the aquaculture industry. This multidisciplinary project aims to deliver world-leading scientific advice based on novel field techniques and innovative models of this complex inverse estuary system and its surrounding catchment. The new understanding of the sources, fluxes and fate of nutrients within the bay and the surrounding catchment, arising from this project, is expected to benefit management decision-making and establish a new standard in estuarine water quality investigation.Read moreRead less
Do root microbiomes control seagrass response to environmental stress? The project aims to determine the role root microbes play in controlling seagrass responses to environmental stress. By integrating marine and microbial ecology, environmental genomics and ecosystem function (e.g., biogeochemical cycling), this project is significant as it will create new knowledge of the processes that confer seagrass resilience to global environmental issues. An expected outcome is an increased understandin ....Do root microbiomes control seagrass response to environmental stress? The project aims to determine the role root microbes play in controlling seagrass responses to environmental stress. By integrating marine and microbial ecology, environmental genomics and ecosystem function (e.g., biogeochemical cycling), this project is significant as it will create new knowledge of the processes that confer seagrass resilience to global environmental issues. An expected outcome is an increased understanding of how microbes control seagrass health and an enhanced capacity to develop effective restoration strategies for Australia's valuable seagrass ecosystems. Benefits include improving the extensive environmental, economic, social/cultural services Australian communities derive from seagrass ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Saving seagrass from climate change. This research aims to test whether seagrass ecosystems can be safeguarded from climate change impacts by enhancing genetic connectivity in range edge populations using novel genetic rescue approaches. We will use the range edge seagrass meadows of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shark Bay as our model, which was significantly impacted by a marine heat wave in 2010/2011. The project will generate new knowledge on how seagrasses can adapt and survive in situ. ....Saving seagrass from climate change. This research aims to test whether seagrass ecosystems can be safeguarded from climate change impacts by enhancing genetic connectivity in range edge populations using novel genetic rescue approaches. We will use the range edge seagrass meadows of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shark Bay as our model, which was significantly impacted by a marine heat wave in 2010/2011. The project will generate new knowledge on how seagrasses can adapt and survive in situ. Expected outcomes are improved conservation, management and restoration practices for seagrass meadows. This should provide significant benefits for long-term resilience of this economically and culturally significant ecosystem.Read moreRead less
Sustaining intensive agriculture through droughts and floods. This project aims to develop state-of-the-art conceptual and numerical models of river-soil-groundwater interactions to address complex and persistent questions on water sustainability in the Lower Burdekin Delta, Queensland, where groundwater pumping to irrigate sugarcane has been supplemented by artificial recharge for over 50 years. This project expects to deliver new knowledge of critical aquifer processes to inform the scheme ope ....Sustaining intensive agriculture through droughts and floods. This project aims to develop state-of-the-art conceptual and numerical models of river-soil-groundwater interactions to address complex and persistent questions on water sustainability in the Lower Burdekin Delta, Queensland, where groundwater pumping to irrigate sugarcane has been supplemented by artificial recharge for over 50 years. This project expects to deliver new knowledge of critical aquifer processes to inform the scheme operation, the largest in the country. Expected outcomes include ground-breaking management plans for the aquifer-replenishment scheme. Anticipated benefits involve balancing the needs of agriculture and the protection of pristine environments, including groundwater discharge to the Great Barrier Reef.
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Fish Jenga: metapopulation management for coastal river fish. This project aims to address the escalating threats to coastal freshwater fish from drought, fire, and other disturbances. The project expects to generate new knowledge on contemporary distributions of NSW coastal freshwater fishes, and will develop models of population dynamics to explore the consequences of alternative water management and disturbance scenarios. The expected outcome of the project is to revolutionise management by r ....Fish Jenga: metapopulation management for coastal river fish. This project aims to address the escalating threats to coastal freshwater fish from drought, fire, and other disturbances. The project expects to generate new knowledge on contemporary distributions of NSW coastal freshwater fishes, and will develop models of population dynamics to explore the consequences of alternative water management and disturbance scenarios. The expected outcome of the project is to revolutionise management by replacing the current practice of managing river basins separately, with a framework that accounts for among-basin linkages that are essential for the long-term persistence of fish populations. Significant benefits include more efficient use of water resources and improved conservation outcomes for native fish.Read moreRead less
Polymer technologies for oil spill remediation and slow-release fertilisers. This project aims to evaluate a patented sulfur polymer in commercial oil spill remediation and slow-release fertilisers. Key objectives are to determine how the polymer degrades, assess the effectiveness of the polymer in oil spill sorption in different contexts, and investigate the polymer as a matrix for slow-release fertilisers. The project expects to generate new approaches to sustainable remediation and crop produ ....Polymer technologies for oil spill remediation and slow-release fertilisers. This project aims to evaluate a patented sulfur polymer in commercial oil spill remediation and slow-release fertilisers. Key objectives are to determine how the polymer degrades, assess the effectiveness of the polymer in oil spill sorption in different contexts, and investigate the polymer as a matrix for slow-release fertilisers. The project expects to generate new approaches to sustainable remediation and crop production. Expected outcomes include new knowledge about the biodegradation of the polymer, new methods for deploying the polymer in oil spill cleanup, and new fertilisers that prevent nutrient waste and runoff. Significant benefits are expected for the environment, as well as economic benefits to the manufacturer and end-users.Read moreRead less