Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354575
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$30,000.00
Summary
Earth and Ocean Informatics and Technology Network (EON-ITnet). Sustainable resource exploration and mining onshore, as well as marine planning, exploration, and defence depend on effective cross-disciplinary investigation, sharing of expertise and technologies for integration and computational analysis of multidimensional data spaces. EON-ITNET will cross-fertilise the use of artificial intelligence, advanced computing and smart information sharing for management, analysis, visualisation and me ....Earth and Ocean Informatics and Technology Network (EON-ITnet). Sustainable resource exploration and mining onshore, as well as marine planning, exploration, and defence depend on effective cross-disciplinary investigation, sharing of expertise and technologies for integration and computational analysis of multidimensional data spaces. EON-ITNET will cross-fertilise the use of artificial intelligence, advanced computing and smart information sharing for management, analysis, visualisation and metadata modelling between these traditionally separate research groups, with the outcome of improving research efficiency and lowering costs. EON-ITNET will form an alliance with the Caltech-based GeoFramework, which is advancing a novel object-oriented data analysis environment, binding community software for Earth visualisation and simulation to 4D data bases.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
Eruption dynamics and tsunami potential from submarine volcanoes. This project is based on recently acquired seafloor samples and geophysical data from extraordinary deposits at a modern submarine volcano. This project aims to determine the conditions that lead to explosive eruption underwater, the dynamics of associated sediment flows, and if these events can trigger tsunami. Expected outcomes include an unprecedented reconstruction of the architecture of submarine caldera volcanoes, new innova ....Eruption dynamics and tsunami potential from submarine volcanoes. This project is based on recently acquired seafloor samples and geophysical data from extraordinary deposits at a modern submarine volcano. This project aims to determine the conditions that lead to explosive eruption underwater, the dynamics of associated sediment flows, and if these events can trigger tsunami. Expected outcomes include an unprecedented reconstruction of the architecture of submarine caldera volcanoes, new innovative models applicable globally for a richer understanding of volcanic tsunami and eruptions that shape the seafloor. This project will provide significant benefits through mitigation of global marine natural hazards, and by improving knowledge on the volcanic hosts of ore deposits.Read moreRead less
Bushfires, smoke, and people: assessing the risks and benefits from planned burning on the urban-rural interface. A key strategy to protect people from wildfire is the use of planned burns to reduce fire hazards. The exposure of communities to smoke pollution is a serious side-effect of this intervention. This project will be critical in enabling authorities to protect public health by determining acceptable levels of smoke originating from planned burns.
Multi-Country Study on Health Effects of Bushfire Air Pollution. Catastrophic bushfires are a major natural disaster, causing serious air pollution. However, aligning bushfire air pollution and public health policies becomes a significant challenge, because limited studies are available on relationships between bushfire air pollution and human health, particularly for the prolonged exposure. We will characterize the nature of the relationships between bushfire air pollution and mortality/morbidi ....Multi-Country Study on Health Effects of Bushfire Air Pollution. Catastrophic bushfires are a major natural disaster, causing serious air pollution. However, aligning bushfire air pollution and public health policies becomes a significant challenge, because limited studies are available on relationships between bushfire air pollution and human health, particularly for the prolonged exposure. We will characterize the nature of the relationships between bushfire air pollution and mortality/morbidity by developing a multi-country study; and estimate the burden of diseases attributed to bushfire air pollution. This project will provide essential scientific evidence to policy-makers and stakeholders in the development, prioritization and implementation of health protection strategies and policies.
Read moreRead less
Three-dimensional Bayesian Modelling of Geological and Geophysical data. The project aims to develop technologies enabling rapid informed decision-making related to the management of natural resources, including critical metals, copper and water. This new technology will support a greener future, securing our energy future, our access to clean water and reduce the mining footprint. Expected outcomes include an enhanced capability in interoperable, integrated three-dimensional geological and geop ....Three-dimensional Bayesian Modelling of Geological and Geophysical data. The project aims to develop technologies enabling rapid informed decision-making related to the management of natural resources, including critical metals, copper and water. This new technology will support a greener future, securing our energy future, our access to clean water and reduce the mining footprint. Expected outcomes include an enhanced capability in interoperable, integrated three-dimensional geological and geophysical modelling in order to predictively characterise sub-surface geology. The outcome will be an open-source forecasting dashboard enabling decision making while considering underlying risk related to resource extractions and management with significant benefits to the Australian society (lower emissions, clean water).Read moreRead less
Anthropogenic influences on the source, transformation and fate of carbon and nitrogen in coastal waters: a case study of the Derwent Estuary. Ninety five percent of Australia's population live in the coastal zone on the shores of our major bays and estuaries. These water bodies are valuable resources for recreation, boating, fishing, marine transport and industry, but some activities, particularly the release of nitrogen, impose an environmental and economic cost. This project will significant ....Anthropogenic influences on the source, transformation and fate of carbon and nitrogen in coastal waters: a case study of the Derwent Estuary. Ninety five percent of Australia's population live in the coastal zone on the shores of our major bays and estuaries. These water bodies are valuable resources for recreation, boating, fishing, marine transport and industry, but some activities, particularly the release of nitrogen, impose an environmental and economic cost. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the natural processes that control the transformation and fate of nitrogen in coastal waters. As such the outcomes of this study will provide key information for managers on the environmental outcomes of nutrient management strategies.Read moreRead less
Are coastal wetlands vulnerable to bushfires? The ‘Black Summer’ fires burned extensive areas of coastal wetland not typically associated with fire impact. These wetlands rely upon plant growth and sediment delivery to respond to sea-level rise, processes which may be impacted by fire. This project aims to quantify the distribution and severity of fire impact, and establish post-fire vegetation and surface elevation trajectories. By integrating fire ecology and wetland science approaches, this p ....Are coastal wetlands vulnerable to bushfires? The ‘Black Summer’ fires burned extensive areas of coastal wetland not typically associated with fire impact. These wetlands rely upon plant growth and sediment delivery to respond to sea-level rise, processes which may be impacted by fire. This project aims to quantify the distribution and severity of fire impact, and establish post-fire vegetation and surface elevation trajectories. By integrating fire ecology and wetland science approaches, this project will ascertain the resilience of coastal wetlands to the cumulative impacts of fire and sea-level rise. Expected outcomes of this project include new, spatially-explicit fire management tools which will aid the sustainable, long-term management of coastal wetlands in a changing climate.Read moreRead less