Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100076
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$394,585.00
Summary
Mixing hot spots in the Southern Ocean: processes, parameterisations and climate impacts. The Southern Ocean plays a critical role in the uptake of heat and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the deep ocean. This uptake depends strongly on mixing processes due to ocean eddies, which are especially important in regions of steep topography, leading to localised mixing hot spots. These ocean eddies have scales of 10-100km and therefore can not be resolved in current global climate models. This ....Mixing hot spots in the Southern Ocean: processes, parameterisations and climate impacts. The Southern Ocean plays a critical role in the uptake of heat and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the deep ocean. This uptake depends strongly on mixing processes due to ocean eddies, which are especially important in regions of steep topography, leading to localised mixing hot spots. These ocean eddies have scales of 10-100km and therefore can not be resolved in current global climate models. This project will examine these mixing processes using a combination of observations and innovative modelling approaches. This knowledge will be used to improve the representation of eddy processes in state-of-the-art climate models, which will ultimately allow Australia to more effectively respond to the challenge of climate change.Read moreRead less
Towards an early warning of Antarctic ice sheet collapse from seismology. This project aims to establish a physical basis for the sensitivity of seismic observations to small changes in the great ice sheets of East Antarctica. These ice sheets are vulnerable to partial collapse or accelerated retreat. Early changes in such ice sheets may take place in the hidden ice-rock interface zone and could be detected by subtle changes in seismic signals that pass through layers of ice, sediments, water an ....Towards an early warning of Antarctic ice sheet collapse from seismology. This project aims to establish a physical basis for the sensitivity of seismic observations to small changes in the great ice sheets of East Antarctica. These ice sheets are vulnerable to partial collapse or accelerated retreat. Early changes in such ice sheets may take place in the hidden ice-rock interface zone and could be detected by subtle changes in seismic signals that pass through layers of ice, sediments, water and bedrock in this zone. This project will undertake computer simulations, run tests on pre-existing data and examine two case studies, the Aurora and Wilkes Basins. The outcomes of this research will provide a basis for an early warning of ice sheet collapse using seismology, and contribute to future increased resilience to sea level rise.Read moreRead less
East Antarctica: subglacial heat flux constraints for ice sheet modelling. This project aims to quantify the heat flux from the East Antarctic continent into the base of the ice sheet via the derivation of a large geochemical database, together with elevation-based modelling and new heat flux measurements in regions formerly contiguous with East Antarctica. This subglacial heat flux is poorly constrained in current ice sheet models, but directly affects ice sheet behaviour. The output of this pr ....East Antarctica: subglacial heat flux constraints for ice sheet modelling. This project aims to quantify the heat flux from the East Antarctic continent into the base of the ice sheet via the derivation of a large geochemical database, together with elevation-based modelling and new heat flux measurements in regions formerly contiguous with East Antarctica. This subglacial heat flux is poorly constrained in current ice sheet models, but directly affects ice sheet behaviour. The output of this project will be a greatly improved heat flux map for East Antarctica that can be used in ice sheet modelling studies. This should drive significant improvement in models for the evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, resulting in more accurate projections of ice discharge and associated sea level change.Read moreRead less
Beneath Bass Strait: linking Tasmania and mainland Australia using a novel seismic experiment. A new low-cost approach based on background seismic energy and earthquake recordings will be used to construct three-dimensional maps of the deep structure beneath Bass Strait. Understanding the broad scale geology of southeast Australia is of national importance because the area is host to an abundance of petroleum, geothermal and mineral resources.
Improving Signal Detection Range of Active Seismic Monitoring in Mines. This project will develop a new generation of sensors that will process incoming seismic waves from an active source to accurately estimate the properties of underground rock mass in real time. This will lead to safer mining operations that will decrease the number of injuries and deaths. A probability graph model will be used to fuse measurements from different sensors to produce more accurate estimates of the rock mass. A ....Improving Signal Detection Range of Active Seismic Monitoring in Mines. This project will develop a new generation of sensors that will process incoming seismic waves from an active source to accurately estimate the properties of underground rock mass in real time. This will lead to safer mining operations that will decrease the number of injuries and deaths. A probability graph model will be used to fuse measurements from different sensors to produce more accurate estimates of the rock mass. A new low-cost seismic source will excite large areas of rock mass for continuous monitoring of the changes in stress and fracture density caused by mining. This will lead to methodologies that will significantly improve mining operations and increase Australia’s productivity in the mining sector.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE150100108
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$190,000.00
Summary
Earth’s response to ice unloading: a unique GPS measurement from Antarctica . Earth's response to ice unloading - a unique GPS measurement from Antarctica: This project aims to deploy geophysical equipment including global navigation satellite systems within Antarctica to understand how Earth responds to changes in stress (rheology) within the crust and upper mantle (the upper ~660 km). It exploits a globally-unique natural experiment that commenced in 2002 with the break-up of the Larsen B Ice ....Earth’s response to ice unloading: a unique GPS measurement from Antarctica . Earth's response to ice unloading - a unique GPS measurement from Antarctica: This project aims to deploy geophysical equipment including global navigation satellite systems within Antarctica to understand how Earth responds to changes in stress (rheology) within the crust and upper mantle (the upper ~660 km). It exploits a globally-unique natural experiment that commenced in 2002 with the break-up of the Larsen B Ice Shelf and which was followed by large-scale ice-mass unloading and rapid surface deformation. New broadband passive seismic and geodetic deformation measurements offer the promise of resolving a dichotomy between laboratory and millennial-scale determinations of Earth rheology through uniquely studying a time-scale mid-way between these extremes, whilst further strengthening Australia's emerging expertise in polar geophysics.Read moreRead less
Establishing the reference frame using astronomical and space-geodetic observations. Australia is increasingly dependent on spatial positioning and spatial data, yet mostly relies upon international agencies and research organisations to provide regular updates of coordinates and reference frame definition used on Earth. Improving the accuracy of the reference frame definition and our understanding of errors in the space-based measurements will provide new insights for studies of the Earth. The ....Establishing the reference frame using astronomical and space-geodetic observations. Australia is increasingly dependent on spatial positioning and spatial data, yet mostly relies upon international agencies and research organisations to provide regular updates of coordinates and reference frame definition used on Earth. Improving the accuracy of the reference frame definition and our understanding of errors in the space-based measurements will provide new insights for studies of the Earth. The research will yield results in studies of national significance, such as sea level rise, the effects of melting polar regions, and crustal deformation, as well as developing Australia's expertise in exploiting observations of the Earth from space.Read moreRead less
Probing the Australian-Pacific plate boundary: Macquarie Ridge in 3-D. This project aims to advance understanding of the Australia-Pacific plate boundary - the Macquarie Ridge Complex - in the Southern Ocean.
It will be the first study to elucidate the processes generating the world's largest submarine earthquakes not associated with active subduction, which may lead to understanding of how subduction initiates, the mechanism of earthquakes occurring at convergent margins, and more accurate est ....Probing the Australian-Pacific plate boundary: Macquarie Ridge in 3-D. This project aims to advance understanding of the Australia-Pacific plate boundary - the Macquarie Ridge Complex - in the Southern Ocean.
It will be the first study to elucidate the processes generating the world's largest submarine earthquakes not associated with active subduction, which may lead to understanding of how subduction initiates, the mechanism of earthquakes occurring at convergent margins, and more accurate estimates of earthquake and tsunami potential.
This study will put Australia at the forefront of Earth Science research into the evolution of tectonic plates and has the potential to better inform hazard assessment efforts in the region, benefiting policy-makers and at–risk communities along the Australia coastline.Read moreRead less
Application of the multichannel self-potential method to detection of seepage from mine tailings impoundments. This project will use a modern multichannel geophysical data acquisition system to study short and long-term variations in self-potential measurements at a tailings dam. The project will use the self-potential method to detect fluid seepage paths through the dam wall, and will use numerical models to make quantitative estimates of seepage rates. The major outcomes of the project will ....Application of the multichannel self-potential method to detection of seepage from mine tailings impoundments. This project will use a modern multichannel geophysical data acquisition system to study short and long-term variations in self-potential measurements at a tailings dam. The project will use the self-potential method to detect fluid seepage paths through the dam wall, and will use numerical models to make quantitative estimates of seepage rates. The major outcomes of the project will be a rigorous appraisal of the utility of the self-potential method for mapping seepage in an operating mine environment, and construction of fluid flow paths through the dam which can be used to guide future remediation work.Read moreRead less
Earthquake biases in measurements of Antarctica's sea-level contribution. This project aims to accurately determine Antarctica’s contribution to present-day sea-level. Large technique-specific systematic errors make this uncertain and controversial with the sign of change not agreed. Three of four measurement techniques rely on knowing the solid earth's changing shape or gravity field. Studies have not considered post-seismic deformation, but GPS data show that Antarctica has deformed since the ....Earthquake biases in measurements of Antarctica's sea-level contribution. This project aims to accurately determine Antarctica’s contribution to present-day sea-level. Large technique-specific systematic errors make this uncertain and controversial with the sign of change not agreed. Three of four measurement techniques rely on knowing the solid earth's changing shape or gravity field. Studies have not considered post-seismic deformation, but GPS data show that Antarctica has deformed since the 1998 Magnitude-8.2 Antarctic Plate Earthquake. This project will develop a model of these earthquakes constrained by geodetic data and use the model to estimate Antarctica's contribution to sea-level change. This should enable more confident local, national and international planning. This will benefit society through reducing the sea-level projection uncertainty.Read moreRead less