New tools to detect ecological effects of contaminants in estuaries. Identifying risks to estuarine environments from pollutants is difficult for environmental managers, who must choose between laboratory toxicity testing that is precise, but hard to generalise to field situations, and more realistic field-based monitoring, which is expensive, with a high signal to noise ratio. New molecular techniques may provide more options. Metabolomics can provide insights into the health of animals, and ec ....New tools to detect ecological effects of contaminants in estuaries. Identifying risks to estuarine environments from pollutants is difficult for environmental managers, who must choose between laboratory toxicity testing that is precise, but hard to generalise to field situations, and more realistic field-based monitoring, which is expensive, with a high signal to noise ratio. New molecular techniques may provide more options. Metabolomics can provide insights into the health of animals, and ecogenomics offers a way to rapidly assess the composition of an ecological community. These techniques offer great promise, but they must be cross-validated against existing methods to derive the best ’toolbox’. Working with Melbourne Water and CSIRO the investigators aim to do this using demonstration estuaries in Victoria.Read moreRead less
A changing climate for calcification on the Great Barrier Reef: past, present and future. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is a national and international icon, recognised through its inscription as a World Heritage Area and economic and social value to Australians. Maintenance of the GBR as we know it is now compromised by a rapidly changing climate. Ocean acidification, warming water temperatures and increased freshwater will progressively be detrimental to the fundamental reef-building process ....A changing climate for calcification on the Great Barrier Reef: past, present and future. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is a national and international icon, recognised through its inscription as a World Heritage Area and economic and social value to Australians. Maintenance of the GBR as we know it is now compromised by a rapidly changing climate. Ocean acidification, warming water temperatures and increased freshwater will progressively be detrimental to the fundamental reef-building process of calcification. Informed policy and management strategies in a rapidly changing physical environment require determination, for short and long time frames, of the regional consequences and impacts of changing reef-building capacity.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100146
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,000.00
Summary
The marine productivity buoy: a multi-parametric underwater profiler . The marine productivity buoy: a multi-parametric underwater profiler:
The marine productivity buoy is an innovative multi-parametric moored underwater profiler that would provide key information on phytoplankton primary productivity (PP), phytoplankton blooms, and water quality in coastal waters around Australia. The aim is to better understand changes in phytoplankton PP and abundance by synergistically using observations ....The marine productivity buoy: a multi-parametric underwater profiler . The marine productivity buoy: a multi-parametric underwater profiler:
The marine productivity buoy is an innovative multi-parametric moored underwater profiler that would provide key information on phytoplankton primary productivity (PP), phytoplankton blooms, and water quality in coastal waters around Australia. The aim is to better understand changes in phytoplankton PP and abundance by synergistically using observations from the new facility made several times a day from the surface to the seafloor, and spatially extended surface observations from Earth-orbiting ocean colour satellites. Anticipated outcomes are more accurate phytoplankton PP estimates and water quality parameters in Australian coastal waters in support to research and to monitoring of these critical environments.Read moreRead less
Why ocean deserts matter: Phytoplankton productivity in oligotrophic waters. This project aims to revisit the role of ocean deserts in the global ocean primary production. Because of their extent, these areas are paradoxically responsible for about half the global ocean carbon fixation. The project will use a unique combination of optical and biogeochemical data from a research voyage in the Indian Ocean, biogeochemical models and satellite observations, expecting to generate new knowledge on th ....Why ocean deserts matter: Phytoplankton productivity in oligotrophic waters. This project aims to revisit the role of ocean deserts in the global ocean primary production. Because of their extent, these areas are paradoxically responsible for about half the global ocean carbon fixation. The project will use a unique combination of optical and biogeochemical data from a research voyage in the Indian Ocean, biogeochemical models and satellite observations, expecting to generate new knowledge on the link between biogeochemical and optical quantities accessible to satellite remote sensing. Expected outcomes are improved estimates of phytoplankton carbon biomass and productivity, in particular in the Indian Ocean. A key benefit will be an improved end-user relevance of satellite monitoring of Australia’s oceans.Read moreRead less
Ecohydrological forecasting: the pivotal role of root-zone soil moisture. This project aims to overcome the scientific and technological challenges preventing soil water and vegetation forecasting at useful land management scales (eg. 25 m). The significance is in enabling an unprecedented hyperresolution modelling capability for Australia through the integration of new ecohydrological theory with a range of satellite observations. Outcomes include more accurate, spatially-detailed information o ....Ecohydrological forecasting: the pivotal role of root-zone soil moisture. This project aims to overcome the scientific and technological challenges preventing soil water and vegetation forecasting at useful land management scales (eg. 25 m). The significance is in enabling an unprecedented hyperresolution modelling capability for Australia through the integration of new ecohydrological theory with a range of satellite observations. Outcomes include more accurate, spatially-detailed information of current soil water amounts, and reliable forecasts of vegetation condition several months into the future. This will greatly enhance timely decision making and forward planning by farmers, fire agencies, and other land and water managers, with corresponding increases in productivity, sustainability and community safety.Read moreRead less
A new-generation flood forecasting system using observations from space. Floods are dangerous and expensive, costing Australia more than any other cause of natural disaster. This project will use satellite measurements of soil moisture and rainfall along with computer models to improve the Bureau of Meteorology’s predictions of floods in rivers. Better flood forecasts will reduce costs and save lives.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101998
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Coral reefs, climate change and land-based pollution: past, present and future impacts on coral reef development. Major threats to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) include climate change and deteriorating water quality. Environmental histories in the skeletons of reef building organisms will be used to determine how past, present and future environmental threats influence the growth and development of the GBR. Findings will help set national water quality targets.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100141
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,000.00
Summary
High-resolution ITRAX XRF core scanning facility for global change research. This facility will enable researchers to obtain high-resolution geochemical profiles in the study of environmental change and climate variability. It will provide archive data on the variation of density and chemical element composition along sediment and soil cores, rock cores, wood samples, speleothems and corals. These archives contain important information such as human activity, climate variability, water quality c ....High-resolution ITRAX XRF core scanning facility for global change research. This facility will enable researchers to obtain high-resolution geochemical profiles in the study of environmental change and climate variability. It will provide archive data on the variation of density and chemical element composition along sediment and soil cores, rock cores, wood samples, speleothems and corals. These archives contain important information such as human activity, climate variability, water quality changes, pollution histories, recent geomorphological change, land-use change, introduction of invasive species and the occurrence of bushfires. A better understanding of the occurrence and timing of these major environmental issues is of national and regional importance.Read moreRead less