Unravelling vanadium biogeochemistry in modern marine sediments. This project aims to unravel the biogeochemistry of vanadium in modern marine sediments for use as a tracer of ancient oxygen concentrations in the oceans of the early Earth. This project will generate fundamental knowledge on the behaviour of vanadium in modern marine sediments by applying advanced analytical tools for imaging its concentration and chemical form at ultra-high resolution. This information is critical for accurate i ....Unravelling vanadium biogeochemistry in modern marine sediments. This project aims to unravel the biogeochemistry of vanadium in modern marine sediments for use as a tracer of ancient oxygen concentrations in the oceans of the early Earth. This project will generate fundamental knowledge on the behaviour of vanadium in modern marine sediments by applying advanced analytical tools for imaging its concentration and chemical form at ultra-high resolution. This information is critical for accurate interpretation of the geological record to infer the oxygen concentration of the oceans at various points in Earth's history. This interdisciplinary project will facilitate strong collaboration between Australian and Danish researchers in the field of marine geochemistry and paleoceanography.Read moreRead less
High resolution warm ocean records from laminated sediment. This project will produce environmental records during ocean warming events in the geologic past to reveal processes associated with warm oceans similar to those anticipated in the coming century. New Australian technology allows investigation of sediment records at unprecedented time resolution providing insight into processes operating on societally relevant time scales of decades to centuries. This work will open an archive of climat ....High resolution warm ocean records from laminated sediment. This project will produce environmental records during ocean warming events in the geologic past to reveal processes associated with warm oceans similar to those anticipated in the coming century. New Australian technology allows investigation of sediment records at unprecedented time resolution providing insight into processes operating on societally relevant time scales of decades to centuries. This work will open an archive of climate information revealing feedback, thresholds and tipping points from past events previously inaccessible because of technical and conceptual limitations. It will provide critical inputs into models predicting future climate and to illuminate the risks and compensating feedbacks occurring with warming.
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How the complexity of continental breakup controls ocean circulation. This project aims to address the evolution of oceanic seaways formed during separation of tectonic plates (such as Australia and Antarctica). The seaways that form are key components modulating the global ocean circulation system and are implicated in major glacial expansion events. This project aims to unravel their role relative to other drivers for example carbon dioxide (CO2). Unravelling the influence of seaway opening co ....How the complexity of continental breakup controls ocean circulation. This project aims to address the evolution of oceanic seaways formed during separation of tectonic plates (such as Australia and Antarctica). The seaways that form are key components modulating the global ocean circulation system and are implicated in major glacial expansion events. This project aims to unravel their role relative to other drivers for example carbon dioxide (CO2). Unravelling the influence of seaway opening compared with declining CO2 in the onset of Antarctic and Northern hemisphere glaciation will enable more accurate future climate simulations. The project will also give international exposure and training to the next generation of numerically adept geoscientists and oceanographers.Read moreRead less
Banded iron formations: life, oxygen and ocean chemistry. This project aims to investigate the co-evolution of life and environments during Earth’s first two billion years using iron-rich chemical sediments deposited from global oceans. The project expects to generate knowledge of Earth’s transition into a planet habitable for complex life by combining nanoscale characterisation techniques, with laboratory experiments and theoretical modelling. Expected outcomes include transformative ideas abou ....Banded iron formations: life, oxygen and ocean chemistry. This project aims to investigate the co-evolution of life and environments during Earth’s first two billion years using iron-rich chemical sediments deposited from global oceans. The project expects to generate knowledge of Earth’s transition into a planet habitable for complex life by combining nanoscale characterisation techniques, with laboratory experiments and theoretical modelling. Expected outcomes include transformative ideas about the role of life in iron and phosphorus cycles, the chemistry of the early ocean, ancient biological productivity, the antiquity of oxygenic photosynthesis and the rise of oxygen. The project will also deliver new conceptual models for the formation of the host-rocks for most of the world’s iron resources, improving how we explore for iron in the Earth’s crust. This should provide benefits to understanding geobiology on Earth and other planets.Read moreRead less
Pyrite: a deep-time capsule of ocean chemistry and atmosphere oxidation. Surprisingly little is known about trace element trends in past oceans, even though these data are vital for interpreting the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere, evolutionary pathways of marine life and cycles of major mineral deposits. Using laser-based analysis of sedimentary pyrite in deep marine rocks, this project aims to produce, for the first time, temporal variation curves for 25 trace elements in seawater over the ....Pyrite: a deep-time capsule of ocean chemistry and atmosphere oxidation. Surprisingly little is known about trace element trends in past oceans, even though these data are vital for interpreting the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere, evolutionary pathways of marine life and cycles of major mineral deposits. Using laser-based analysis of sedimentary pyrite in deep marine rocks, this project aims to produce, for the first time, temporal variation curves for 25 trace elements in seawater over the last 3.5 billion years. Preliminary research has validated the technique and demonstrated major changes in certain trace elements over geologically short periods. Outcomes will assist the minerals industry in the discovery of new deposits of zinc, copper, gold and iron ore in Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100084
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,428.00
Summary
The interplay of tectonics and sea level on carbonate platform evolution. Reefs and carbonate platforms represent the most prolific component of Earth’s carbonate factory on geological timescales. The project will develop a digital community framework for modelling the rise and demise of carbonate platforms on geological timescales. The project will untangle the relative influence of tectonics, dynamic topography from mantle convection, sea level change, climate, and terrestrial sediment runoff ....The interplay of tectonics and sea level on carbonate platform evolution. Reefs and carbonate platforms represent the most prolific component of Earth’s carbonate factory on geological timescales. The project will develop a digital community framework for modelling the rise and demise of carbonate platforms on geological timescales. The project will untangle the relative influence of tectonics, dynamic topography from mantle convection, sea level change, climate, and terrestrial sediment runoff on the growth and drowning of carbonate platforms. The outcomes will identify the environmental conditions that shut down reefs on the scale of the Great Barrier Reef, quantify the carbon storage potential of carbonate platforms, and model the tectonic development of Australia's continental margins in unprecedented detail.Read moreRead less
The Great Barrier Reef in 2100. Our research aims to answer fundamental geomorphic questions about the future of coral reefs, focusing on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). We will develop cutting-edge, fully open-source numerical models to quantify the eco-morphodynamic evolution of the GBR under IPCC climate-change scenarios. Our geomorphic numerical models will consider biotic/abiotic feedbacks including synergistic effects of multiple stressors such as waves, temperature, acidification and sedime ....The Great Barrier Reef in 2100. Our research aims to answer fundamental geomorphic questions about the future of coral reefs, focusing on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). We will develop cutting-edge, fully open-source numerical models to quantify the eco-morphodynamic evolution of the GBR under IPCC climate-change scenarios. Our geomorphic numerical models will consider biotic/abiotic feedbacks including synergistic effects of multiple stressors such as waves, temperature, acidification and sediment transport, at individual reef scales. We will model the future of the GBR’s ecosystem-services, allowing for a quantum leap in the geomorphic knowledge and understanding of coral reef ecosystems. Expected outcomes include a gamechanger tool for future management of the GBR.Read moreRead less
The deep-sea carbon reservoir through geological time. Despite being by far the largest carbon reservoir on Earth, deep-sea carbonate and its recycling through the Earth system are the most significant missing links in our knowledge of the global carbon cycle. This project aims to track the evolution of the deep-sea carbon reservoir over the last 150 million years by using recently developed spatio-temporal computational and model-data synthesis tools. The project will provide the first rigorous ....The deep-sea carbon reservoir through geological time. Despite being by far the largest carbon reservoir on Earth, deep-sea carbonate and its recycling through the Earth system are the most significant missing links in our knowledge of the global carbon cycle. This project aims to track the evolution of the deep-sea carbon reservoir over the last 150 million years by using recently developed spatio-temporal computational and model-data synthesis tools. The project will provide the first rigorous quantification of the distribution and volume of carbon in deep-sea carbonate, and its fluxes between the Earth’s surface and interior. It will advance our understanding of the history and rate of carbon dioxide storage and degassing over geological time, and inform public debate on climate change.Read moreRead less
Oceanic gateways: a primary control on global climate change? The opening and closing of oceanic gateways, narrow passageways facilitating exchange between ocean basins, has been linked to major changes in Earth’s climate. This project will link the disparate fields of geodynamics and palaeo-climatology, for the first time, through an innovative methodology that models the changing width and depth of ocean gateways through time. It will address the role of gateways in modulating Earth’s climate ....Oceanic gateways: a primary control on global climate change? The opening and closing of oceanic gateways, narrow passageways facilitating exchange between ocean basins, has been linked to major changes in Earth’s climate. This project will link the disparate fields of geodynamics and palaeo-climatology, for the first time, through an innovative methodology that models the changing width and depth of ocean gateways through time. It will address the role of gateways in modulating Earth’s climate at key periods during the planet’s transition from a “Greenhouse” to “Icehouse” World.Read moreRead less