Connecting ecological processes controlling variation across spatial scales. Large variability in numbers and types of animals from place to place and time to time characterizes many ecological systems, particularly on the rocky shores along our coasts. It confuses interpretation and hampers predictions about conservation, impacts and climatic change. This programme is a systematic experimental analysis of the major causes of variance (availability of suitable habitat and food, influences of w ....Connecting ecological processes controlling variation across spatial scales. Large variability in numbers and types of animals from place to place and time to time characterizes many ecological systems, particularly on the rocky shores along our coasts. It confuses interpretation and hampers predictions about conservation, impacts and climatic change. This programme is a systematic experimental analysis of the major causes of variance (availability of suitable habitat and food, influences of weather) on the animals and indirectly on their food. The research will unravel the interacting influences that operate over several spatial scales to cause variability in local diversity. This will radically increase our capacity to sustain our coastal fauna.Read moreRead less
Understanding the ecological resilience of nearshore marine communities. Our thinking about climate change and its effects on marine ecosystems is shifting from considering how we can prevent it occurring to understanding how natural systems might adapt to climate change, or how we might improve the ability of these ecosystems to recover, that is, their resilience to change. In many shallow water ecosystems, one or a few key species provide habitat structure that in turn determines the abundanc ....Understanding the ecological resilience of nearshore marine communities. Our thinking about climate change and its effects on marine ecosystems is shifting from considering how we can prevent it occurring to understanding how natural systems might adapt to climate change, or how we might improve the ability of these ecosystems to recover, that is, their resilience to change. In many shallow water ecosystems, one or a few key species provide habitat structure that in turn determines the abundance of a wide range of other species. This proposal will take two important temperate marine 'engineers' and identify the factors that make them most resilient.Read moreRead less
Narrowing the scatter and assessing the uncertainty of climate change projections of Australian river flows. Recent prolonged dry conditions in south-eastern Australia have triggered water restrictions in major cities, zero irrigation allocations in the Murray-Darling region and highlighted the importance of water to this country. This project represents an integrated package of research that will enhance our understanding of the uncertainty of future annual river flows, leading to more informed ....Narrowing the scatter and assessing the uncertainty of climate change projections of Australian river flows. Recent prolonged dry conditions in south-eastern Australia have triggered water restrictions in major cities, zero irrigation allocations in the Murray-Darling region and highlighted the importance of water to this country. This project represents an integrated package of research that will enhance our understanding of the uncertainty of future annual river flows, leading to more informed decision making for the sustainable management of Australia’s increasingly scarce water resources. The outcomes from this project are highly relevant to the national research priority “An Environmentally Sustainable Australia”, particularly priority goals “Water - a critical resource” and “Responding to climate change and variability”.Read moreRead less
Ecological consequences of global warming: predicting effects on biodiversity on intertidal assemblages on the east coast of Australia. Understanding what conserves biodiversity is a crucial challenge for Australian science. This research will provide critical information on the consequences of global climatic change: southerly shifts in distributions of animals due to rising temperatures; vertical shifts due to rising sea level and changes in amounts of food for grazing species. This informatio ....Ecological consequences of global warming: predicting effects on biodiversity on intertidal assemblages on the east coast of Australia. Understanding what conserves biodiversity is a crucial challenge for Australian science. This research will provide critical information on the consequences of global climatic change: southerly shifts in distributions of animals due to rising temperatures; vertical shifts due to rising sea level and changes in amounts of food for grazing species. This information will underpin the future management of conservation and will improve understanding on issues such as how and why species are able to invade new areas, the effects on the resident species and how species change distribution in relation to the availability of specific needs for habitat.Read moreRead less
Understanding global warming using long-term glacier retreat records. This project will determine the sensitivity of climate to future global warming, contributing to understanding one of the greatest problems facing humanity today. We will take an historic approach, determining the effects of the greatest global warming in Earth's recent history after the last ice age 20,000 years ago. By constructing well-dated, accurate records of glacier retreat at key locations, we will quantitatively estim ....Understanding global warming using long-term glacier retreat records. This project will determine the sensitivity of climate to future global warming, contributing to understanding one of the greatest problems facing humanity today. We will take an historic approach, determining the effects of the greatest global warming in Earth's recent history after the last ice age 20,000 years ago. By constructing well-dated, accurate records of glacier retreat at key locations, we will quantitatively estimate temperature change as the planet warmed. These findings will help us understand the future effects of global warming so that we are better prepared for the environmental and economic costs. Read moreRead less
Active Ice-Shelf Rift Systems on the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica. Our work will inform the public on how the Antarctic might contribute to global sea level rise, e.g., are current iceberg production rates accelerating and causing inland ice to flow into the sea more rapidly? Furthermore, a greater understanding of the important Earth systems, including the ocean-ice-atmosphere system, is important to a society contemplating the responsibilities of stewardship of the planet as we move into t ....Active Ice-Shelf Rift Systems on the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica. Our work will inform the public on how the Antarctic might contribute to global sea level rise, e.g., are current iceberg production rates accelerating and causing inland ice to flow into the sea more rapidly? Furthermore, a greater understanding of the important Earth systems, including the ocean-ice-atmosphere system, is important to a society contemplating the responsibilities of stewardship of the planet as we move into the era of potentially profound effects from global climate change.Read moreRead less
Solar radiation, coral bleaching and climate change. Corals reefs like the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) underpin approximately $2 billion annually in sustainable tourism and fisheries. Warming of Australia's tropical seas, however, has increased mass coral bleaching/mortality and is placing reefs like the GBR at increasing risk. Solar radiation (PAR, UVR) plays an important influence on the biological outcome of thermal stress. Understanding the role of solar radiation is critical if we are to unde ....Solar radiation, coral bleaching and climate change. Corals reefs like the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) underpin approximately $2 billion annually in sustainable tourism and fisheries. Warming of Australia's tropical seas, however, has increased mass coral bleaching/mortality and is placing reefs like the GBR at increasing risk. Solar radiation (PAR, UVR) plays an important influence on the biological outcome of thermal stress. Understanding the role of solar radiation is critical if we are to understand the changes that will occur on coral reefs as temperatures increase. This multidisciplinary international team will define and model the role of solar radiation on thermal stress at local, regional and global scales. Read moreRead less
MICROENDOLITHS, CORAL BLEACHING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. Planning for sustainable use of ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) can only be done with an accurate understanding of how ecosystems are likely to change, and at what rate, under persistent climate change. This project, aligned with National Research Priority 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia', will be performed over 3 oceans and focusing on the GBR, will contribute to the national benefit by rapidly improving our unders ....MICROENDOLITHS, CORAL BLEACHING AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. Planning for sustainable use of ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) can only be done with an accurate understanding of how ecosystems are likely to change, and at what rate, under persistent climate change. This project, aligned with National Research Priority 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia', will be performed over 3 oceans and focusing on the GBR, will contribute to the national benefit by rapidly improving our understanding on one such major factor-the endolithic community in coral skeletons. It will allow better predictions of short and long-term consequences to reefs, and will also continue to show Australia's leadership in understanding the rate and direction of changes within coral reef ecosystems.Read moreRead less
New tools for managing ecosystem responses to climate change on the southern Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) underpins over $4 billions of economic activity each year. Recent evidence suggests that reefs like the GBR are vulnerable to climate change, which manifests itself at both local and global scales. Providing the tools for tracking and understanding these changes is vitally important to effective reef management strategies. This project will provide a major advance in o ....New tools for managing ecosystem responses to climate change on the southern Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) underpins over $4 billions of economic activity each year. Recent evidence suggests that reefs like the GBR are vulnerable to climate change, which manifests itself at both local and global scales. Providing the tools for tracking and understanding these changes is vitally important to effective reef management strategies. This project will provide a major advance in our understanding and the tools available to manage the impacts of climate change. In doing so, it will also produce the first comprehensive and multidisciplinary look at how environmental variability impacts coral reef organisms from corals to seabird populations.Read moreRead less
Assessing the risk of ocean acidification for the Great Barrier Reef. The increase in greenhouse gases such as CO2 represents a challenge for coral reefs such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR). While the impact of greenhouse warming on coral reefs has been partially explored, the potentially serious implications of a decrease in ocean pH due have not been properly assessed. Detecting and understanding changes to carbonate concentrations and reef calcification are of great importance if ....Assessing the risk of ocean acidification for the Great Barrier Reef. The increase in greenhouse gases such as CO2 represents a challenge for coral reefs such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR). While the impact of greenhouse warming on coral reefs has been partially explored, the potentially serious implications of a decrease in ocean pH due have not been properly assessed. Detecting and understanding changes to carbonate concentrations and reef calcification are of great importance if managers are to respond strategically to potential ecological changes. This project directly addresses National Research Priority 1 of achieving 'An Environmentally Sustainable Australia' by addressing the priority goal of 'Responding to climate change and variability'.Read moreRead less