Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354683
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Ocean Discovery Network. The ODN will focus research on Australia's vast marine jurisdiction by:
1. Providing a forum for developing coordinated marine research enterprises in the National Research Priority areas of biodiversity, exploitation of resources, seaway security and climate.
2. Developing innovative international research and providing a mechanism for involvement in international science programs
3. Advancing research capabilities between national and international ocean scientist ....Ocean Discovery Network. The ODN will focus research on Australia's vast marine jurisdiction by:
1. Providing a forum for developing coordinated marine research enterprises in the National Research Priority areas of biodiversity, exploitation of resources, seaway security and climate.
2. Developing innovative international research and providing a mechanism for involvement in international science programs
3. Advancing research capabilities between national and international ocean scientists with web-based data-exchange services and links to global databases
4. Facilitating the transfer of research skills to young investigators
5. Maximising multidisciplinary use of Australian ocean science capacity, particularly the National Facility Research Vessel and the RSV Aurora Australis
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Large-scale climatic control of coastal erosion and shoreline changes based on long-term survey dataset and video monitoring technology. The Australian coastline is one of this country's greatest natural and economic resources. The asset value of existing coastal infrastructure is immeasurable. From past experiences in Australia and overseas, coastal erosion is a major and growing threat to the long-term sustainability of coastal development and the coastal environment. This research will int ....Large-scale climatic control of coastal erosion and shoreline changes based on long-term survey dataset and video monitoring technology. The Australian coastline is one of this country's greatest natural and economic resources. The asset value of existing coastal infrastructure is immeasurable. From past experiences in Australia and overseas, coastal erosion is a major and growing threat to the long-term sustainability of coastal development and the coastal environment. This research will integrate a unique multi-decade dataset of beach surveys and innovative coastal imaging technology, examining the relationship of shoreline movements to changing climatic signals, to enable better prediction of future shoreline changes. This new understanding will inform and strengthen the skills and capacity of Australia's coastal managers.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0567397
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$81,900.00
Summary
Earth Systems Science OPeNDAP compute server framework. This E-Research initiative will produce a compute sever to exploit data locality for access to Digital Libraries. This will allow geographically disbursed researches in all disciplines related to climate change, variability and the associated impacts, to readily analyse existing data repositories, and generate derived data products of interest, without generating a prohibitive amount of network traffic. This will facilitate collaborative ....Earth Systems Science OPeNDAP compute server framework. This E-Research initiative will produce a compute sever to exploit data locality for access to Digital Libraries. This will allow geographically disbursed researches in all disciplines related to climate change, variability and the associated impacts, to readily analyse existing data repositories, and generate derived data products of interest, without generating a prohibitive amount of network traffic. This will facilitate collaborative efforts and data sharing between Australians and international research teams.Read moreRead less
Submarine springs in the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon: the geological origin, physical properties and ecological significance of Wonky Holes. This project investigates submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. As groundwaters often contain high loads of nutrients and other pollutants, point source SGDs called Wonky Holes, reputedly common yet scientifically unexplored in the GBR or elsewhere, may represent a significant pathway for the land-sea flux of these mat ....Submarine springs in the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon: the geological origin, physical properties and ecological significance of Wonky Holes. This project investigates submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. As groundwaters often contain high loads of nutrients and other pollutants, point source SGDs called Wonky Holes, reputedly common yet scientifically unexplored in the GBR or elsewhere, may represent a significant pathway for the land-sea flux of these materials. This project will define the incidence and origin of Wonky Holes and determine the magnitude and physical and chemical properties of their discharge. These studies will advance our understanding of land-sea interactions, assist management of the GBR and improve regional hydrogeological models.Read moreRead less
Interactions between small scale cyclones and sea ice and their role in the Southern Ocean climate system. The Southern Ocean cyclone belt has a strong influence on Australian weather and climate. This project will allow improvements in the understanding of intense small scale cyclones in the region. Importantly, the research will highlight key sensitivities in the coupling between these atmospheric circulations and the underlying sea ice. Further, the compilation of an updated Southern Ocean cy ....Interactions between small scale cyclones and sea ice and their role in the Southern Ocean climate system. The Southern Ocean cyclone belt has a strong influence on Australian weather and climate. This project will allow improvements in the understanding of intense small scale cyclones in the region. Importantly, the research will highlight key sensitivities in the coupling between these atmospheric circulations and the underlying sea ice. Further, the compilation of an updated Southern Ocean cyclone climatology will provide a basis for evaluating future changes in cyclone distribution and frequency of occurrence in the Antarctic region. Finally, by leading this unique international collaboration with German and US scientists, the profile of Australian scientists in Antarctic atmospheric research will be strongly enhanced.Read moreRead less
Resolving uncertainty over the importance of N-fixation versus denitrification in coastal systems. Nutrient enrichment of coastal waters is a significant national and international problem requiring urgent action. Despite many studies and many millions of dollars in research funding we know virtually nothing about the relative importance of the major nitrogen cycling pathways, N-fixation and denitrification. Many hundred's of millions of dollars are likely to be spent over the next ten years on ....Resolving uncertainty over the importance of N-fixation versus denitrification in coastal systems. Nutrient enrichment of coastal waters is a significant national and international problem requiring urgent action. Despite many studies and many millions of dollars in research funding we know virtually nothing about the relative importance of the major nitrogen cycling pathways, N-fixation and denitrification. Many hundred's of millions of dollars are likely to be spent over the next ten years on the management of nitrogen enrichment of Australia's coastal waters. This study will use a new method for directly measuring N-fixation to resolve uncertainty over the importance of N-fixation versus denitrification in coastal systems; information which is critical for the efficient allocation of management resources.Read moreRead less
Port Stephens Flood Tide Delta: Shoreline Management Issues. The results of this project will contribute substantially to the knowledge of flood tide delta morphodynamics and specifically to those deltas exposed to ocean waves which are most typical throughout eastern and southern Australia. The model generated by the project will be used to test solutions to the problems in Port Stephens and more generally to similar systems elsewhere in Australia. The model will permit the assessment of the re ....Port Stephens Flood Tide Delta: Shoreline Management Issues. The results of this project will contribute substantially to the knowledge of flood tide delta morphodynamics and specifically to those deltas exposed to ocean waves which are most typical throughout eastern and southern Australia. The model generated by the project will be used to test solutions to the problems in Port Stephens and more generally to similar systems elsewhere in Australia. The model will permit the assessment of the responses of the deltas and shoreline to climate change, changing wave climate and reinvigorated sediment budgets, thereby addressing National Research priority-Responding to climate change and variability. The project will is provide training for one APDI and two APAIs in a range of skills.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the El Niño-Indian Ocean Dipole system using high-resolution coral palaeoclimate archives. The ocean surrounding Indonesia is the warmest on Earth and a major source of energy for global atmospheric circulation. Understanding the role of the Warm Pool in future climate change is of key importance, but highly controversial because the potential extent of its variability is largely unknown. To address this issue, this project will provide the first major geochemical investigation of ....Quantifying the El Niño-Indian Ocean Dipole system using high-resolution coral palaeoclimate archives. The ocean surrounding Indonesia is the warmest on Earth and a major source of energy for global atmospheric circulation. Understanding the role of the Warm Pool in future climate change is of key importance, but highly controversial because the potential extent of its variability is largely unknown. To address this issue, this project will provide the first major geochemical investigation of recently discovered ancient corals in Indonesia using state-of-the-art microanalytical techniques. Outcomes from these palaeoclimate records will advance our understanding of global climate change, rainfall variability related to the El Nino - Indian Ocean Dipole system, and Australian drought.Read moreRead less
Wave-by-wave bed-level changes at the beachface of gravel and sand beaches. Australia's coastline is one of this country's greatest natural, cultural and economic resources. Recent experiences internationally have shown that in a changing climate, coastal erosion is a real and growing threat to the present-day sustainability of our coasts. Innovative instrumentation developed by our team now enables fundamental erosion and accretion processes to be quantified for the first time. Working within t ....Wave-by-wave bed-level changes at the beachface of gravel and sand beaches. Australia's coastline is one of this country's greatest natural, cultural and economic resources. Recent experiences internationally have shown that in a changing climate, coastal erosion is a real and growing threat to the present-day sustainability of our coasts. Innovative instrumentation developed by our team now enables fundamental erosion and accretion processes to be quantified for the first time. Working within the framework of two collaborative, fully-integrated, international research programs commencing in 2007 and 2008, this study will place Australia at the forefront of break-through coastal research, leading to rapid advances in the scientific, engineering and operational understanding and modelling of coastal change.Read moreRead less
The stratigraphic architecture of continental margins (MARGINS). The project seeks to increase our understanding of how continental margins develop. Emphasis is given to studying the controls exerted on sedimentation by sea-level change, climate cycling, ocean front location, current-deposition and tectonics, using the southwest Pacific (temperate eastern NZ) as the prime fieldwork area. Sediment being transported across continental margins passes through a number of energy fences (e.g. piedmont ....The stratigraphic architecture of continental margins (MARGINS). The project seeks to increase our understanding of how continental margins develop. Emphasis is given to studying the controls exerted on sedimentation by sea-level change, climate cycling, ocean front location, current-deposition and tectonics, using the southwest Pacific (temperate eastern NZ) as the prime fieldwork area. Sediment being transported across continental margins passes through a number of energy fences (e.g. piedmont, shoreline, wave-base, storm-zone, shelf-edge), which together modulate sediment transport and deposition. These fences differ in their relative positions, magnitudes and effects on different margins. The research will combine onland and offshore studies, builds on data collected during ODP Leg 181, and is integrated with the international MARGINS "source to sink" program.Read moreRead less