An Investigation into Oceanic CO2 Variability and its Influence on Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations. Carbon dioxide is a powerful greenhouse gas whose observed atmospheric increase is the central cause
of climate change. The associated environmental, social and economic impacts to Australia could be
staggering via coral reef degradation, loss of agricultural production, coastal erosion and extreme climate
events. This work aims to better our understanding of how the oceans may mediate the effec ....An Investigation into Oceanic CO2 Variability and its Influence on Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations. Carbon dioxide is a powerful greenhouse gas whose observed atmospheric increase is the central cause
of climate change. The associated environmental, social and economic impacts to Australia could be
staggering via coral reef degradation, loss of agricultural production, coastal erosion and extreme climate
events. This work aims to better our understanding of how the oceans may mediate the effects of climate
change for Australia and therefore has a strong national benefit. Quantifying the importance Australia's
oceanic CO2 sink will be important for Australian policy makers within international climate negotiations
and also for better management practices to ensure the future prosperity of Australia's coral reef
ecosystem.Read moreRead less
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
Quantifying the role of the Southern Ocean for anthropogenic CO2 uptake. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change. Climate change is likely to have dramatic economic and environmental consequences for Australia. Knowledge and understanding of the complex carbon cycle is fundamental for predicting future atmospheric CO2 levels and managing climate change. The aim of the work proposed here is to quantify and improve our understan ....Quantifying the role of the Southern Ocean for anthropogenic CO2 uptake. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most important greenhouse gas contributing to global warming and climate change. Climate change is likely to have dramatic economic and environmental consequences for Australia. Knowledge and understanding of the complex carbon cycle is fundamental for predicting future atmospheric CO2 levels and managing climate change. The aim of the work proposed here is to quantify and improve our understanding of the oceans role in controlling atmospheric CO2 levels. This will be done by combining modeling and observational expertise among UNSW and CSIRO (Marine Research) researchers. Our work will be the first to assess the extent of which the Southern Ocean (and Australian waters) acts as a carbon sink. This will reduce modeling uncertainties in predicting future atmospheric CO2 levels and will also be valuable to the federal government in future international negotiations on climate change.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
Tracking the response of terrestrial and ocean waters to climate variations using space gravity observations. Climate change puts Australia at risk from sea level rise and an increase in the occurrence and intensity of droughts. We need to learn about issues concerning the water cycle that are still poorly understood, such as whether droughts cause a reduction in only surface water or also water stored in underground reservoirs and what happens to ocean waters when thermal expansion causes an in ....Tracking the response of terrestrial and ocean waters to climate variations using space gravity observations. Climate change puts Australia at risk from sea level rise and an increase in the occurrence and intensity of droughts. We need to learn about issues concerning the water cycle that are still poorly understood, such as whether droughts cause a reduction in only surface water or also water stored in underground reservoirs and what happens to ocean waters when thermal expansion causes an increase in sea surface height in some regions but not others. This proposal will provide new and accurate scientific information on the risks of sea level rise through the effects of thermal expansion of the oceans, in particular in shallow coastal zones. It will help us to understand droughts, variations in water resources and groundwater recharge patterns.Read moreRead less
The ARC Earth System Science Research Network. The ARC Earth System Science Network incorporates data collectors, modellers and impacts researchers to address the impacts of climate change and variability on Human, biological and physical systems. Our capacity to adapt to changes in water availability, agricultural productivity, the likelihood of species extinctions, and risks to human health will be enhanced through the Network's use of frontier technologies. The enhanced capacity to use data a ....The ARC Earth System Science Research Network. The ARC Earth System Science Network incorporates data collectors, modellers and impacts researchers to address the impacts of climate change and variability on Human, biological and physical systems. Our capacity to adapt to changes in water availability, agricultural productivity, the likelihood of species extinctions, and risks to human health will be enhanced through the Network's use of frontier technologies. The enhanced capacity to use data and model the Earth System will allow policymakers to make more informed decisions with regard to water, biodiversity, human health, industry and agriculture sustainability; thereby enhancing the national capacity to respond to climate change and variability and securing our common interest.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354594
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
The Australian Climate System Network. The climate system integrates the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, biosphere, land-surface and the fluxes of energy, water and biogeochemical quantities between these elements. Changes in climate affect Australia dramatically: for example, the cost of the recent drought exceeded $10 billion. To enable internationally competitive climate system research, networking is required to enhance our national capability and our international connectivity. We will expl ....The Australian Climate System Network. The climate system integrates the atmosphere, oceans, cryosphere, biosphere, land-surface and the fluxes of energy, water and biogeochemical quantities between these elements. Changes in climate affect Australia dramatically: for example, the cost of the recent drought exceeded $10 billion. To enable internationally competitive climate system research, networking is required to enhance our national capability and our international connectivity. We will explore the establishment of a Climate System Network by facilitating communication between Universities, government agencies and CRCs. The Climate System Network will enable new climate-related questions relating to the sustainability of the Australian physical and Human environments to be explored.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560956
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$397,100.00
Summary
World-leading elemental and isotopic microanalysis and chemical speciation facilities for an environmentally sustainable Australia. We propose to establish a world-leading centre for the study of the elemental and isotopic composition of key environmental, archaeological and mineral samples. This will be based upon ultra-short wavelength laser ablation and speciation methods, combined with new advanced ICP-MS technologies developed in Australia. This will give the centre unrivalled capabilities ....World-leading elemental and isotopic microanalysis and chemical speciation facilities for an environmentally sustainable Australia. We propose to establish a world-leading centre for the study of the elemental and isotopic composition of key environmental, archaeological and mineral samples. This will be based upon ultra-short wavelength laser ablation and speciation methods, combined with new advanced ICP-MS technologies developed in Australia. This will give the centre unrivalled capabilities and allow new areas of research to be undertaken in global climate change, the impact of increased salinity and pollution on the sustainability of Australia's inland waterways and coastal environments, and the history of the first humans who inhabited Australia. This will provide a baseline and new quantitative measures to better plan for an environmentally sustainable Australia.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989731
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$700,000.00
Summary
Instrumentation for Innovative Marine Biogeochemistry. Rising greenhouse gases are changing the chemistry of the oceans, by altering the availability of nutrients and causing ocean acidification. Along with local pollutants, these changes pose significant threats to the productivity and sustainability of Australia's marine ecosystems. The proposed instrumentation will support world-leading research into the nature, impact, and potential for mitigating these changes. This will underpin our abilit ....Instrumentation for Innovative Marine Biogeochemistry. Rising greenhouse gases are changing the chemistry of the oceans, by altering the availability of nutrients and causing ocean acidification. Along with local pollutants, these changes pose significant threats to the productivity and sustainability of Australia's marine ecosystems. The proposed instrumentation will support world-leading research into the nature, impact, and potential for mitigating these changes. This will underpin our ability to manage and preserve the environmental, societal and economic values of our coastal and open ocean marine resources.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