Aggregate structure of humic organic matter. Soil aquatic organic matter is important in plant growth, nutrient supply and water quality and in affecting pollutants and metal ions in the environment. Indeed the survival of life on the planet depends on the way geo-organic matter functions. We have recently developed a new host guest theory on the way this material binds important substances such as metal ions and pollutants. This project aims to use this theory to investigate the structure of th ....Aggregate structure of humic organic matter. Soil aquatic organic matter is important in plant growth, nutrient supply and water quality and in affecting pollutants and metal ions in the environment. Indeed the survival of life on the planet depends on the way geo-organic matter functions. We have recently developed a new host guest theory on the way this material binds important substances such as metal ions and pollutants. This project aims to use this theory to investigate the structure of these materials and how they work in Nature by understanding molecular composition at a level hitherto thought impossible.Read moreRead less
Host-guest structure of humic organic matter - the key to understanding soil organic properties. Soil and aquatic organic matter is important in plant growth, nutrient supply and water quality and in affecting pollutants and metal ions in the environment. Indeed, the survival of life on the planet depends on the way geo-organic matter functions. We have recently developed a new host?guest theory on the way this material binds important substances such as metal ions and pollutants. This proje ....Host-guest structure of humic organic matter - the key to understanding soil organic properties. Soil and aquatic organic matter is important in plant growth, nutrient supply and water quality and in affecting pollutants and metal ions in the environment. Indeed, the survival of life on the planet depends on the way geo-organic matter functions. We have recently developed a new host?guest theory on the way this material binds important substances such as metal ions and pollutants. This project aims to use this theory to investigate the structure of these materials and how they work in Nature by understanding molecular composition at a level hitherto thought impossible.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101477
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Identifying a new source of natural volatile organohalogens. Natural volatile organohalogens have recently been linked to significant atmospheric ozone depletion. The fundamental reactions controlling their emission and fate are unresolved within the international scientific literature. This project aims to use novel geochemical techniques to determine the role of ultraviolet radiation in organohalogen emissions from degraded saline and acidic landscapes. The expected outcome will shift our unde ....Identifying a new source of natural volatile organohalogens. Natural volatile organohalogens have recently been linked to significant atmospheric ozone depletion. The fundamental reactions controlling their emission and fate are unresolved within the international scientific literature. This project aims to use novel geochemical techniques to determine the role of ultraviolet radiation in organohalogen emissions from degraded saline and acidic landscapes. The expected outcome will shift our understanding of natural volatile organohalogens and predictions of stratospheric ozone recovery. The project also aims to systematically resolve the feedback between elevated ultraviolet radiation and ozone layer depletion, and is therefore highly innovative.Read moreRead less
Tracing life's beginnings: molecular fossils from single oil inclusions. Biomarkers (chemical fossils) from traces of oil trapped in 2 to 3.5 billion year-old rocks from Australia, Canada and Africa will be analysed by both well established and novel techniques. The biomarkers will be used to assess which key groups of species were present when, and thus constrain the timing of evolution of Earth's early biosphere.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100229
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$160,000.00
Summary
Time-of-flight mass spectrometer for analysis of complex mixtures in oils, ancient rocks, recent sediments, natural products and atmospheric aerosols. Research benefits will be:1. More effective remediation of petroleum spills through better understanding of degradation pathways, and ecotoxicological impact of spills.
2. Better understanding of the role of urban aerosols in human health impacts and climate change.
3. More effective development of finite petroleum resources by better understand ....Time-of-flight mass spectrometer for analysis of complex mixtures in oils, ancient rocks, recent sediments, natural products and atmospheric aerosols. Research benefits will be:1. More effective remediation of petroleum spills through better understanding of degradation pathways, and ecotoxicological impact of spills.
2. Better understanding of the role of urban aerosols in human health impacts and climate change.
3. More effective development of finite petroleum resources by better understanding of processes altering crude oil in the sub-surface.
4. Identification of natural products from algae, cyanobacteria, plants and mushrooms as new sources of pharmaceutical agents. 5. Improved knowledge of early evolution of life on Earth, helping maintain Australian scientists as world leaders in this field. 6. Greater understanding of the source and migration of petroleum in frontier areas.Read moreRead less
Molecular fossils, environmental genomics and the natural history of an Australian salt lake. Increasing salinity of lakes is a critical problem for sustainable water supply in Australia. To comprehend the consequences of human-induced salinization, it is crucial to understand salt lakes at their most fundamental level. This project develops pioneering technologies to elucidate the microbial ecology and geochemistry of salt lakes in unprecedented detail. It will open new pathways to unravel how ....Molecular fossils, environmental genomics and the natural history of an Australian salt lake. Increasing salinity of lakes is a critical problem for sustainable water supply in Australia. To comprehend the consequences of human-induced salinization, it is crucial to understand salt lakes at their most fundamental level. This project develops pioneering technologies to elucidate the microbial ecology and geochemistry of salt lakes in unprecedented detail. It will open new pathways to unravel how microbial ecosystems adapt to increasing salinization, and how they reacted to climate fluctuations in the past. Students will gain multidisciplinary skills in environmental genomics, proteomics and geochemistry, a unique combination that will become decisive for understanding and preserving ecosystems on our continent.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101290
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Unravelling the transformation pathways and fate of dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen in shallow coastal sediments. This project will significantly advance our understanding of the cycling of dissolved organic carbon and dissolved organic nitrogen in shallow coastal sediments, a potentially major part of global carbon and nitrogen cycles. This will have direct implications for the management and protection of Australian coastal systems and the world's oceans.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100156
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,000.00
Summary
A high precision, automated system for studying greenhouse gas cycling in coastal environments. This facility will perform automated, long-term greenhouse gas measurements in coastal waters. The expected outcome of research at this facility is a better understanding of how the coastal ocean acts as a source or sink of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, and volatile organic carbon.
Oxygenating the Earth: using innovative techniques to resolve the timing of the origin of oxygen-producing photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. The early Earth was a hostile place with little oxygen in the atmosphere. Then cyanobacteria ('blue-green algae') invented oxygen-releasing photosynthesis. That profound event affected many fundamental processes, from the course of evolution to the formation of ore deposits. However, estimates of when these bacteria originated are disputed with uncertainties ....Oxygenating the Earth: using innovative techniques to resolve the timing of the origin of oxygen-producing photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. The early Earth was a hostile place with little oxygen in the atmosphere. Then cyanobacteria ('blue-green algae') invented oxygen-releasing photosynthesis. That profound event affected many fundamental processes, from the course of evolution to the formation of ore deposits. However, estimates of when these bacteria originated are disputed with uncertainties of hundreds of millions of years. We will resolve those uncertainties. We have developed new analytical techniques that we will apply to well-preserved 2.7-2.8 billion-year-old rocks in Western Australia. We will couple that approach to the use of the latest genetic techniques to reveal the origins of living cyanobacteria.Read moreRead less
Organic geochemistry of the McArthur River hydrothermal deposit. Exploration for hydrothermal ore deposits in sedimentary basins has many problems because of the lack of any general agreement on the mechanisms of formation of major deposits. This proposed research will focus on the fundamental issue of the interaction of organic matter and mineralizing fluids in contributing to ore mineral deposition. Given that the McArthur River orebody is an exquisitely preserved example of a hydrothermal dep ....Organic geochemistry of the McArthur River hydrothermal deposit. Exploration for hydrothermal ore deposits in sedimentary basins has many problems because of the lack of any general agreement on the mechanisms of formation of major deposits. This proposed research will focus on the fundamental issue of the interaction of organic matter and mineralizing fluids in contributing to ore mineral deposition. Given that the McArthur River orebody is an exquisitely preserved example of a hydrothermal deposit it will thus enable a comprehensive organic geochemical investigation to elucidate the role of organic matter in ore formation. The outcomes will benefit the Australian mineral exploration industry by refining current ore genesis models.Read moreRead less