Erosion Morphodynamics and Evolution of Shore Platforms. Rocky coasts consist of a cliff and often a platform at the base which protects the cliff from wave energy. Such coasts undergo continuous erosion that may threaten property. Climate change may worsen this situation. Despite the importance of platforms in coastal management they remain poorly studied. This project seeks to improve scientific knowledge and understanding of the development and erosion of shore platforms, the relationships ....Erosion Morphodynamics and Evolution of Shore Platforms. Rocky coasts consist of a cliff and often a platform at the base which protects the cliff from wave energy. Such coasts undergo continuous erosion that may threaten property. Climate change may worsen this situation. Despite the importance of platforms in coastal management they remain poorly studied. This project seeks to improve scientific knowledge and understanding of the development and erosion of shore platforms, the relationships between shore platform and cliff retreat and the processes that drive erosion. As a result we will understand how rock coasts with platforms develop and change, especially as sea levels change and be better able to manage the coast in response to climate change. Read moreRead less
Palaeoclimate reconstruction in northwestern China. Records of climatic change between semi-arid regions of the two large continents, China and Australia, provide invaluable data on the manner in which the globe has responded to past environmental changes. Such reconstructions impose constraints on possible patterns of future change.
The visit by an established researcher in Prof. Sun Jiamin will provide new data (including new dates) on the evolution of lakes and dunefields in China, and on ....Palaeoclimate reconstruction in northwestern China. Records of climatic change between semi-arid regions of the two large continents, China and Australia, provide invaluable data on the manner in which the globe has responded to past environmental changes. Such reconstructions impose constraints on possible patterns of future change.
The visit by an established researcher in Prof. Sun Jiamin will provide new data (including new dates) on the evolution of lakes and dunefields in China, and on the climatic conditions which controlled them. The visit builds on and extends the established links between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and staff in the Melbourne University, School of Earth Sciences.
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Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100013
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$170,000.00
Summary
Eddy correlation lander array. The proposed Eddy Correlation Lander Array will be the first in world and, as such, will allow ground-breaking research to be undertaken resulting in advances in a variety of fields. As such, this equipment will significantly enhance many core research programs at Southern Cross University and Monash University and enhance our ability to deliver high quality research in the National Research Priority Area of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, with priority g ....Eddy correlation lander array. The proposed Eddy Correlation Lander Array will be the first in world and, as such, will allow ground-breaking research to be undertaken resulting in advances in a variety of fields. As such, this equipment will significantly enhance many core research programs at Southern Cross University and Monash University and enhance our ability to deliver high quality research in the National Research Priority Area of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, with priority goals in water resources, responding to climate change and variability, overcoming soil loss, salinity and acidity and sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity.Read moreRead less
The coldest region on Earth gets even colder. Studying the observable atmospheric indicators of climate change is of national interest and importance. It strengthens the Australia's participation and further recognition in this research area. This project adds to the Australia's contribution to fundamental atmospheric physics and complements work carried out by other Australian researchers. Australian science further benefits from satellite data access and analyses skills. Development of interna ....The coldest region on Earth gets even colder. Studying the observable atmospheric indicators of climate change is of national interest and importance. It strengthens the Australia's participation and further recognition in this research area. This project adds to the Australia's contribution to fundamental atmospheric physics and complements work carried out by other Australian researchers. Australian science further benefits from satellite data access and analyses skills. Development of international collaborations in this research area and involvement in several international satellite projects is important for future national atmospheric and space programs. Postgraduate training in this area provides expertise needed at many Australian organisations. Read moreRead less
Understanding the effect of climate change on runoff variability and water resource systems performance. This project aims to assess the impacts of climate changes on annual runoff variability. Understanding variability of annual runoff is important in managing water resources, in catchment and stream management, and to researchers in hydrology, stream ecology and fluvial geomorphology. Expected outcomes from this research are an estimate of impact on the variability of annual runoff from futu ....Understanding the effect of climate change on runoff variability and water resource systems performance. This project aims to assess the impacts of climate changes on annual runoff variability. Understanding variability of annual runoff is important in managing water resources, in catchment and stream management, and to researchers in hydrology, stream ecology and fluvial geomorphology. Expected outcomes from this research are an estimate of impact on the variability of annual runoff from future climate change, improvement in understanding the processes that operate on the variability of annual runoff, and an assessment of the performance of water resource systems under a changing climate.Read moreRead less
Fire Scar Impacts on Surface Heat and Moisture Fluxes in Australia's Tropical Savanna and Feedbacks to Local and Regional Climate. Fire burns as much as 250,000 km2 of northern Australia every year, mostly tropical savanna land. The atmospheric impacts of burning extend beyond the direct emissions of aerosol and trace gases to include the effects of land surface alteration on atmospheric circulation. Using observation and modelling, this study examines the modification of surface heat and mois ....Fire Scar Impacts on Surface Heat and Moisture Fluxes in Australia's Tropical Savanna and Feedbacks to Local and Regional Climate. Fire burns as much as 250,000 km2 of northern Australia every year, mostly tropical savanna land. The atmospheric impacts of burning extend beyond the direct emissions of aerosol and trace gases to include the effects of land surface alteration on atmospheric circulation. Using observation and modelling, this study examines the modification of surface heat and moisture fluxes to the atmosphere caused by fire scars, along with the impact of such changes on atmospheric motion and precipitation at a range of scales. This unique work is of fundamental scientific interest and significance for current and future management of this important national resource.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
A Global Satellite Altimeter Database for Ocean Engineering Applications. Australia is a maritime nation with major shipping activities, offshore facilities and a very significant percentage of its population living near the coast. As such, it is critical that engineers can accurately predict ocean wave conditions. This project will bring together more than 20 years of satellite observations of the ocean into a single database. This database will represent a major resource for the nation, signif ....A Global Satellite Altimeter Database for Ocean Engineering Applications. Australia is a maritime nation with major shipping activities, offshore facilities and a very significant percentage of its population living near the coast. As such, it is critical that engineers can accurately predict ocean wave conditions. This project will bring together more than 20 years of satellite observations of the ocean into a single database. This database will represent a major resource for the nation, significantly enhancing our understanding of ocean wave conditions. The research projects associated with the database will provide an understanding of the ocean wave climate, oceanic extremes, tropical cyclone conditions and nearshore ocean design parameters.Read moreRead less
Australian climate extremes and predictability in a changing CO2 world: the unique role of the Southern Hemisphere extratropical ocean-atmosphere. Australia's climate is extreme, with harsh droughts, severe bushfire seasons, climate change, soil loss, and salinity all posing potentially enormous socio-economic challenges over the next fifty years. Research into climate variability, extremes, and predictability is thus highly significant for Australia, and will underpin efforts to protect our bio ....Australian climate extremes and predictability in a changing CO2 world: the unique role of the Southern Hemisphere extratropical ocean-atmosphere. Australia's climate is extreme, with harsh droughts, severe bushfire seasons, climate change, soil loss, and salinity all posing potentially enormous socio-economic challenges over the next fifty years. Research into climate variability, extremes, and predictability is thus highly significant for Australia, and will underpin efforts to protect our biodiversity and ensure the nation's environmental sustainability. We propose to launch a major new initiative in extratropical climate analysis. This work will have significant benefits for the many sectors of society reliant on interseasonal-interannual climate prediction. Prominent examples include agriculture, energy, freshwater supply, bushfire control, air quality, health, and tourism.Read moreRead less
Scientific basis for improved climate predictions on seasonal and climate-change timescales. This project would lead to improved accuracy of Australian climate predictions, leading to benefits in many sectors. Increasing the accuracy of seasonal climate predictions across March-May, a crucial time for decision-making in Australian agriculture but a time when the forecasts exhibit little skill, would lead to large economic/societal benefits. Separating the factors influencing tropical cyclones is ....Scientific basis for improved climate predictions on seasonal and climate-change timescales. This project would lead to improved accuracy of Australian climate predictions, leading to benefits in many sectors. Increasing the accuracy of seasonal climate predictions across March-May, a crucial time for decision-making in Australian agriculture but a time when the forecasts exhibit little skill, would lead to large economic/societal benefits. Separating the factors influencing tropical cyclones is essential to determine whether global warming is changing Australian tropical cyclones, a crucial climate change question. Separating the influences of atmospheric circulation variations and other factors on climate changes and impacts should improve climate impact predictions, leading to enhanced economic benefits.
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