Developing and validating an air quality assessment model for application in human exposure assessment, housing/urban planning and policy setting. At present there does not exist a model for assessing human exposure to airborne pollutants in places where people live, work and rest. In addition, experimental exposure assessments display large discrepancies dependent on the measurement method used. This research aims at developing and validating an air quality assessment model that would enable ....Developing and validating an air quality assessment model for application in human exposure assessment, housing/urban planning and policy setting. At present there does not exist a model for assessing human exposure to airborne pollutants in places where people live, work and rest. In addition, experimental exposure assessments display large discrepancies dependent on the measurement method used. This research aims at developing and validating an air quality assessment model that would enable predictions of air quality in various mircoenvironments for the purpose of exposure and risk assessment, housing and urban planning, and policy setting. This research will provide scientific foundation and a tool for developing future directions for management and control to protect the community and the environment.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the effects of criteria air pollutants on child health - setting Australian air quality standards. The project is proposed and supported by the National Environment and Heritage Protection Council, who will be reviewing Australian air quality standards from 2005. The study aims to determine whether current air quality standards adequately protect the health of Australian school children, and to provide nationally-based information to inform any changes to the current standards. A cr ....Quantifying the effects of criteria air pollutants on child health - setting Australian air quality standards. The project is proposed and supported by the National Environment and Heritage Protection Council, who will be reviewing Australian air quality standards from 2005. The study aims to determine whether current air quality standards adequately protect the health of Australian school children, and to provide nationally-based information to inform any changes to the current standards. A cross-sectional study will examine cumulative effects; a nested panel study will quantify day-to-day effects of air pollution in sensitive children. Sampling will ensure national representation and generalisability of findings. This will be the first nationally-based study of the relationship between air quality and child health in Australia.Read moreRead less
Fate of micropollutants in water recycling: influence of dissolved organic matter. Access to safe drinking water is essential for the economic and social development of Australia. There is increasing interest in applying advanced water treatment processes, such as membrane filtration or ozonation, to treat secondary effluent to a potable standard. This project promotes improved organic pollutant removal and monitoring during advanced water treatment and will contribute to the National Research P ....Fate of micropollutants in water recycling: influence of dissolved organic matter. Access to safe drinking water is essential for the economic and social development of Australia. There is increasing interest in applying advanced water treatment processes, such as membrane filtration or ozonation, to treat secondary effluent to a potable standard. This project promotes improved organic pollutant removal and monitoring during advanced water treatment and will contribute to the National Research Priority goal, water - a critical resource, by providing the increased protection of receiving waters including rivers and seawater. Further, as very few studies consider the role of dissolved organic matter for organic pollutant fate in water reuse internationally, this project will help to advance Australia's position in science.Read moreRead less
Finding lost dust storms: re-evaluation of the last 20 years of meteorological records to advance wind erosion mapping in Australia. The Dust Event Database (DEDB) at Griffith University is the only long term (1960 - present) record of wind erosion in Australia. It is used in many studies of the impact of dust on the terrestrial, atmospheric and marine environments as well as in studies of urban and regional air pollution and environmental health. Through this project, the revision of the DEDB w ....Finding lost dust storms: re-evaluation of the last 20 years of meteorological records to advance wind erosion mapping in Australia. The Dust Event Database (DEDB) at Griffith University is the only long term (1960 - present) record of wind erosion in Australia. It is used in many studies of the impact of dust on the terrestrial, atmospheric and marine environments as well as in studies of urban and regional air pollution and environmental health. Through this project, the revision of the DEDB will provide new knowledge on these impacts of wind erosion processes and will inform environmental policy through its contributions to the Caring for Our Country Program, the national State of the Environment, and the Australian Centre for Rangeland Information Systems.Read moreRead less
Testing the potential of integrated vegetation bands to increase water retention, buffer climate extremes, sequester carbon and enhance production. The project will integrate a complex set of functions into one landscape restoration design which will benefit production and conservation objectives. These functions are improved use of surface runoff using native vegetation to reduce velocities and increase infiltration, improved soil and catchment condition through decreased erosion, lowering wind ....Testing the potential of integrated vegetation bands to increase water retention, buffer climate extremes, sequester carbon and enhance production. The project will integrate a complex set of functions into one landscape restoration design which will benefit production and conservation objectives. These functions are improved use of surface runoff using native vegetation to reduce velocities and increase infiltration, improved soil and catchment condition through decreased erosion, lowering wind speeds which desiccate landscape and erode valuable topsoil, providing a system of corridors for biodiversity, and sequestering carbon in woody biomass. IVB’s configuration captures the beneficial structural and functional attributes of vegetation while minimising competitive interactions. This will increase the resilience and productivity of Australian farming landscapes in a changing climate.Read moreRead less
Smart metering founding a holistic evidence-based performance evaluation framework and demand forecasting model for diversified water supply schemes. The Australian water industry faces the challenge of catering for the potable water demand of a rapidly expanding population with reduced reliability on supply imposed by an increasingly variable climate. Diversified water supply schemes (DWSS) incorporating decentralised systems or reuse sources are touted as a means to handle the inherent weaknes ....Smart metering founding a holistic evidence-based performance evaluation framework and demand forecasting model for diversified water supply schemes. The Australian water industry faces the challenge of catering for the potable water demand of a rapidly expanding population with reduced reliability on supply imposed by an increasingly variable climate. Diversified water supply schemes (DWSS) incorporating decentralised systems or reuse sources are touted as a means to handle the inherent weaknesses of centralised urban water supply schemes by potentially drawing 30-50 per cent less demand on their reserves. This research study will provide evidence to support the implementation of best practice DWSS based on an evidence based holistic assessment of their performance considering potable water savings, capital and operation costs, energy demand, as well as environmental and community impacts.Read moreRead less