Reserving nitrogen in soils through microbial nitrate reduction to ammonium. This project aims to identify those microbes able to transform nitrate to ammonium and thus increase soil nitrogen conservation. More than 50 per cent of the nitrogen in fertilisers applied to soils is lost into the environment, which is both a financial loss to farmers and a main anthropogenic source of nitrogen pollution. Some microbes can transform nitrate into ammonium through dissimilatory reduction (DNRA) and thus ....Reserving nitrogen in soils through microbial nitrate reduction to ammonium. This project aims to identify those microbes able to transform nitrate to ammonium and thus increase soil nitrogen conservation. More than 50 per cent of the nitrogen in fertilisers applied to soils is lost into the environment, which is both a financial loss to farmers and a main anthropogenic source of nitrogen pollution. Some microbes can transform nitrate into ammonium through dissimilatory reduction (DNRA) and thus increase soil nitrogen retention. However, the DNRA process and the responsible microbial groups remain largely unknown. This project plans to use isotope tracing and biomolecular approaches to identify those DNRA microbial groups and elucidate the DNRA reaction process. The findings may support the use of DNRA to improve soil nitrogen.Read moreRead less
Fires, black carbon, greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon balance of southern sclerophyll forests. Ecologically sustainable forest management requires an understanding of the role of fire in the carbon balance of native forests, and in Australia's overall carbon balance. Fires are crucial to both this carbon balance and to the ecology of the forests. This project will help forest managers make decisions about using prescribed fire to manage fuels while at the same time managing carbon. An ....Fires, black carbon, greenhouse gas emissions and the carbon balance of southern sclerophyll forests. Ecologically sustainable forest management requires an understanding of the role of fire in the carbon balance of native forests, and in Australia's overall carbon balance. Fires are crucial to both this carbon balance and to the ecology of the forests. This project will help forest managers make decisions about using prescribed fire to manage fuels while at the same time managing carbon. An aim of management is to identify fire regimes that will optimise the carbon outcome as well as provide protection to life and property. This project will help managers meet that aim by developing a quantitative understanding of how much stable, black carbon (charcoal) is produced and how it affects other soil processes.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100058
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$659,060.00
Summary
Unmanned aerial vehicle sensing and data discovery for a changing planet. This project aims to establish an earth systems monitoring facility, using unmanned aerial vehicles and world-leading sensor technology. It will have the capability to measure the natural and built environment at millimetre to centimetre scales and to monitor rapid changes. The ensuing data and interpretations will be useful for decision-making and policy development amongst government agencies and the agricultural, enviro ....Unmanned aerial vehicle sensing and data discovery for a changing planet. This project aims to establish an earth systems monitoring facility, using unmanned aerial vehicles and world-leading sensor technology. It will have the capability to measure the natural and built environment at millimetre to centimetre scales and to monitor rapid changes. The ensuing data and interpretations will be useful for decision-making and policy development amongst government agencies and the agricultural, environmental, civil infrastructure and mining industries.Read moreRead less