Marine vessel wave wake: Ferry operations in sheltered waterways. This project aims to address one of the biggest risk factors to the Sydney ferry system, by ensuring the waves that new ferries generate are minimised. This would reduce the impact on other users of this busy waterway or damage to the surrounding infrastructure or environment. Modernising Sydney’s fleet of iconic passenger ferries is an integral part of the New South Wales Government’s long-term transport master plan. The project ....Marine vessel wave wake: Ferry operations in sheltered waterways. This project aims to address one of the biggest risk factors to the Sydney ferry system, by ensuring the waves that new ferries generate are minimised. This would reduce the impact on other users of this busy waterway or damage to the surrounding infrastructure or environment. Modernising Sydney’s fleet of iconic passenger ferries is an integral part of the New South Wales Government’s long-term transport master plan. The project is intended to predict the waves produced by any proposed ferry operation, allowing changes to be made to minimise waves during early planning stages. The new method for predicting the complex wave phenomenon is designed to provide more comprehensive and accurate assessments than conventional technologies.Read moreRead less
Smart Irrigation: integrating UAV soil moisture maps & variable rate sprays. This project will develop a state-of-the-art precision irrigation system for optimising water use and crop yield. Specifically, a novel UAV soil moisture mapping system based on passive microwave satellite remote sensing technology at L-band will be developed for near-surface soil moisture mapping at accuracies and spatial scales currently not attainable. These soil moisture maps will then be merged with irrigation wate ....Smart Irrigation: integrating UAV soil moisture maps & variable rate sprays. This project will develop a state-of-the-art precision irrigation system for optimising water use and crop yield. Specifically, a novel UAV soil moisture mapping system based on passive microwave satellite remote sensing technology at L-band will be developed for near-surface soil moisture mapping at accuracies and spatial scales currently not attainable. These soil moisture maps will then be merged with irrigation water delivery models to calibrate for spatial variation in soil properties and/or correct errors in spatial variation of rainfall and evapotranspiration inputs. Ultimately the water balance predictions will be used for implementation of variable rate irrigation control at scales hitherto unattainable.Read moreRead less
Managing Fresh-Water Resources in Saline Environments. Australian industry and urban developments often rely on a secure supply of fresh water. In many situations, the fresh water occurs adjacent to large expanses of saline water. This poses special constraints on how the fresh water can be recovered. This project undertakes careful mathematical modelling of fresh water recovery from reservoirs and from within islands (where it may be the only practical source of drinking water). The injecti ....Managing Fresh-Water Resources in Saline Environments. Australian industry and urban developments often rely on a secure supply of fresh water. In many situations, the fresh water occurs adjacent to large expanses of saline water. This poses special constraints on how the fresh water can be recovered. This project undertakes careful mathematical modelling of fresh water recovery from reservoirs and from within islands (where it may be the only practical source of drinking water). The injection and extraction of ground water in novel "mineral leaching" mining technology will also be investigated.Read moreRead less
Resilience of lake ecosystems to water-level manipulation. Which lakes recover from fluctuations in water level and which do not? Manipulations of water levels in lakes will need to intensify as droughts become more frequent. This project will develop robust ways of forecasting how lakes will respond to changes in manipulations of water levels, to minimise extinctions and maintain aesthetics and water quality.
Powering optimisation of large, energy-efficient multihull vessels, operating at critical speeds. Australia is currently the world leader in the design and construction of large aluminium vessels. The existing fleet of vessels is under pressure from increased fuel prices and regulatory requirements to reduce emissions; this project directly addresses the need to develop new energy-efficient multihull vessels using computations and model testing.
Freshwater biofouling of hydraulic conduits: impact, mitigation, and control, and the consequences of Climate Change. National economic and environmental benefits will flow from increased outputs of renewable energy from hydroelectric power systems. Improved performance of canals and pipelines will enable energy and water losses to be reduced and will provide the National Electricity Market with additional renewable energy, lowering the requirement for fossil fuels. Knowledge of the impacts of ....Freshwater biofouling of hydraulic conduits: impact, mitigation, and control, and the consequences of Climate Change. National economic and environmental benefits will flow from increased outputs of renewable energy from hydroelectric power systems. Improved performance of canals and pipelines will enable energy and water losses to be reduced and will provide the National Electricity Market with additional renewable energy, lowering the requirement for fossil fuels. Knowledge of the impacts of Climate Change will enable industry to manage changes in rainfall pattern and conduit biofouling. An improved understanding of biofilms can be applied to achieve wider national benefit in water reticulation, irrigation systems and maritime applications. The team will develop research skills and technical expertise and train PhD students and industry counterparts.Read moreRead less
Reconstructing millennial-scale streamflow variability to assess near-future risks to water-generated renewable energy. Hydroelectric power is a key component of Australia's national renewable energy policy. The project will combine Hydro Tasmania's water supply and distribution network with historical reconstructions of streamflow variability to conduct stress tests of future water supplies and hydroelectric generating capacity for the Australian power grid.
Developing a new approach to aquatic pollutant assessment combining time integrated sampling with toxicity testing. Present approaches for monitoring risk of aquatic pollutants are limited to grab sample analysis for specific pollutants using target values and/or ecotoxicological assessment of population biomarkers. This collaborative research, involving 3 universities and 10 industry partners, aims to develop and evaluate a novel approach combining extraction of pollutants using time integrated ....Developing a new approach to aquatic pollutant assessment combining time integrated sampling with toxicity testing. Present approaches for monitoring risk of aquatic pollutants are limited to grab sample analysis for specific pollutants using target values and/or ecotoxicological assessment of population biomarkers. This collaborative research, involving 3 universities and 10 industry partners, aims to develop and evaluate a novel approach combining extraction of pollutants using time integrated passive samplers and toxicological evaluation of extracts using a range of rapid in-vitro and in-vivo assays. The project will produce cost-effective tools for highly sensitive assessment of pollutant effects and ultimately facilitate intervention guidelines based on mixture toxicity.Read moreRead less
Towards an Active and Passive L- and P-band soil moisture satellite mission. This project tests alternate configurations for remote sensing of soil moisture using a new state-of-the-art Active/Passive (ie radar/radiometer) P-/L-band (ie microwave) satellite concept through a series of airborne field experiments. Timely soil moisture information is critical to improved water management for food production in the face of climate variability. The challenge is to do this accurately over large areas ....Towards an Active and Passive L- and P-band soil moisture satellite mission. This project tests alternate configurations for remote sensing of soil moisture using a new state-of-the-art Active/Passive (ie radar/radiometer) P-/L-band (ie microwave) satellite concept through a series of airborne field experiments. Timely soil moisture information is critical to improved water management for food production in the face of climate variability. The challenge is to do this accurately over large areas with an appropriate spatio-temporal detail, and for a soil depth that closely approximates the layer which impacts crop/pasture growth and influences management decisions. The longer P-band allows deeper penetration into the soil while the active/passive combination uses the respective resolution and accuracy characteristics.Read moreRead less
Remote sensing to improve structural efficiency of high-speed catamarans. This project aims to develop a monitoring system to remotely measure ship motions, loads and ride control activity under commercial operations. Data will be analysed using advanced statistical methods to inform evidence-based design to improve both structural efficiency and passenger comfort. The research will impact on design rules used worldwide, reducing weight and increasing payload and transport efficiency for this cl ....Remote sensing to improve structural efficiency of high-speed catamarans. This project aims to develop a monitoring system to remotely measure ship motions, loads and ride control activity under commercial operations. Data will be analysed using advanced statistical methods to inform evidence-based design to improve both structural efficiency and passenger comfort. The research will impact on design rules used worldwide, reducing weight and increasing payload and transport efficiency for this class of vessel. A "Smart” semi-autonomous interface will be developed to provide on-board seakeeping guidance to the ship captain. This technology will have significant benefits such as increased ship safety, vessel longevity and improving passenger comfort for all types of vessels worldwide including high-speed catamarans.Read moreRead less