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A terrestrial hot spring setting for the origin of life. This project aims to test the proposal that a terrestrial hot spring field could have been the setting for the origin of life, in preference over the currently favoured site at deep sea vents. The project will involve an integrated, and multi-disciplinary study of the rocks, fluids, and molecules that together make up ancient to modern hot spring systems, and experiments on prebiotic organic chemistry using early Earth materials. Results w ....A terrestrial hot spring setting for the origin of life. This project aims to test the proposal that a terrestrial hot spring field could have been the setting for the origin of life, in preference over the currently favoured site at deep sea vents. The project will involve an integrated, and multi-disciplinary study of the rocks, fluids, and molecules that together make up ancient to modern hot spring systems, and experiments on prebiotic organic chemistry using early Earth materials. Results will be used to develop a terrestrial origin of life setting and assist in the search for life on Mars.Read moreRead less
Dust to the ocean: Does it really increase productivity? This project aims to investigate the relationship between dust deposition and marine productivity. This project will quantify dust deposition to the ocean and its chemical and ecological impact by using new geochemical techniques and novel approaches with autonomous ocean sensors. Expected outcomes of this project include improved estimates of dust deposition to the ocean and the development of globally-applicable methods for quantifying t ....Dust to the ocean: Does it really increase productivity? This project aims to investigate the relationship between dust deposition and marine productivity. This project will quantify dust deposition to the ocean and its chemical and ecological impact by using new geochemical techniques and novel approaches with autonomous ocean sensors. Expected outcomes of this project include improved estimates of dust deposition to the ocean and the development of globally-applicable methods for quantifying the link between dust and biology using profiling floats. This should provide significant benefits such as improved dust models used to predict future changes in nutrient deposition, with implications for predicting future ocean fish production and carbon uptake.Read moreRead less
Deep-sea carbonate cycles and their role in glacial-interglacial atmospheric CO2 changes. The causes for past atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) changes and their mechanistic links to the histories of climate and ocean carbonate chemistry remain elusive, but may hold future-relevant information. This project aims to use novel methods to quantify deep ocean carbonate ion concentrations, a critical but poorly constrained parameter of the global carbon cycle, at 10 key locations spanning the global o ....Deep-sea carbonate cycles and their role in glacial-interglacial atmospheric CO2 changes. The causes for past atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) changes and their mechanistic links to the histories of climate and ocean carbonate chemistry remain elusive, but may hold future-relevant information. This project aims to use novel methods to quantify deep ocean carbonate ion concentrations, a critical but poorly constrained parameter of the global carbon cycle, at 10 key locations spanning the global ocean during the last 350 000 years. By feeding new data into a model, this project aims to gain critical insights into mechanisms controlling past deep-sea carbonate cycles and atmospheric CO2 changes, thereby leading to improved understandings of the climate system.Read moreRead less
Past to future changes in ocean dynamics and biogeochemistry. This project aims to understand the impact of changes in ocean circulation on marine biogeochemistry, climate and ultimately the Antarctic ice-sheet by combining transient simulations of the last glacial cycle performed with an Earth system model incorporating the compilation of paleoproxy records. The oceanic circulation has varied over the last glacial cycle (~140,000 years) and is expected to change over the coming centuries due t ....Past to future changes in ocean dynamics and biogeochemistry. This project aims to understand the impact of changes in ocean circulation on marine biogeochemistry, climate and ultimately the Antarctic ice-sheet by combining transient simulations of the last glacial cycle performed with an Earth system model incorporating the compilation of paleoproxy records. The oceanic circulation has varied over the last glacial cycle (~140,000 years) and is expected to change over the coming centuries due to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. The project will measure future changes in oceanic circulation on ocean acidification and oxygen content with a state-of-the-art high-resolution ocean carbon cycle model. This will lead to improved understanding of processes and feedbacks within the Earth system.Read moreRead less
Eddies: The key to understanding Southern Ocean carbon cycling. This project plans to observe an eddy in the Southern Ocean for three weeks, to understand how its circulation affects ocean productivity and the exchange of carbon dioxide between the ocean and atmosphere. Ocean eddies are like small high and low pressure weather systems which spin either clockwise or anticlockwise, are about 100–200 kilometres across and several hundred metres deep. Eddies are important because they generate verti ....Eddies: The key to understanding Southern Ocean carbon cycling. This project plans to observe an eddy in the Southern Ocean for three weeks, to understand how its circulation affects ocean productivity and the exchange of carbon dioxide between the ocean and atmosphere. Ocean eddies are like small high and low pressure weather systems which spin either clockwise or anticlockwise, are about 100–200 kilometres across and several hundred metres deep. Eddies are important because they generate vertical currents that move nutrients and carbon dioxide up and down. Expected project outcomes will include a better understanding of carbon cycling in an ocean region that is central to the climate of Australia and the rest of the planet.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100012
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$230,000.00
Summary
Enhanced powder X-ray diffraction capabilities for South Australia. This X-ray diffraction facility will provide structural information on the properties of novel materials which is important for investigations ranging from post-combustion carbon dioxide capture through to the identification of new mineralogical samples. Rapid, local access to this integrated facility will position South Australian researchers to make breakthroughs that benefit Australia.
Hot iron: Are submarine volcanoes important for Southern Ocean iron supply? The scarcity of iron limits biological productivity and carbon uptake in the nutrient rich waters of the Southern Ocean. This project will explore for the first time the role of undersea "hot spot" volcanoes in supplying iron to surface waters, thus linking the solid earth and the biosphere. The project will measure iron abundance, reactivity and nutritional value in buoyant plumes emanating from vents near Heard/McDonal ....Hot iron: Are submarine volcanoes important for Southern Ocean iron supply? The scarcity of iron limits biological productivity and carbon uptake in the nutrient rich waters of the Southern Ocean. This project will explore for the first time the role of undersea "hot spot" volcanoes in supplying iron to surface waters, thus linking the solid earth and the biosphere. The project will measure iron abundance, reactivity and nutritional value in buoyant plumes emanating from vents near Heard/McDonald Islands, Australia's only active volcanoes. The project aims to estimate the hydrothermal contribution to regional biological productivity and extrapolate to the whole Southern Ocean. Successful outcomes will benefit Australia by identifying iron sources that govern productivity and carbon uptake of an economically important ecosystem.Read moreRead less
Continuous Reaction Networks that Model Chemical Evolution of RNA. This Project aims to develop experimental models for chemical evolution that may have happened on the early Earth and which were important to the emergence of life. This Project expects to uncover synthetic pathways for ribonucleotide production using a combination of ionizing radiation and dry-wet cycles. Expected outcomes include an increased understanding of the range of physical and chemical parameters that will allow for rib ....Continuous Reaction Networks that Model Chemical Evolution of RNA. This Project aims to develop experimental models for chemical evolution that may have happened on the early Earth and which were important to the emergence of life. This Project expects to uncover synthetic pathways for ribonucleotide production using a combination of ionizing radiation and dry-wet cycles. Expected outcomes include an increased understanding of the range of physical and chemical parameters that will allow for ribonucleotide production to occur under the proposed geochemical settings. The knowledge gained in this Project will benefit the understanding of the chemical evolution of complex chemical mixtures relevant to early Earth environments and provide new mechanisms for how ribonucleotides could have arisen abiotically.Read moreRead less
Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation in different substrates. Carbonates in the form of limestone represent an important reservoir of carbon on earth. They are recorded in several natural geological formations as corals, stromatolites, beach rocks. Microbes play an important role in the formation as well as dissolution of carbonates during microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) reactions on different substrates in natural and built environments. Much of our kno ....Microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation in different substrates. Carbonates in the form of limestone represent an important reservoir of carbon on earth. They are recorded in several natural geological formations as corals, stromatolites, beach rocks. Microbes play an important role in the formation as well as dissolution of carbonates during microbially induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) reactions on different substrates in natural and built environments. Much of our knowledge on MICP is limited due to poor understanding of the reaction kinetics at a molecular level. This project will develop new methods to enable and advance the knowledge of MICP process with profound implications for understanding natural geological formations as well as widen the scope of current engineering applications.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE180100160
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$297,463.00
Summary
Femtosecond laser micropyrolysis gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. This project aims to build a femtosecond-laser, micropyrolysis gas-chromatographmass spectrometer. The facility will have the capability to selectively analyse very small petrographically-recognisable organic components, hence bridging the analytical gap between organic petrography and organic geochemistry. The project aims to understand the early evolution of life, the response of the biosphere to mass extinction, the migrati ....Femtosecond laser micropyrolysis gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer. This project aims to build a femtosecond-laser, micropyrolysis gas-chromatographmass spectrometer. The facility will have the capability to selectively analyse very small petrographically-recognisable organic components, hence bridging the analytical gap between organic petrography and organic geochemistry. The project aims to understand the early evolution of life, the response of the biosphere to mass extinction, the migration of fluids in petroleum reservoirs, the heterogeneity of organic matter in shale gas reservoirs, and the composition of macromolecules in biominerals and macerals. The facility will contribute to a broad range of Australia’s theoretical and applied problems in geoscience and geobiology.Read moreRead less