Understanding snow gum dieback for effective and integrated management. The project leverages recent research and infrastructure investments and our determined and collaborative team as it aims to: 1) assess the future geography of snow gum dieback in the high country and identify priority locations for pro-active management, 2) quantify the impact of snow gums on high country water and carbon budgets and thus the socio- economic and biodiversity values, and 3) determine options for mitigation. ....Understanding snow gum dieback for effective and integrated management. The project leverages recent research and infrastructure investments and our determined and collaborative team as it aims to: 1) assess the future geography of snow gum dieback in the high country and identify priority locations for pro-active management, 2) quantify the impact of snow gums on high country water and carbon budgets and thus the socio- economic and biodiversity values, and 3) determine options for mitigation. Dieback of our iconic snow gum forests is diminishing the ecological, hydrological and cultural values of the Australian Alps and will impact state and national water-supply and power-generation systems. Our research will inform Alps-wide management efforts designed for long-term success.Read moreRead less
Building resilient alpine environments with less snow. In this project, we aim to build resilience into alpine National Parks and Alpine Resorts to counter the effects of ongoing declines in snow. Alpine environments depend on snow to regulate water flows, insulate vegetation, control soil erosion and promote proper ecosystem functioning. How these processes will operate in a snow-free future is unknown. We will determine how and where snow characteristics drive soil water availability for plant ....Building resilient alpine environments with less snow. In this project, we aim to build resilience into alpine National Parks and Alpine Resorts to counter the effects of ongoing declines in snow. Alpine environments depend on snow to regulate water flows, insulate vegetation, control soil erosion and promote proper ecosystem functioning. How these processes will operate in a snow-free future is unknown. We will determine how and where snow characteristics drive soil water availability for plants and which plant species have the best adaptation and regeneration potential under extreme conditions such as heat, frost and drought. Benefits of the project include innovative land management and rehabilitation solutions, to safeguard Australia's alpine areas under changing environmental conditions.Read moreRead less
Drivers of phenotypic evolution in a vulnerable alpine ecosystem. This project aims to deliver a comprehensive, integrated understanding of the capacity for resilience and drivers of response of highly vulnerable alpine species and communities to climate change. The project aims to determine how communities of interacting alpine plants, soil invertebrates and microbes can cope with or evolve to novel climatic conditions. The mountains are water towers critical to power supply and Australia's agr ....Drivers of phenotypic evolution in a vulnerable alpine ecosystem. This project aims to deliver a comprehensive, integrated understanding of the capacity for resilience and drivers of response of highly vulnerable alpine species and communities to climate change. The project aims to determine how communities of interacting alpine plants, soil invertebrates and microbes can cope with or evolve to novel climatic conditions. The mountains are water towers critical to power supply and Australia's agricultural productivity. Understanding physiological tolerance and the potential for rapid evolutionary responses of plants, animals and communities is necessary to predict impacts of climate change on the future productivity of the vulnerable Australian Alps and to provide novel options for climate adaptation. Read moreRead less
To update assessment reports on Whichfish.com to keep the site current for users. Objectives: 1. 1. Re-organise existing report format in line with the new methodology 2. 2. Update relevant information for the 20 species on Whichfish 3. 3. Reassess risk scores and future outlook sections using draft methodology 4. 4. Provide written feedback about any issues and/or challenges encountered in applying the draft risk assessment which will be incorporated into a guid ....To update assessment reports on Whichfish.com to keep the site current for users. Objectives: 1. 1. Re-organise existing report format in line with the new methodology 2. 2. Update relevant information for the 20 species on Whichfish 3. 3. Reassess risk scores and future outlook sections using draft methodology 4. 4. Provide written feedback about any issues and/or challenges encountered in applying the draft risk assessment which will be incorporated into a guidance document for future assessors and suggestions to improve risk assessment criteria. Read moreRead less
Solving the mystery of ultra luminous fast radio burst emission . Fast Radio Bursts are a recently discovered inexplicable astronomical phenomenon whose millisecond-timescale emission is generated by regions less than 300 kilometres across yet so luminous it is visible at cosmological distances. Using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder we have already localised these bursts, which made the front cover of Science, and recently used them to find the missing baryonic matter in the Uni ....Solving the mystery of ultra luminous fast radio burst emission . Fast Radio Bursts are a recently discovered inexplicable astronomical phenomenon whose millisecond-timescale emission is generated by regions less than 300 kilometres across yet so luminous it is visible at cosmological distances. Using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder we have already localised these bursts, which made the front cover of Science, and recently used them to find the missing baryonic matter in the Universe. Next, we will scrutinise these bursts at three nanosecond time resolution, reaching the timescale necessary to probe the mechanism by which their ultra-luminous radiation is generated. This project will reveal previously inaccessible properties of the radiation to unlock the secrets of how they are produced.Read moreRead less
Relativistic Particles in Star-Forming Galaxies. This project aims to understand how galactic evolution is shaped by the relativistic particles known as cosmic rays that fill interstellar space. We understand only poorly how cosmic rays interact with non-relativistic interstellar matter, which in turn limits our understanding of how they affect galaxies. The project seeks to resolve this question by calculating how cosmic ray-matter interaction gives rise to light and neutrinos that we can obser ....Relativistic Particles in Star-Forming Galaxies. This project aims to understand how galactic evolution is shaped by the relativistic particles known as cosmic rays that fill interstellar space. We understand only poorly how cosmic rays interact with non-relativistic interstellar matter, which in turn limits our understanding of how they affect galaxies. The project seeks to resolve this question by calculating how cosmic ray-matter interaction gives rise to light and neutrinos that we can observe using current and future telescopes, enabling us to use observations from these telescopes to solve the problem of cosmic ray-matter interaction. This would resolve the question of how cosmic rays shape galaxy evolution, and thus represent a substantial advance in the theory of galaxy formation.Read moreRead less
Detecting cosmic rays using precision radio imaging. This project's aim is to identify the source of the highest-energy particles in nature, cosmic rays, and discover new physical processes at energies unreachable by the Large Hadron Collider.
It will do this by using the Murchison Widefield Array radio telescope to detect the sub-microsecond pulses from cosmic ray interactions in the Earth's atmosphere. The project's intended outcome is a sample of thousands of cosmic ray events, and a new tec ....Detecting cosmic rays using precision radio imaging. This project's aim is to identify the source of the highest-energy particles in nature, cosmic rays, and discover new physical processes at energies unreachable by the Large Hadron Collider.
It will do this by using the Murchison Widefield Array radio telescope to detect the sub-microsecond pulses from cosmic ray interactions in the Earth's atmosphere. The project's intended outcome is a sample of thousands of cosmic ray events, and a new technique to analyse the structure within them.
The anticipated benefits are the establishment of the Murchison Widefield Array as a world-leading instrument for astroparticle physics, new knowledge of high-energy astro and particle physics, and advances and training in fast signal processing methods.Read moreRead less
Investigating Aetiology And Risk Factors Of Ocular Lesions And Associated Mortality In Ranched Southern Bluefin Tuna
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$200,238.00
Summary
This year (2017), some of the ranching operations reported the increased cumulative mortality. In some severe cases, up to 90% of collected mortalities present some degree of unilateral or bilateral ocular damage ranging from corneal cloudiness, with or without ulcers, up to complete perforation. The anecdotal report of eye lesions has progressively increased since the 2015 season without a definitive cause being identified. Previous reports (Rough et al., 1999; Rough, 2000; Hayward et al., 2007 ....This year (2017), some of the ranching operations reported the increased cumulative mortality. In some severe cases, up to 90% of collected mortalities present some degree of unilateral or bilateral ocular damage ranging from corneal cloudiness, with or without ulcers, up to complete perforation. The anecdotal report of eye lesions has progressively increased since the 2015 season without a definitive cause being identified. Previous reports (Rough et al., 1999; Rough, 2000; Hayward et al., 2007; Hayward et al., 2008a; Hayward et al., 2008b; Hayward et al., 2009; Hayward et al., 2010; Hayward et al., 2011, including FRDC projects No 2003/225 and 2008/228, Nowak et al., 2007; Nowak et al., 2012) identified sea lice of the genus Caligus spp. as a differential cause of eye lesions in SBT. The copepod ectoparasite is thought to damage the eyes by feeding on the cornea epithelium of infested SBT. Lesions worsen when fish flash against the cage’s net to dislodge the itchy copepods. Partial or full vision loss is suspected to impair the capacity of the fish to compete for feed and to result, with time, in the death of affected fish. At this stage, it is unclear: 1 - what is the distribution of the observed increased mortality across the industry; 2 - what is the occurrence and severity of eye lesions across the industry; 3 - if the observed increased mortality is entirely attributable to eye lesions; 4 - if eye lesions are solely caused by C. chiastos or if other causes are involved; 5 - if potential tow-, cage-, and fish-level risk factors are associated with the occurrence of eye lesions and its cause(s). Objectives: 1. Estimate the frequency and distribution of increased mortality across the industry. 2. Describe the pathology and severity of eye lesions and estimate the frequency and distribution of these lesions across the industry. 3. Investigate potential tow-, farm-, and fish-level risk factors associated with increased mortality and eye lesion occurrence. 4. Investigate the putative role of sealice in causing this episode of eye lesions. Read moreRead less