Drought, El Niño and Climate Change in Queensland over the last 200,000 years: the Lynch's Crater lake record. Lynch's Crater (Queensland) provides the longest, most sensitive terrestrial record of vegetation and climate change in the low altitude tropics. A multidisciplinary approach will exploit the potential of a core collected in 2003 through high-resolution multiproxy (sedimentology, geochemistry, stable and radiogenic isotopes, pollen, charcoal and diatoms) studies. The results will contri ....Drought, El Niño and Climate Change in Queensland over the last 200,000 years: the Lynch's Crater lake record. Lynch's Crater (Queensland) provides the longest, most sensitive terrestrial record of vegetation and climate change in the low altitude tropics. A multidisciplinary approach will exploit the potential of a core collected in 2003 through high-resolution multiproxy (sedimentology, geochemistry, stable and radiogenic isotopes, pollen, charcoal and diatoms) studies. The results will contribute substantially to the resolution of current debates on the role of the tropics in global climate forcing at a variety of temporal scales, including that of the El Niño phenomenon. The reconstruction of temperature and precipitation over the past 200,000 years will improve global climate databases and prediction models.Read moreRead less
450 Million year history of plant gas exchange capacity and the role of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Our planet faces an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide that is unprecedented in human history, but has occurred in ancient times. By studying the relationship between past changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide, plant gas exchange and climate we will gain powerful global insight into future scenarios of continental carbon and water fluxes. This global perspective is essential for Australia to a ....450 Million year history of plant gas exchange capacity and the role of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Our planet faces an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide that is unprecedented in human history, but has occurred in ancient times. By studying the relationship between past changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide, plant gas exchange and climate we will gain powerful global insight into future scenarios of continental carbon and water fluxes. This global perspective is essential for Australia to assess its vulnerability to global climate change in relation to other nations, thereby informing national planning of landscape resource use, including primary industry, water infrastructure and carbon trading.Read moreRead less
Constructing a temporally-constrained palaeoecological model of Quaternary faunal evolution and extinction in eastern Australia. Increased climatic variability and human-induced environmental degradation have had severe impacts on biodiversity, socio-economic sustainability and possibly our own future survival, thus attracting global attention. This study will help unravel the causes of the extinctions of Australia's large-size animals (megafauna) during the periods of last glaciation and earlie ....Constructing a temporally-constrained palaeoecological model of Quaternary faunal evolution and extinction in eastern Australia. Increased climatic variability and human-induced environmental degradation have had severe impacts on biodiversity, socio-economic sustainability and possibly our own future survival, thus attracting global attention. This study will help unravel the causes of the extinctions of Australia's large-size animals (megafauna) during the periods of last glaciation and earliest human colonisation of Australia. Investigating the causes of megafauna extinction is essential for an understanding of how those prehistoric events shaped the modern biota, and for the development of conservation strategies for our endemic faunas in an era of increased climatic and environmental variability and vulnerability.Read moreRead less
Environmental change, carbon cycling and human impact in tropical Australia. This fellowhip will provide the fundamental science outputs required to understand the complex linkages between terrestrial ecosystems, environmental change and human impact in the tropics - in Australia and globally - thereby assisting in
(i) predicting the response of tropical ecosystems to future environmental change and respond to the impacts of tropical climate variability
(ii) developing and validating method ....Environmental change, carbon cycling and human impact in tropical Australia. This fellowhip will provide the fundamental science outputs required to understand the complex linkages between terrestrial ecosystems, environmental change and human impact in the tropics - in Australia and globally - thereby assisting in
(i) predicting the response of tropical ecosystems to future environmental change and respond to the impacts of tropical climate variability
(ii) developing and validating methodologies for improved carbon sequestration, verifiable carbon accounting and emissions trading
(iii) achieving sustainability in the utilization of the natural resource base of tropical Australia by optimizing the balance between wealth creation and environmental impact
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Changing Seas at Cellular to Cross-Ocean Scales. Australia relies greatly upon its rich natural environmental resources for goods, services and for economic growth (tourism, fisheries, and recreational industries). Climate change is one of the biggest threats to the natural marine environment. As the climate warms and oceans become more acidic, corals, the framework builders of reefs, experience unfavourable conditions. This project aims to better understand the processes by which ocean acidifi ....Changing Seas at Cellular to Cross-Ocean Scales. Australia relies greatly upon its rich natural environmental resources for goods, services and for economic growth (tourism, fisheries, and recreational industries). Climate change is one of the biggest threats to the natural marine environment. As the climate warms and oceans become more acidic, corals, the framework builders of reefs, experience unfavourable conditions. This project aims to better understand the processes by which ocean acidification and climate change affect corals, and to develop management tools for the mitigation of, and acclimation to, climate change. By so doing, this project will enable managers of Australia's Great Barrier Reef to better respond to the threatening challenges that climate change poses. Read moreRead less
The resilience of marine ecosystems and fisheries to climate change: exploring adaptation strategies. This project will underpin Australia's commitment to maintaining environmental biodiversity and sustainability in the face of climate change. The Fellowship investigates the consequences of climate change on marine plants and animals, harvested resources and ecosystem functioning by identifying vulnerable species and habitats. It will provide management advice on balancing biodiversity and econo ....The resilience of marine ecosystems and fisheries to climate change: exploring adaptation strategies. This project will underpin Australia's commitment to maintaining environmental biodiversity and sustainability in the face of climate change. The Fellowship investigates the consequences of climate change on marine plants and animals, harvested resources and ecosystem functioning by identifying vulnerable species and habitats. It will provide management advice on balancing biodiversity and economic output under climate change. This information is of immediate use to a range of stakeholders including national, state and local government agencies. With its focus on ecological, economic and social impacts, this project will put Australian scientists at the forefront of research on the adaptation of marine ecosystems to climate change.Read moreRead less
Responding to Climate Change: Australia's Environmental Law and Regulatory Framework. Climate change presents Australia with unparalleled sustainability challenges. Impacts on environmental resources will require an integrated legal and socio-economic regulatory response. An effective and adaptable environmental law framework will be crucial for adaptation and mitigation measures. The project addresses this need by undertaking a comprehensive, interdisciplinary evaluation of Australia's legal ca ....Responding to Climate Change: Australia's Environmental Law and Regulatory Framework. Climate change presents Australia with unparalleled sustainability challenges. Impacts on environmental resources will require an integrated legal and socio-economic regulatory response. An effective and adaptable environmental law framework will be crucial for adaptation and mitigation measures. The project addresses this need by undertaking a comprehensive, interdisciplinary evaluation of Australia's legal capacity to respond to climate change, so identifying appropriate governance structures and regulatory tools. This analysis is vital to positioning Australian environmental law to manage climate change impacts and associated social, ecological and economic costs and to ensure compliance with international obligations.Read moreRead less
The role of learning in conservation management: developing adaptive approaches for the conservation of biodiversity in a changing climate. Biodiversity underpins several major industries: agriculture, tourism, forestry and fisheries. To mitigate the loss of biodiversity, there have been significant investments from all levels of government, including 2.2 billion dollars to manage biodiversity and 138 million dollars simply to gather data on the impact of climatic changes. Despite this well inte ....The role of learning in conservation management: developing adaptive approaches for the conservation of biodiversity in a changing climate. Biodiversity underpins several major industries: agriculture, tourism, forestry and fisheries. To mitigate the loss of biodiversity, there have been significant investments from all levels of government, including 2.2 billion dollars to manage biodiversity and 138 million dollars simply to gather data on the impact of climatic changes. Despite this well intended funding, the key questions of how to best allocate this money between the many threatened species and regions of Australia, and how to adapt this allocation in light of climatic changes, remain unanswered. Our research will develop explicit and practical frameworks by which we can cost efficiently learn and act simultaneously.Read moreRead less