Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775548
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$180,000.00
Summary
Advanced characterisation facilities for functional nanostructured materials. A critical factor that enhances frontier research is a set of advanced core research experimental facilities for material characterisation purposes. The proposed equipment aims to: (1) provide research facilities for advanced nanomaterial research; (2) improve national competitiveness and growth in a knowledge-based economy; and (3) foster local talented researchers in order to meet the strategic needs of the nation fo ....Advanced characterisation facilities for functional nanostructured materials. A critical factor that enhances frontier research is a set of advanced core research experimental facilities for material characterisation purposes. The proposed equipment aims to: (1) provide research facilities for advanced nanomaterial research; (2) improve national competitiveness and growth in a knowledge-based economy; and (3) foster local talented researchers in order to meet the strategic needs of the nation for a sustainable environment. These activities will revitalise Australia's leading role in creating new technologies with particular relevance to using advanced nanostructures for the production of clean air and water, and sustainable energy alternatives.Read moreRead less
Prediction and Management Strategies for Blooms of the Toxic Cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula in Coastal Australian Waters. Blooms of the toxic cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula in Australia coastal waters are resulting in severe ecological and economic impacts, including significant human health problems. What is urgently needed is the capacity to predict the onset of a Lyngbya bloom and the development of management strategies to reduce or control blooms. We have assembled a dynamic team of a ....Prediction and Management Strategies for Blooms of the Toxic Cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula in Coastal Australian Waters. Blooms of the toxic cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula in Australia coastal waters are resulting in severe ecological and economic impacts, including significant human health problems. What is urgently needed is the capacity to predict the onset of a Lyngbya bloom and the development of management strategies to reduce or control blooms. We have assembled a dynamic team of active and experienced researchers using various state-of-the-art technologies to elucidate the key factors contributing to Lyngbya blooms and have industry partners willing to implement large scale testing of various controls. We have a unique opportunity to potentially solve a pressing environmental problem.Read moreRead less
Testing the potential of integrated vegetation bands to increase water retention, buffer climate extremes, sequester carbon and enhance production. The project will integrate a complex set of functions into one landscape restoration design which will benefit production and conservation objectives. These functions are improved use of surface runoff using native vegetation to reduce velocities and increase infiltration, improved soil and catchment condition through decreased erosion, lowering wind ....Testing the potential of integrated vegetation bands to increase water retention, buffer climate extremes, sequester carbon and enhance production. The project will integrate a complex set of functions into one landscape restoration design which will benefit production and conservation objectives. These functions are improved use of surface runoff using native vegetation to reduce velocities and increase infiltration, improved soil and catchment condition through decreased erosion, lowering wind speeds which desiccate landscape and erode valuable topsoil, providing a system of corridors for biodiversity, and sequestering carbon in woody biomass. IVB’s configuration captures the beneficial structural and functional attributes of vegetation while minimising competitive interactions. This will increase the resilience and productivity of Australian farming landscapes in a changing climate.Read moreRead less
Adaptation of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) to Climate Change, Changing Transport Patterns and Urban Form. This research will (a) provide guidance on future adaptations of stormwater quality infrastructure, (b) provide better scientific understanding of pollutant movements in urban systems and (c) provide methodology to 'future proof' infrastructure design against the pressures of climate change and urban population growth. Project outputs will (a) enable water-sensitive urban designs to b ....Adaptation of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) to Climate Change, Changing Transport Patterns and Urban Form. This research will (a) provide guidance on future adaptations of stormwater quality infrastructure, (b) provide better scientific understanding of pollutant movements in urban systems and (c) provide methodology to 'future proof' infrastructure design against the pressures of climate change and urban population growth. Project outputs will (a) enable water-sensitive urban designs to be applied reliably and (b) minimise the cost of re-building assets before the end of their design life due to climate change. The ultimate benefit is the reduction in water pollution from roadways leading to improved human and ecosystem well-being of urban communities.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0453434
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$395,077.00
Summary
A new airborne facility for environmental, hydrological, atmospheric and oceanic research: high resolution measurement of soil moisture, temperature and salinity. This proposal seeks to establish a new national capability for airborne remote sensing of key environmental variables. It will enable high-resolution mapping of near-surface soil moisture, land surface salinity and temperature, and ocean surface salinity and temperature. It will be a new tool for hydrologic, atmospheric and oceanic r ....A new airborne facility for environmental, hydrological, atmospheric and oceanic research: high resolution measurement of soil moisture, temperature and salinity. This proposal seeks to establish a new national capability for airborne remote sensing of key environmental variables. It will enable high-resolution mapping of near-surface soil moisture, land surface salinity and temperature, and ocean surface salinity and temperature. It will be a new tool for hydrologic, atmospheric and oceanic researchers, providing unprecedented detail on characteristics critical to our understanding and management of the environment. The small instrument size and weight will enable use of a light aircraft as the observing platform, providing the national (and international) research community with an affordable tool, hitherto unavailable.Read moreRead less
Geomorphic and vegetative controls of streambank stability and channel migration in streams of tropical Queensland. Streambank erosion and channel migration are natural processes, but major environmental and management problems can arise when they are accelerated by human activities. This project aims to establish how channel morphology and riparian vegetation characteristics influence streambank stability and channel dynamics for streams in tropical northeast Queensland. A predictive model of ....Geomorphic and vegetative controls of streambank stability and channel migration in streams of tropical Queensland. Streambank erosion and channel migration are natural processes, but major environmental and management problems can arise when they are accelerated by human activities. This project aims to establish how channel morphology and riparian vegetation characteristics influence streambank stability and channel dynamics for streams in tropical northeast Queensland. A predictive model of streambank and channel stability will be developed that will allow mobile and stable stream reaches to be identified. This model may be applied to optimise stream stabilisation and rehabilitation strategies, and to improve local riparian and downstream ecosystem quality.Read moreRead less
Tracing nitrogen through wet tropical aquifers using stable isotopic signatures, molecular markers and gas emissions. The project aims at enabling land managers to reduce the loss of nitrogen into creeks, rivers and estuaries of the Great Barrier Reef catchments. This will improve the economic and environmental viability of primary production while restoring the quality of aquatic and marine ecosystems. The results will identify parts of the landscape where land management needs to change and ov ....Tracing nitrogen through wet tropical aquifers using stable isotopic signatures, molecular markers and gas emissions. The project aims at enabling land managers to reduce the loss of nitrogen into creeks, rivers and estuaries of the Great Barrier Reef catchments. This will improve the economic and environmental viability of primary production while restoring the quality of aquatic and marine ecosystems. The results will identify parts of the landscape where land management needs to change and over what time scale improvements would be apparent. These outputs address the water quality priorites and targets of the 'Reef Water Quality Protection Plan' of the State and National governments and the 'Far North Queensland Natural Resource Management Plan'.Read moreRead less
Land disposal as a final treatment for saline industrial effluent. Sustainable land disposal of industrial effluent with high salt and nutrient (N) content, requires a different approach to the disposal of sewage effluent. To maintain plant growth, salt needs to be leached from the soil without off-site movement of nutrients, particularly N. Using irrigation and tree planting, methods of achieving this will be developed experimentally in conjunction with the Goodman Fielder Beaudesert Gelatin f ....Land disposal as a final treatment for saline industrial effluent. Sustainable land disposal of industrial effluent with high salt and nutrient (N) content, requires a different approach to the disposal of sewage effluent. To maintain plant growth, salt needs to be leached from the soil without off-site movement of nutrients, particularly N. Using irrigation and tree planting, methods of achieving this will be developed experimentally in conjunction with the Goodman Fielder Beaudesert Gelatin factory, based on development of a detailed understanding of the processes involved in the interlinked mass balances of salt, N and water. A sustainable and ecologically balanced disposal system will have application for many industrial plants with similar wastes.Read moreRead less
Site factors and genotype-site interaction affecting growth of eucalypt hybrids bred for commercial agro-forestry as a salinity management tool. Preliminary results indicate that with appropriate site-genotype matching, commercial plantation forestry can be pushed well below the current limit (650-700mm/yr). Outcomes from this project will potentially facilitate doubling of Australia's forest plantations, eliminate the annual trade deficit of $2 billion in forest products; ensure the long term e ....Site factors and genotype-site interaction affecting growth of eucalypt hybrids bred for commercial agro-forestry as a salinity management tool. Preliminary results indicate that with appropriate site-genotype matching, commercial plantation forestry can be pushed well below the current limit (650-700mm/yr). Outcomes from this project will potentially facilitate doubling of Australia's forest plantations, eliminate the annual trade deficit of $2 billion in forest products; ensure the long term environmental and productive sustainability of our agricultural production systems; diversify and drought proof farm income through the introduction of perennial tree crops whose yield and harvest is independent of short term seasonal fluctuations; and re-invigorate the economy of rural Australia brought about by investment in new, inland forest and wood processing industries.Read moreRead less
Spatial scale of influence of riparian and catchment land use on stream ecosystem health. Human activities at the landscape scale comprise one of the greatest threats to the ecological integrity of river ecosystems. Government and community groups across Australia are making significant efforts in riparian protection and rehabilitation in an attempt to improve the health of degraded waterways but are hampered in their goal to maximise the environmental gains for every dollar or unit effort inve ....Spatial scale of influence of riparian and catchment land use on stream ecosystem health. Human activities at the landscape scale comprise one of the greatest threats to the ecological integrity of river ecosystems. Government and community groups across Australia are making significant efforts in riparian protection and rehabilitation in an attempt to improve the health of degraded waterways but are hampered in their goal to maximise the environmental gains for every dollar or unit effort invested. The proposed research on understanding the spatial scale of influence of land use and the aggregative effects on stream ecosystems will provide a robust framework to assess various options and optimise benefits from management actions. Read moreRead less