A one million year record of relative sea-level, climatic and environmental changes - Aeolianites of the southern Australian continental margin. This project will (1) further refine two dating methods that will revolutionize Australia's capacity to date geological and archaeological events; (2) ensure that Australia remains in the forefront in applied geochronology and that a sufficient level of technical expertise remains within the country; (3) examine the sensitivity of coastal environments t ....A one million year record of relative sea-level, climatic and environmental changes - Aeolianites of the southern Australian continental margin. This project will (1) further refine two dating methods that will revolutionize Australia's capacity to date geological and archaeological events; (2) ensure that Australia remains in the forefront in applied geochronology and that a sufficient level of technical expertise remains within the country; (3) examine the sensitivity of coastal environments to rapid climate and sea-level changes; (4) increase public awareness of the scientific basis for the unique nature of Australia's coastal landscapes; and (5) may also assist in the exploration of strategically important minerals. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160101020
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,821.00
Summary
The geodynamics of past sea level changes. This project is designed to quantify the effect of flow deep within Earth’s interior on past sea-level changes and on the flooding history of Australia over the last 550 million years. The rise and fall of sea level has shaped our planet over time. This project plans to combine recent advances in tectonic reconstructions and dynamic Earth models with the global and Australian rock record. The intended outcome is to understand how the Earth’s surface is ....The geodynamics of past sea level changes. This project is designed to quantify the effect of flow deep within Earth’s interior on past sea-level changes and on the flooding history of Australia over the last 550 million years. The rise and fall of sea level has shaped our planet over time. This project plans to combine recent advances in tectonic reconstructions and dynamic Earth models with the global and Australian rock record. The intended outcome is to understand how the Earth’s surface is shaped by flow within its interior, and how these processes explain the sedimentary record. Project results have the potential to be used as an exploration tool to maximise Australia’s competitive advantage in exploring onshore sedimentary basins.Read moreRead less
Longshore Sediment Supply to the Deep Ocean. The current model to supply sand to deep water off continental margins is that provided by rivers operating at low sea level. We propose an alternative model in which sand is provided by longshore transport to deep water at high sea level north of Fraser Island, SE Queensland. Here we will test the validity of our new model by site studies of sea bottom morphology, composition and dynamics. If the model proves true, we will have: 1) generated an entir ....Longshore Sediment Supply to the Deep Ocean. The current model to supply sand to deep water off continental margins is that provided by rivers operating at low sea level. We propose an alternative model in which sand is provided by longshore transport to deep water at high sea level north of Fraser Island, SE Queensland. Here we will test the validity of our new model by site studies of sea bottom morphology, composition and dynamics. If the model proves true, we will have: 1) generated an entirely new exploration model for deepwater hydrocarbons, 2) provided new expertise and seabed maps for generating a superior marine naval defence capability.Read moreRead less
First Australians, Last Megafauna? Modern Approaches To A Prehistoric Puzzle. Animal species will be, and have been, threatened with extinction continuously through time. Understanding the possible role of people in these events and how climate change may have made some species more vulnerable to extinction than others is an important aspect of ongoing debate in our society. How these factors influenced the extinction process has implications for how we might manage our policies on land, conser ....First Australians, Last Megafauna? Modern Approaches To A Prehistoric Puzzle. Animal species will be, and have been, threatened with extinction continuously through time. Understanding the possible role of people in these events and how climate change may have made some species more vulnerable to extinction than others is an important aspect of ongoing debate in our society. How these factors influenced the extinction process has implications for how we might manage our policies on land, conservation, biodiversity, and 'at-risk' animal species. Additionally, the involvement of indigenous communities provides important employment and cultural exchange opportunities.Read moreRead less
Kinematica: Inference-Based Rapid Resource Exploration Scenario Testing. This project aims to build a new workflow for improving resource exploration evaluation by Australian companies and applied to three practical industry cases in frontier basins. The expected outcomes of this proposal are: detailed risk analysis of oil and gas prospectivity in frontier basins onshore and offshore Australia; a new strategic collaboration between Australian industry, government and universities; students train ....Kinematica: Inference-Based Rapid Resource Exploration Scenario Testing. This project aims to build a new workflow for improving resource exploration evaluation by Australian companies and applied to three practical industry cases in frontier basins. The expected outcomes of this proposal are: detailed risk analysis of oil and gas prospectivity in frontier basins onshore and offshore Australia; a new strategic collaboration between Australian industry, government and universities; students trained in advanced computational methods suitable for the evolving Australian oil and gas industry; and a software product that has high commericalisation potential. The project will transfer knowledge from European industry and universities to Australia and has applications for mineral prospectivity in sedimentary basins. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0882854
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$6,000,000.00
Summary
Australian Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will provide high-leverage access to the largest, and most effective international geoscience program.
Results from drilling within Australia's marine jurisdiction will give understanding of the oceans' state under past climates through high resolution records of the range of oceanographic and biological responses to climate change, the role of the deep biosphere in shapin ....Australian Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. Membership of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) will provide high-leverage access to the largest, and most effective international geoscience program.
Results from drilling within Australia's marine jurisdiction will give understanding of the oceans' state under past climates through high resolution records of the range of oceanographic and biological responses to climate change, the role of the deep biosphere in shaping oil and gas deposits, hydrothermal and igneous processes involved in ore genesis, and enhanced understanding of some of the world's largest earthquake- and tsunami-generating processes.
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A palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of Holocene coastal valley evolution in NSW: A magnetic, geochemical, sedimentological and microfossil investigation. Coastal environments are a critical interface between land and ocean. They are sensitive to sea level change and they can influence climate because they trap a large fraction of the carbon buried annually in the oceans. We propose an inter-disciplinary investigation to determine how NSW coastal environments responded to past climate change. Th ....A palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of Holocene coastal valley evolution in NSW: A magnetic, geochemical, sedimentological and microfossil investigation. Coastal environments are a critical interface between land and ocean. They are sensitive to sea level change and they can influence climate because they trap a large fraction of the carbon buried annually in the oceans. We propose an inter-disciplinary investigation to determine how NSW coastal environments responded to past climate change. This will help to understand factors such as flood chronologies and acid sulphate soil potential and to predict the response to these environments to future climate change. Coastal environments support an increasing global population that will benefit from a better understanding of processes and responses within this critical zone.Read moreRead less
Engineering planetary habitability: Earth’s first billion years. This project aims to establish the critical physical-chemical factors in the early surface environment and tectonic regime that supported early life and continuing habitability. Life was established on Earth within the first billion years of its 4.56-billion-year history. This project’s integrated geological and geochemical study will investigate this period’s rare sedimentary and volcanic record, including the oldest fossiliferous ....Engineering planetary habitability: Earth’s first billion years. This project aims to establish the critical physical-chemical factors in the early surface environment and tectonic regime that supported early life and continuing habitability. Life was established on Earth within the first billion years of its 4.56-billion-year history. This project’s integrated geological and geochemical study will investigate this period’s rare sedimentary and volcanic record, including the oldest fossiliferous sequences discovered recently, to show how the early Earth’s chemistry supported life and evolution. The project expects to enhance understanding of why life prospers on some habitable zone planets but not on others.Read moreRead less
Uncovering ancient landscapes with emerging technologies: integrating complex geospatial and fossil data to explore late Cenozoic environmental change. This project aims to use emerging technologies to unravel relationships between prehistoric climate changes and environmental impacts in northern Australia. Given current uncertainty about impacts of contemporary climate change on our biota, it is important to document the outcomes of past climatic changes and, in particular, the globally critica ....Uncovering ancient landscapes with emerging technologies: integrating complex geospatial and fossil data to explore late Cenozoic environmental change. This project aims to use emerging technologies to unravel relationships between prehistoric climate changes and environmental impacts in northern Australia. Given current uncertainty about impacts of contemporary climate change on our biota, it is important to document the outcomes of past climatic changes and, in particular, the globally critical period between 15 and five million years ago that shaped modern Australian environments. Fossil-rich deposits in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area of northern Queensland span this period. Interpretation of their fine-grained record of impact and change will improve our ability to predict and hence better manage impacts of future climate change on our unique national natural heritage.Read moreRead less
New Riversleigh: Bridging chasms in the Neogene of Australia. This project aims to investigate the evolution of Australia’s animals in the late Miocene, 10 - 5 million years ago. The team’s discovery of a remote fossil field west of and larger than the Riversleigh World Heritage Area opens a window into Australia’s past, linking those of Australia's older lush rainforest communities to those of its drier, more modern habitats. Radiometric dates indicate that sediments in this vast area are late ....New Riversleigh: Bridging chasms in the Neogene of Australia. This project aims to investigate the evolution of Australia’s animals in the late Miocene, 10 - 5 million years ago. The team’s discovery of a remote fossil field west of and larger than the Riversleigh World Heritage Area opens a window into Australia’s past, linking those of Australia's older lush rainforest communities to those of its drier, more modern habitats. Radiometric dates indicate that sediments in this vast area are late Miocene in age. This project will reveal how Australia’s wildlife responded to one of the world’s biggest climate changes and help better anticipate what will be required to ensure its survival into the future. Benefits include enhanced understanding about long-term biota/climate interactions and significant additions to Australia’s unique, internationally significant palaeontological artefacts.Read moreRead less