U/Th dating of coral mortality and recovery rates in the Great Barrier Reef. This project aims to use high-efficiency U-Th geochronology and palaeoecology to identify past coral mortality events and community changes in the inshore Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and quantify subsequent recovery rates across a water quality gradient. These records will then be linked to natural and human impacts, especially since European settlement. The project outcomes will improve understanding of past disturbances ....U/Th dating of coral mortality and recovery rates in the Great Barrier Reef. This project aims to use high-efficiency U-Th geochronology and palaeoecology to identify past coral mortality events and community changes in the inshore Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and quantify subsequent recovery rates across a water quality gradient. These records will then be linked to natural and human impacts, especially since European settlement. The project outcomes will improve understanding of past disturbances and recovery rates in the GBR ecosystem and help focus management in the face of increased human pressure and environmental changes.Read moreRead less
Human use of early tropical forest ecosystems. This project aims to investigate the earliest records of tropical forests occupied by modern humans. This project expects to reconstruct ancient tropical ecosystems through time and in unprecedented detail by applying interdisciplinary methods including analyses of fossil mammals, carbonates, and pollen records. Expected outcomes of this project include novel ecological techniques of reconstructing the tropical forests that people first inhabited, a ....Human use of early tropical forest ecosystems. This project aims to investigate the earliest records of tropical forests occupied by modern humans. This project expects to reconstruct ancient tropical ecosystems through time and in unprecedented detail by applying interdisciplinary methods including analyses of fossil mammals, carbonates, and pollen records. Expected outcomes of this project include novel ecological techniques of reconstructing the tropical forests that people first inhabited, and advancing our understanding of modern human behaviour, environmental adaptation, and past exploitation of key ecosystems. This should provide significant benefits such as better understanding of the long-term interaction between tropical forests, their faunas, and people.Read moreRead less
Phosphate stabilisation of metalliferous mine wastes: The key to solving a major environmental issue? Mine wastes represent the greatest proportion of solid waste produced by mankind. Unconstrained drainage from sulfide-rich mine wastes impacts on water, soil and sediment quality. This project will establish the scientific principles of phosphate stabilisation, which involves the addition of phosphate compounds to mine wastes and soils to permanently contain metals and acid. A solid understandin ....Phosphate stabilisation of metalliferous mine wastes: The key to solving a major environmental issue? Mine wastes represent the greatest proportion of solid waste produced by mankind. Unconstrained drainage from sulfide-rich mine wastes impacts on water, soil and sediment quality. This project will establish the scientific principles of phosphate stabilisation, which involves the addition of phosphate compounds to mine wastes and soils to permanently contain metals and acid. A solid understanding of this emerging technology is a prerequisite for any sustainable management of mine sites. The study will provide the foundation of future management tools needed by landholders, industry and regulators to remediate mined land and waste repositories.Read moreRead less
Developing a geomorphological framework to underpin management decision-making on the Great Barrier Reef. The paucity of data on coral reef growth histories inhibits attempts to integrate regional reef growth data into coral reef management - despite the major influence on habitat type and diversity. This project will gather such data for one region of the Great Barrier Reef, and develop such datasets to support future reef management decision-making.
Links between marine biotic evolution and carbonate platform and petroleum reservoir development in the South China sea. This project will aim to discover the major environmental controls over the historical development of the high biodiversity of Indo-Pacific coral reefs. By investigating fossils from rocky outcrops we will enhance the ability of petroleum companies to predict the occurrence of hydrocarbons in sub-surface reef limestones.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100067
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000,000.00
Summary
Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. Australian membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program:
This project is for a 5-year membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program, the world’s largest collaborative research program in earth and ocean sciences addressing international priorities. The program conducts seagoing coring expeditions and monitoring of instrumented boreholes to study the history and current activity of the Earth, recorded in sed ....Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. Australian membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program:
This project is for a 5-year membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program, the world’s largest collaborative research program in earth and ocean sciences addressing international priorities. The program conducts seagoing coring expeditions and monitoring of instrumented boreholes to study the history and current activity of the Earth, recorded in sediments and rocks below the seafloor. The program’s aims include understanding past global environments on multiple time scales, the deep biosphere, plate tectonics, occurrence and distribution of resources, and generation of hazards. Several multinational expeditions are scheduled and planned in our marine jurisdiction and within the Australasian region. Read moreRead less
New Stratigraphy and Geostatistics for Gas and Water Resources . Management of gas and water resources is of significant importance to the Australian economy and society. Industry and government use digital modelling to assist in resources management. The first step in modelling is to correlate geological data and then use geostatistics to estimate properties in areas without data. This project aims to produce a new geological framework for the Surat Basin underpinned by new zircon ages and ages ....New Stratigraphy and Geostatistics for Gas and Water Resources . Management of gas and water resources is of significant importance to the Australian economy and society. Industry and government use digital modelling to assist in resources management. The first step in modelling is to correlate geological data and then use geostatistics to estimate properties in areas without data. This project aims to produce a new geological framework for the Surat Basin underpinned by new zircon ages and ages of fossils in sediments and a new geostatistical methodology to better represent flow properties in coal seams and aquifers. This is expected result in a more accurate modelling methodology that can be used by industry and government for modelling resources, including in other basins in Australia and worldwide.Read moreRead less
Mineral Physics and Crystal Chemistry of Ni-Co-Laterite Deposits. Ni-Co laterite deposits host more than 50% of the mineable Ni-Co resources on the planet. Australia and Australian mining companies have been major producers of Ni and Co in the past. To continue to play a significant role in the exploration, production, and environmentally sound remediation of Ni-Co laterite mining sites, Australian mining companies must increase their understanding of the mineralogy of Ni-Co-deposits. This res ....Mineral Physics and Crystal Chemistry of Ni-Co-Laterite Deposits. Ni-Co laterite deposits host more than 50% of the mineable Ni-Co resources on the planet. Australia and Australian mining companies have been major producers of Ni and Co in the past. To continue to play a significant role in the exploration, production, and environmentally sound remediation of Ni-Co laterite mining sites, Australian mining companies must increase their understanding of the mineralogy of Ni-Co-deposits. This research program proposes strategic micro-analytical and synchrotron-based research on the fundamental physical properties and crystal chemistry of Ni-Co-laterite minerals from selected deposits in Australia and around the globe.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100028
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,000,000.00
Summary
Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. This proposal is for an 18-month membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), the world’s largest collaborative research program in Earth and Ocean sciences. The Program studies the history and current activity of the Earth by conducting seagoing coring expeditions and monitoring of instrumented boreholes, using globally unique infrastructure that Australians would otherwise have no access to. Program outcomes ....Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. This proposal is for an 18-month membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), the world’s largest collaborative research program in Earth and Ocean sciences. The Program studies the history and current activity of the Earth by conducting seagoing coring expeditions and monitoring of instrumented boreholes, using globally unique infrastructure that Australians would otherwise have no access to. Program outcomes include understanding past global environmental change on multiple time scales, the deep biosphere, plate tectonics, formation and distribution of resources, and generation of hazards. These outcomes are paramount to Australia’s national science and research priorities, and societal and economic prosperity.Read moreRead less
The geochemistry of rare earth elements in carbonate melts. This project aims to determine why deposits of rare earth elements, which are critical for modern devices and technologies such as phones, tablets and plasma screens, are associated with carbonate magmas. The global supply of these critical metals is geopolitically unstable and, although Australia has significant reserves, there is very limited production. By improving our understanding of the geochemical behaviour of the rare earths th ....The geochemistry of rare earth elements in carbonate melts. This project aims to determine why deposits of rare earth elements, which are critical for modern devices and technologies such as phones, tablets and plasma screens, are associated with carbonate magmas. The global supply of these critical metals is geopolitically unstable and, although Australia has significant reserves, there is very limited production. By improving our understanding of the geochemical behaviour of the rare earths this project aims to develop new reverse-engineering methods for their extraction, which will improve the security of supply of these elements and enhance Australia's role in high-tech industries. The project will enhance the profitability of the Australian resources sector through improved extraction economics and will secure the supply of these critical metals for Australian high-tech industries and export. The outcomes will be targeted initially at junior resource companies that are not yet profitable.Read moreRead less