Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE120100180
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$150,000.00
Summary
An Australian fluid-inclusion facility for climate-change science. Understanding past temperature and rainfall changes is essential for improving climate projections. The proposed facility will generate new palaeotemperature and palaeorainfall information from cave deposits, leading to a better understanding of natural climate variability and change.
A new paradigm for the geochemistry of mineral precipitation and dissolution in aquatic systems: Polymer-based numerical modelling. The ability to predict the formation and dissolution of solids (minerals and precipitates) in aquatic systems is currently constrained by limitations of the traditional thermodynamic approach. A new approach based on the kinetics of the underlying chemical reactions is expected to overcome these limitations and greatly improve the ability to describe these processes ....A new paradigm for the geochemistry of mineral precipitation and dissolution in aquatic systems: Polymer-based numerical modelling. The ability to predict the formation and dissolution of solids (minerals and precipitates) in aquatic systems is currently constrained by limitations of the traditional thermodynamic approach. A new approach based on the kinetics of the underlying chemical reactions is expected to overcome these limitations and greatly improve the ability to describe these processes. This new fundamental knowledge will be useful in many diverse fields including aquatic geochemistry, soil chemistry, water engineering, and nanotechnology. The new approach will be specifically applied to improve understanding of processes related to the globally significant environmental issues of marine iron fertilisation, ocean acidification and acid sulfate soils.Read moreRead less
Australian dust: its response to, and role in, climate change. Atmospheric dust plumes can affect global climate, but the impact of Australian dust on climate is poorly known even though it is a major dust source. This project will study the magnetism of dust deposits in marine sediments to understand how Australian dust influences climate in order to better predict the influence of humans on future climate.
Untangling the links between El Nino and the changing global climate. Australia is a country of 'drought and flooding rain', and a key factor governing these cycles is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Our project will provide the following benefits to the nation (i) increased understanding of ENSO variability; (ii) increased knowledge of the extremes of ENSO; (iii) insights into what causes ENSO to vary; and (iv) improved ability to forecast ENSO. Understanding ENSO is essential for anti ....Untangling the links between El Nino and the changing global climate. Australia is a country of 'drought and flooding rain', and a key factor governing these cycles is the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Our project will provide the following benefits to the nation (i) increased understanding of ENSO variability; (ii) increased knowledge of the extremes of ENSO; (iii) insights into what causes ENSO to vary; and (iv) improved ability to forecast ENSO. Understanding ENSO is essential for anticipating changes in drought and rain in the future. This understanding will help us to adapt Australia's valuable agricultural and farming industries to climate change, and to manage our precious water resources.Read moreRead less
The application of clumped isotope thermometry to the terrestrial environment. Clumped-isotope geochemistry, a novel method for measuring the temperature of formation of carbonate minerals, will be applied to terrestrial materials (soil carbonates, lake deposits and speleothems) from Australia and New Zealand. The method relates the abundance or 'clumping' of rare isotopes (for example, carbon dioxide of mass 47 as carbon-13, oxygen-18, oxygen-16) extracted from carbonates to their formation tem ....The application of clumped isotope thermometry to the terrestrial environment. Clumped-isotope geochemistry, a novel method for measuring the temperature of formation of carbonate minerals, will be applied to terrestrial materials (soil carbonates, lake deposits and speleothems) from Australia and New Zealand. The method relates the abundance or 'clumping' of rare isotopes (for example, carbon dioxide of mass 47 as carbon-13, oxygen-18, oxygen-16) extracted from carbonates to their formation temperature and is independent of the oxygen-18:oxygen-16 value of the host water from which the mineral precipitated. The materials to be investigated span the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition and will provide robust past temperature estimates and the delta-oxygen-18 values of waters, thereby permitting hydrological balances (for example, precipitation/evaporation) to be constructed. Read moreRead less
Are subterranean estuaries a source or sink of greenhouse gases? The aim of this project is to investigate the role of subterranean estuaries and submarine groundwater discharge on the marine cycle of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The expected outcome of this project is a better understanding of the role of coastal environments as a net source or sink of greenhouse gases.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100305
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$434,042.00
Summary
Unravelling the pathways of methane production and oxidation in mangroves. This project addresses a long-standing conundrum of why high methane emissions are sustained in saline coastal wetlands by identifying and quantifying methane production and oxidation processes in mangrove ecosystems. Using a novel combination of cutting-edge instrumentation for greenhouse gases, radiocarbon/stable isotope analysis, this project will generate a first complete picture of the mangrove methane cycle, to accu ....Unravelling the pathways of methane production and oxidation in mangroves. This project addresses a long-standing conundrum of why high methane emissions are sustained in saline coastal wetlands by identifying and quantifying methane production and oxidation processes in mangrove ecosystems. Using a novel combination of cutting-edge instrumentation for greenhouse gases, radiocarbon/stable isotope analysis, this project will generate a first complete picture of the mangrove methane cycle, to accurately quantify, for the first time, Australia’s contribution to global coastal mangrove emissions. The outcomes will establish currently lacking fundamental understanding of wetland methane cycling, advance global biogeochemical models, and improve strategies for natural climate solutions of coastal wetlands in Australia.Read moreRead less
Improving climate models through new insights on long-term inter-hemispheric climate synchronicity from speleothems. It is important that palaeoclimatologists continue to improve understanding of how the Earth responds to climate forcing, so that climate models can be rigorously validated and refined. Since the Earth responds to most of this forcing over time scales that exceed the length of instrumental weather measurements, the recovery of datable palaeoclimate archives that are highly sensiti ....Improving climate models through new insights on long-term inter-hemispheric climate synchronicity from speleothems. It is important that palaeoclimatologists continue to improve understanding of how the Earth responds to climate forcing, so that climate models can be rigorously validated and refined. Since the Earth responds to most of this forcing over time scales that exceed the length of instrumental weather measurements, the recovery of datable palaeoclimate archives that are highly sensitive to past climate changes is essential. Our project will provide important new palaeoclimate data from both hemispheres on how key regions of the Earth responded to past climate changes. This will bring improved understanding of past oceanic-atmospheric processes that can be fed into climate models, ultimately producing better forecasts to the benefit of all Australians.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0560868
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$552,475.00
Summary
SHRIMP SI - Microscale stable-isotope analysis in the Earth Sciences. Stable-isotope variations of elements such as oxygen, carbon, and sulphur, preserve the most profound records of environmental conditions during the geological, biological, and climatic evolution of Earth and planets. We will build a stable isotope ion microprobe (SHRIMP SI) to examine extraterrestrial and terrestrial systems in unprecedented detail. In terrestrial applications, the main issue is accuracy at the 0.01 percent ....SHRIMP SI - Microscale stable-isotope analysis in the Earth Sciences. Stable-isotope variations of elements such as oxygen, carbon, and sulphur, preserve the most profound records of environmental conditions during the geological, biological, and climatic evolution of Earth and planets. We will build a stable isotope ion microprobe (SHRIMP SI) to examine extraterrestrial and terrestrial systems in unprecedented detail. In terrestrial applications, the main issue is accuracy at the 0.01 percent level for 20-micron spots, which we can apply to studies of development of life on Earth, climatic records, weathering, and formation of ore bodies. Sample return missions of solar wind and comets will provide unique samples related to the formation of our solar system.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0883113
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$250,000.00
Summary
A stable-isotope mass spectrometer for novel determinations of past temperatures. Much of the Australian landscape is subject to a dry and evaporative climate, making it very difficult to use conventional geochemical techniques to estimate past temperatures, even on short timescales of tens to hundreds of years. The application of a new isotopic technique to preserved carbonate minerals (soil carbonate, shells in rivers, lakes and the ocean) avoids the difficulty of this variable evaporation, an ....A stable-isotope mass spectrometer for novel determinations of past temperatures. Much of the Australian landscape is subject to a dry and evaporative climate, making it very difficult to use conventional geochemical techniques to estimate past temperatures, even on short timescales of tens to hundreds of years. The application of a new isotopic technique to preserved carbonate minerals (soil carbonate, shells in rivers, lakes and the ocean) avoids the difficulty of this variable evaporation, and directly measures past temperatures. This will have a profound effect on our understanding of environmental changes on both short and long time scales, and permit a better understanding of the hydrological balances within the landscape.Read moreRead less