Treading water in a changing climate: The vulnerability of Australia’s tropical islands to sea level rise. This project will directly benefit the people and businesses associated with 1,174 tropical islands found in Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait waters. By bringing together a multi-disciplinary team and training young Australian researchers, this project will establish an integrated research program that will outline the challenges, and develop the solutions, that will be needed for Aust ....Treading water in a changing climate: The vulnerability of Australia’s tropical islands to sea level rise. This project will directly benefit the people and businesses associated with 1,174 tropical islands found in Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait waters. By bringing together a multi-disciplinary team and training young Australian researchers, this project will establish an integrated research program that will outline the challenges, and develop the solutions, that will be needed for Australians to cope with rising sea levels. While the initial focus is the highly exposed tropical islands, the results of this integrated research program will have a wide applicability across Australia in terms of the geomorphological, natural and human challenges associated with rapid pathogenic sea level rise.Read moreRead less
A New Era for Australian Exoplanetary Science. There are few areas of learning that engage the public in cutting-edge science and technology more than astronomy – and few areas of astronomy that engage and fascinate as thoroughly as the study of planets and astrobiology. This research program will not only discover new rocky and gas giant planets orbiting other stars, but tell us about how those planets formed – allowing us to answer the key question for current exoplanetary research – “Are ther ....A New Era for Australian Exoplanetary Science. There are few areas of learning that engage the public in cutting-edge science and technology more than astronomy – and few areas of astronomy that engage and fascinate as thoroughly as the study of planets and astrobiology. This research program will not only discover new rocky and gas giant planets orbiting other stars, but tell us about how those planets formed – allowing us to answer the key question for current exoplanetary research – “Are there other Earths in the Universe?”Read moreRead less
Space Science and Astronomy: Dissecting the Galaxy with High Resolution Multi-Object Echelle Spectrograph (HERMES) II: Decisive Observations. Australia has long been a world leader in wide-field astronomical surveys, and the new High Resolution Multi-Object Echelle Spectrograph (HERMES) being built for the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) will enhance that leadership position. Through a combination of Australian technological and scientific advances, the surveys we conduct with HERMES will allow ....Space Science and Astronomy: Dissecting the Galaxy with High Resolution Multi-Object Echelle Spectrograph (HERMES) II: Decisive Observations. Australia has long been a world leader in wide-field astronomical surveys, and the new High Resolution Multi-Object Echelle Spectrograph (HERMES) being built for the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) will enhance that leadership position. Through a combination of Australian technological and scientific advances, the surveys we conduct with HERMES will allow us to study galaxy formation and stellar astrophysics in unprecedented detail. There are powerful synergies between HERMES and Skymapper, another Australian astronomical survey, as well as with Gaia, the billion-dollar European space mission for studying the Galaxy; HERMES will thus promote both national and international research collaboration. In this proposal we lay the observational groundwork for maximising the scientific return from HERMES.Read moreRead less
Space science and astronomy: New eyes on old stars: Decoding late-stage stellar evolution. Planetary nebulae, the extended shrouds of dying stars, are a fascinating, brief period in the life of most stars. Our Sun will eventually go through this phase engulfing the earth. Planetary nebulae are unique celestial laboratories thanks to their rich emission line spectra. They are amongst the most beautiful and mysterious of objects, whose startling images act as a photogenic magnet for public interes ....Space science and astronomy: New eyes on old stars: Decoding late-stage stellar evolution. Planetary nebulae, the extended shrouds of dying stars, are a fascinating, brief period in the life of most stars. Our Sun will eventually go through this phase engulfing the earth. Planetary nebulae are unique celestial laboratories thanks to their rich emission line spectra. They are amongst the most beautiful and mysterious of objects, whose startling images act as a photogenic magnet for public interest. Behind their beauty hides the mystery of how stars return carbon, one of life's essential building blocks - to interstellar space. This project will constitute the next major breakthrough in understanding these processes and addresses several significant astrophysical problems in the field via unique Australian data and instrumentation.Read moreRead less
Resilience of Coral Reef Ecosystems to Climate Change. Science-based management of coral reefs provides enormous environmental, social and economic benefit to Australia and other tropical maritime nations. The proposed research will provide scientific knowledge and research training that underpins the management and long-term sustainability of Australian reef resources. Climate change research is vital for supporting the sustainable use of the ecosystem goods and services provided by reef ecosy ....Resilience of Coral Reef Ecosystems to Climate Change. Science-based management of coral reefs provides enormous environmental, social and economic benefit to Australia and other tropical maritime nations. The proposed research will provide scientific knowledge and research training that underpins the management and long-term sustainability of Australian reef resources. Climate change research is vital for supporting the sustainable use of the ecosystem goods and services provided by reef ecosystems (e.g. to tourism and fishing industries, recreational users and indigenous Australians). This research will place Australia in the forefront of understanding and responding to the regional-scale impacts of climate change on tropical societies and economies.Read moreRead less
Multi-model predictions of ecosystem flux under climate change based on novel genetic and image analysis methods. Improving the forecasts of ecosystem shifts must be a key focus of future ecological research if we are to preserve our unique Australian landscapes. Our proposal is of clear benefit to Australia because of the urgent need for integrated methods to predict the cumulative impact of shifts in climate and land use. We will also contribute innovative tools involving genetic and image ana ....Multi-model predictions of ecosystem flux under climate change based on novel genetic and image analysis methods. Improving the forecasts of ecosystem shifts must be a key focus of future ecological research if we are to preserve our unique Australian landscapes. Our proposal is of clear benefit to Australia because of the urgent need for integrated methods to predict the cumulative impact of shifts in climate and land use. We will also contribute innovative tools involving genetic and image analysis, and state-of-the-art modelling. The damage modern human societies are inflicting on global environments has led to a great demand for logistically feasible and cost-effective ways to prevent biodiversity loss.Read moreRead less
Effects of climate change on temperate benthic assemblages on the continental shelf in eastern Australia. Benthic habitats on the continental shelf in southeast Australia support some of Australia's most productive fisheries and manifest high levels of biodiversity and endemism. However, the region is experiencing rates of ocean warming 3.8 times the global average and nutrient depletion because of increased influence of the East Australian Current. This work will, for the first time, provide a ....Effects of climate change on temperate benthic assemblages on the continental shelf in eastern Australia. Benthic habitats on the continental shelf in southeast Australia support some of Australia's most productive fisheries and manifest high levels of biodiversity and endemism. However, the region is experiencing rates of ocean warming 3.8 times the global average and nutrient depletion because of increased influence of the East Australian Current. This work will, for the first time, provide a clear indication of the relationship between the physical environment on the shelf and the distribution of benthic assemblages, predict future changes in temperature and nutrients in the area, and predict the effects of these changes on the associated benthic biota. These predictions are critical to an informed adaptation response to climate change.Read moreRead less
Nanoengineered Polymeric Materials for Environmental and Biological Applications. The development of advanced materials with nanoengineered properties promises to revolutionise future industries, including the energy and healthcare sectors. This research program will involve the design, synthesis and assembly of tailored polymers to prepare next-generation, engineered materials. The research will deliver advanced polymeric membranes, tissue engineering scaffolds and vaccine delivery systems. The ....Nanoengineered Polymeric Materials for Environmental and Biological Applications. The development of advanced materials with nanoengineered properties promises to revolutionise future industries, including the energy and healthcare sectors. This research program will involve the design, synthesis and assembly of tailored polymers to prepare next-generation, engineered materials. The research will deliver advanced polymeric membranes, tissue engineering scaffolds and vaccine delivery systems. These materials are expected to provide benefits for Australian citizens in the energy and health sectors and contribute to the development of a robust Australian nanotechnology industry. The projects will also provide opportunities for the development of outstanding young scientists and will foster multidisciplinary collaborations.Read moreRead less
Establishing the reference frame using astronomical and space-geodetic observations. Australia is increasingly dependent on spatial positioning and spatial data, yet mostly relies upon international agencies and research organisations to provide regular updates of coordinates and reference frame definition used on Earth. Improving the accuracy of the reference frame definition and our understanding of errors in the space-based measurements will provide new insights for studies of the Earth. The ....Establishing the reference frame using astronomical and space-geodetic observations. Australia is increasingly dependent on spatial positioning and spatial data, yet mostly relies upon international agencies and research organisations to provide regular updates of coordinates and reference frame definition used on Earth. Improving the accuracy of the reference frame definition and our understanding of errors in the space-based measurements will provide new insights for studies of the Earth. The research will yield results in studies of national significance, such as sea level rise, the effects of melting polar regions, and crustal deformation, as well as developing Australia's expertise in exploiting observations of the Earth from space.Read moreRead less
Novel dating methods for marine sediments of relevance to determining past climate changes. Future climate change is a subject of enormous contemporary interest with economic and social implications for much of humanity. Accurate knowledge of past climates is, however, crucial to understanding how the global climate will evolve into the future. This proposal aims to develop novel methods for dating marine sediments using cosmogenic isotopes, in order to extract the palaeoclimatic signals that ar ....Novel dating methods for marine sediments of relevance to determining past climate changes. Future climate change is a subject of enormous contemporary interest with economic and social implications for much of humanity. Accurate knowledge of past climates is, however, crucial to understanding how the global climate will evolve into the future. This proposal aims to develop novel methods for dating marine sediments using cosmogenic isotopes, in order to extract the palaeoclimatic signals that are locked into these sediments. We will concentrate on the Southern Ocean which plays a crucial role in the world's climate. This proposal will also contribute to Australia's international obligation to conduct research in this critical area.Read moreRead less