Sea-level change in the Australasian region during the past 6000 years: Understanding the past to predict the future. Interactions of climate, ice, oceans, and solid earth result in complex variations sea level in time and space. This proposal develops a predictive understanding of this change through an interdisciplinary integration of geophysical theory and geologic observations. Focus is on the Australian area and on the present interglacial but the outcomes will be placed in a global frame. ....Sea-level change in the Australasian region during the past 6000 years: Understanding the past to predict the future. Interactions of climate, ice, oceans, and solid earth result in complex variations sea level in time and space. This proposal develops a predictive understanding of this change through an interdisciplinary integration of geophysical theory and geologic observations. Focus is on the Australian area and on the present interglacial but the outcomes will be placed in a global frame. Outcomes will include estimates of rates and amplitudes of sea-level change, of changes in ice volume, of land movements from isostatic and tectonic causes. It also provides the framework necessary for separating natural change from anthropogenic change during the recent past and for predicting future regional and global sea-level change on a century time scale.Read moreRead less
Characterizing the hydrological cycle using water isotopes, land-surface models and satellite observations. Water is our most precious natural resource. In Australia, it is also our most precarious. The hydrological cycle describes the movement of water between the ocean, atmosphere and land. Understanding the effect and impact that a changing climate might have on the hydrological cycle is critical to securing Australia's water resources. To address these challenges, we must improve our basic u ....Characterizing the hydrological cycle using water isotopes, land-surface models and satellite observations. Water is our most precious natural resource. In Australia, it is also our most precarious. The hydrological cycle describes the movement of water between the ocean, atmosphere and land. Understanding the effect and impact that a changing climate might have on the hydrological cycle is critical to securing Australia's water resources. To address these challenges, we must improve our basic understanding of the water exchange processes within the Earth system. Our project will exploit new technology in ground and space based observation, combined with advanced modeling and measurement capabilities, to develop an improved understanding and characterization of Australian hydrological cycles and aid in assessing climate change related impacts. Read moreRead less
Integrated assessment of climate change, climate input errors and land-use change on soil-moisture and carbon-balance in a catchment simulation framework. Assessing soil moisture and carbon balance changes in a warmer climate is important for land-use and agricultural planning. A decision support tool is proposed that performs the assessment and allows us to develop plans that reduce adverse impacts. The tool consists of three parts. The first part models changes in rainfall accuracy to calibrat ....Integrated assessment of climate change, climate input errors and land-use change on soil-moisture and carbon-balance in a catchment simulation framework. Assessing soil moisture and carbon balance changes in a warmer climate is important for land-use and agricultural planning. A decision support tool is proposed that performs the assessment and allows us to develop plans that reduce adverse impacts. The tool consists of three parts. The first part models changes in rainfall accuracy to calibrate approaches for catchment simulation. The second part simulates rainfall under climate change conditions using stochastic downscaling. The third part simulates future soil moisture and carbon balance using downscaled climate inputs. The end result is a probabilistic simulation of the catchment hydrology under future climates.Read moreRead less
Patterns and processes of carbon and water budgets across northern Australian landscapes: From point to region. Quantifying carbon sources and sinks and understanding the underlying processes are pre-requisites to informed policy decisions, especially as nations seek to develop strategies to manage carbon emissions and sequestration. Australia is unique because of its poor soils and high climate variability and is likely to have patterns and process of carbon that are globally different. We fo ....Patterns and processes of carbon and water budgets across northern Australian landscapes: From point to region. Quantifying carbon sources and sinks and understanding the underlying processes are pre-requisites to informed policy decisions, especially as nations seek to develop strategies to manage carbon emissions and sequestration. Australia is unique because of its poor soils and high climate variability and is likely to have patterns and process of carbon that are globally different. We focus on Australia's Top-End region, but will develop tools/methods that can be applied to other important Australian hot-spots. This project will support the existing National Carbon Accounting System by providing new information on processes and spatial variability and regional budgets of carbon and water budgets that underpin our international commitments.Read moreRead less
Quantification of current and future traffic emissions of greenhouse gases and particulate matter for application in transport and urban planning. The socio-economic benefits from the project include (i) novel transport emissions model, enabling assessment of the impact of transport proposals, applied in one of the most rapidly developing urban regions of Australia, SEQ; (ii) a matrix of particles, CO2, N2O and CH4 emission factors for vehicles operating in Australia, an essential input paramete ....Quantification of current and future traffic emissions of greenhouse gases and particulate matter for application in transport and urban planning. The socio-economic benefits from the project include (i) novel transport emissions model, enabling assessment of the impact of transport proposals, applied in one of the most rapidly developing urban regions of Australia, SEQ; (ii) a matrix of particles, CO2, N2O and CH4 emission factors for vehicles operating in Australia, an essential input parameter in vehicle emission inventories. The ultimate economic benefit of this research will be a reduction in transport related air pollution and greenhouse emissions, thus increasing the health and well-being of Australians, reducing health care costs and placing Australia in the forefront of international progress in the race toward better methods for achieving environmental sustainability.Read moreRead less
Uncoupling past salinity and temperature signals in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool: implications for climate change in the Australian region. The tropical oceans and in particular the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, immediately to Australia's north, play a key role in modulating global and Australian climate through El-Niño and related phenomena. Using a new microanalysis approach to analyse individual foraminifera from deep-sea cores, we will reconstruct past salinity and temperature variability within the ....Uncoupling past salinity and temperature signals in the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool: implications for climate change in the Australian region. The tropical oceans and in particular the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool, immediately to Australia's north, play a key role in modulating global and Australian climate through El-Niño and related phenomena. Using a new microanalysis approach to analyse individual foraminifera from deep-sea cores, we will reconstruct past salinity and temperature variability within the Warm Pool, and determine changing rainfall patterns and, ENSO and monsoon behaviour under climate conditions that lie outside modern records. This information is vital for understanding past climate and predicting the future intensity and frequency of El-Niño related drought and wet cycles in Australia.Read moreRead less
Community vulnerability and extreme events: Developing a typology of coastal settlement vulnerability to aid adaptation strategies. Despite uncertainty regarding the manifestations of climate change there is widespread agreement that any impacts will be unevenly shared. The costs to individuals and communities of these uneven outcomes are significant. Crucially, adaptation policy must understand the multi-dimensional nature of these uneven outcomes so as to ameliorate negative costs. In its inte ....Community vulnerability and extreme events: Developing a typology of coastal settlement vulnerability to aid adaptation strategies. Despite uncertainty regarding the manifestations of climate change there is widespread agreement that any impacts will be unevenly shared. The costs to individuals and communities of these uneven outcomes are significant. Crucially, adaptation policy must understand the multi-dimensional nature of these uneven outcomes so as to ameliorate negative costs. In its integration of a multi-method approach to understanding adaptation to extreme weather events in coastal settlements, this project aims to advance understanding of well targeted and effective interventions. It combines the skills and knowledge of researchers trained across a range of disciplines to address these important real world issues.Read moreRead less
Impacts of climate change on coastal floodplain wetland biogeochemistry and surface water quality. The most vulnerable Australian landscapes to global warming driven sea-level rise are our low-lying coastal floodplains. Seawater inundation dramatically affects soil chemistry and water quality. Over 74,000 km2 of the low-lying coastal floodplains of Australia contain acid sulfate soils. For these soils, seawater inundation has the potential to greatly enhance the release of acidity, with a high c ....Impacts of climate change on coastal floodplain wetland biogeochemistry and surface water quality. The most vulnerable Australian landscapes to global warming driven sea-level rise are our low-lying coastal floodplains. Seawater inundation dramatically affects soil chemistry and water quality. Over 74,000 km2 of the low-lying coastal floodplains of Australia contain acid sulfate soils. For these soils, seawater inundation has the potential to greatly enhance the release of acidity, with a high capacity to severely degrade wetlands, estuaries and farmland. This project will directly contribute to our national capacity to assess and manage impacts from climate change, providing greater protection of our coastal floodplains resources.Read moreRead less
The coldest region on Earth gets even colder. Studying the observable atmospheric indicators of climate change is of national interest and importance. It strengthens the Australia's participation and further recognition in this research area. This project adds to the Australia's contribution to fundamental atmospheric physics and complements work carried out by other Australian researchers. Australian science further benefits from satellite data access and analyses skills. Development of interna ....The coldest region on Earth gets even colder. Studying the observable atmospheric indicators of climate change is of national interest and importance. It strengthens the Australia's participation and further recognition in this research area. This project adds to the Australia's contribution to fundamental atmospheric physics and complements work carried out by other Australian researchers. Australian science further benefits from satellite data access and analyses skills. Development of international collaborations in this research area and involvement in several international satellite projects is important for future national atmospheric and space programs. Postgraduate training in this area provides expertise needed at many Australian organisations. Read moreRead less
Do terrestrial processes intensify Australian droughts ? Australia's agricultural productivity is strongly affected by climate, climate variability and climate change. Recent climate changes in Western Australia forced adaptation strategies costing $500 million while the anomalously intense 2002 Murray-Darling Basin drought significantly affected agriculture. Any further intensification of droughts would affect Australia's rural economy. This proposal will assess the role of terrestrial processe ....Do terrestrial processes intensify Australian droughts ? Australia's agricultural productivity is strongly affected by climate, climate variability and climate change. Recent climate changes in Western Australia forced adaptation strategies costing $500 million while the anomalously intense 2002 Murray-Darling Basin drought significantly affected agriculture. Any further intensification of droughts would affect Australia's rural economy. This proposal will assess the role of terrestrial processes, linked to increasing CO2, in causing the drought intensification and declines in rainfall. This will provide knowledge that will guide the development of future environmental management strategies.Read moreRead less