Characterising the tropical "heat engine" of global climate: combined coral, stalagmite and tree-ring records from the Indo-Pacific region. The recent anthropogenic global warming is causing polar icecap melting, sea level rise, reef coral bleaching and degradation, and increased frequency and intensity of severe droughts, floods, tropical cyclones/hurricanes/typhoons in the past decades, focusing daily media headlines worldwide. Our study will enhance understanding of global climate change, El ....Characterising the tropical "heat engine" of global climate: combined coral, stalagmite and tree-ring records from the Indo-Pacific region. The recent anthropogenic global warming is causing polar icecap melting, sea level rise, reef coral bleaching and degradation, and increased frequency and intensity of severe droughts, floods, tropical cyclones/hurricanes/typhoons in the past decades, focusing daily media headlines worldwide. Our study will enhance understanding of global climate change, El Niño and Asian-Australian monsoon variability and coral reef degradation, and provide improved knowledge for future predictions. The outcome will impact on our National Research Priority 1: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, enhance Australia's leadership in coral reef research, and contribute to an improved relationship with our neighbours in science, education and training.Read moreRead less
THE CORAL RECORD OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IN THE GREAT BARRIER REEF:QUANTIFICATION OF ANTHROPOGENIC FLUXES. The objective of this proposal is to quantify the environmental impacts of enhanced terrestrial fluxes and climate change on the coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef. This will be achieved by using an integrated approach based on coral proxy records of river plumes and sea surface temperatures that are preserved in carbonate skeletons of the long-lived (200-400 year old) Porites coral. ....THE CORAL RECORD OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IN THE GREAT BARRIER REEF:QUANTIFICATION OF ANTHROPOGENIC FLUXES. The objective of this proposal is to quantify the environmental impacts of enhanced terrestrial fluxes and climate change on the coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef. This will be achieved by using an integrated approach based on coral proxy records of river plumes and sea surface temperatures that are preserved in carbonate skeletons of the long-lived (200-400 year old) Porites coral. This will be integrated with monitoring and process studies of river flood plumes and coral reefs and provide a scientific basis to ensure the long-term sustainability of the GBR.Read moreRead less
Assimilating development objectives in conservation planning. This project will extend the theory and practice of decision science to explore the question of how the apparently divergent objectives of biodiversity conservation and economic development can be balanced. The human modification of natural landscapes is causing species loss to accelerate. Yet land use and infrastructure developments are often necessary to support economic growth. The project plans to develop new methods to map past a ....Assimilating development objectives in conservation planning. This project will extend the theory and practice of decision science to explore the question of how the apparently divergent objectives of biodiversity conservation and economic development can be balanced. The human modification of natural landscapes is causing species loss to accelerate. Yet land use and infrastructure developments are often necessary to support economic growth. The project plans to develop new methods to map past and project future development scenarios for the lower Mekong region in south-east Asia, a globally significant region undergoing rapid economic development. Novel problem formulations would be used to balance biodiversity conservation with development objectives.Read moreRead less
Impact of increased sediment and nutrient discharges on the long-term sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's greatest natural assets, is under increasing threat from extreme climatic events caused by global warming and from land-based pollution. This research will identify the main sources of sediment and nutrient pollution caused by river runoff and by how much this has increased above 'natural levels'. We will discover how the very sensitive offsho ....Impact of increased sediment and nutrient discharges on the long-term sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's greatest natural assets, is under increasing threat from extreme climatic events caused by global warming and from land-based pollution. This research will identify the main sources of sediment and nutrient pollution caused by river runoff and by how much this has increased above 'natural levels'. We will discover how the very sensitive offshore coral reefs have responded to increased pollution and whether this is the cause of the very devastating crown-of-thorn-starfish infestations. Understanding the long-term effects of land-based pollution on the ecology of coral reefs in the GBR will thus provide a scientific basis to help ensure that it has a sustainable future.Read moreRead less
Water Scarcity and rural social hardship - can water markets alleviate the problem? Present review of water resources within catchments of the Murray-Darling Basin will result in reduced access to water for consumptive use with consequential significant socio-economic and community impacts. Water markets are seen as major instruments to assist farmers in managing this process and thereby minimize the impact within rural communities. However, research has identified several barriers to trade an ....Water Scarcity and rural social hardship - can water markets alleviate the problem? Present review of water resources within catchments of the Murray-Darling Basin will result in reduced access to water for consumptive use with consequential significant socio-economic and community impacts. Water markets are seen as major instruments to assist farmers in managing this process and thereby minimize the impact within rural communities. However, research has identified several barriers to trade and several future research needs. This project addresses five of these issues by providing insight into three community barriers to trade as well as a framework for ongoing monitoring, analyses and reporting of market outcomes and impacts to assist adaptive policy development.Read moreRead less