Tracking flood waters over Australia using space gravity data. This project aims to assess the utility of near-real-time data from the currently operating space gravity satellite mission to quantify and track flood waters in Australia. Through analysis of the satellite data and fusion of observed signals with rainfall, river flows and conventional hydrological modelling, it expects to create new knowledge of soil moisture and movement of flood waters. Expected outcomes include a capability to im ....Tracking flood waters over Australia using space gravity data. This project aims to assess the utility of near-real-time data from the currently operating space gravity satellite mission to quantify and track flood waters in Australia. Through analysis of the satellite data and fusion of observed signals with rainfall, river flows and conventional hydrological modelling, it expects to create new knowledge of soil moisture and movement of flood waters. Expected outcomes include a capability to improve hydrological models by including the information of water signals obtained from the near-real-time observations. This should provide significant benefits such as more accurate land saturation maps and better predictions of runoff and flood risk.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100907
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$434,107.00
Summary
Tracking groundwater variations via 4-dimensional seismic imaging. This project aims to develop an advanced seismic framework to sense subtle subsurface changes related to groundwater variations beneath the Great Artesian Basin. Groundwater storage is subject to climatic and anthropogenic forcing, but modern monitoring tools are not sufficient to capture its detailed response in both time and space. Using novel techniques and extensive seismic recordings, this project expects to generate time-la ....Tracking groundwater variations via 4-dimensional seismic imaging. This project aims to develop an advanced seismic framework to sense subtle subsurface changes related to groundwater variations beneath the Great Artesian Basin. Groundwater storage is subject to climatic and anthropogenic forcing, but modern monitoring tools are not sufficient to capture its detailed response in both time and space. Using novel techniques and extensive seismic recordings, this project expects to generate time-lapse images across the basin in unprecedented resolution to reveal the system's dynamic evolution and a static basin model to aid the interpretation. Potential benefits include improved geophysical techniques for groundwater tracking and enhanced scientific understandings to underpin future groundwater management.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100431
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,000.00
Summary
Optimising the use of geophysical data for modelling the Australian crust. This project aims to determine the optimal use of geophysical methods to model the Australian crust in four dimensions. These models provide an understanding of the tectonic history of a region and thus its mineral potential. Mineral resources are mostly being found undercover, requiring geophysical data to locate them. This project will combine recent developments in modelling geological uncertainty with data acquired fo ....Optimising the use of geophysical data for modelling the Australian crust. This project aims to determine the optimal use of geophysical methods to model the Australian crust in four dimensions. These models provide an understanding of the tectonic history of a region and thus its mineral potential. Mineral resources are mostly being found undercover, requiring geophysical data to locate them. This project will combine recent developments in modelling geological uncertainty with data acquired for locating zones of mineralisation. The outcomes will help guide Australian government policy to draw on publicly-available datasets that provide a basis for mineral exploration performed by companies, and supported by research institutions.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE200100086
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$420,000.00
Summary
Rapid Deployment Seismic Recorders for Interdisciplinary Antarctic Research. We aim to establish an Antarctic-based set of seismic instruments, a mobile facility, to provide data to help predict how ice sheets will evolve and how the continent under the ice sheets will respond to changes in ice load. Our approach to tackling such significant questions is innovative, and makes use of newly available, rapid deployment instruments that may be deployed in ice by a small team with light logistics. ....Rapid Deployment Seismic Recorders for Interdisciplinary Antarctic Research. We aim to establish an Antarctic-based set of seismic instruments, a mobile facility, to provide data to help predict how ice sheets will evolve and how the continent under the ice sheets will respond to changes in ice load. Our approach to tackling such significant questions is innovative, and makes use of newly available, rapid deployment instruments that may be deployed in ice by a small team with light logistics. Outcomes will include maps of sub-ice sediments and 3D images of the deep Earth. The facility will thus enable new knowledge relating to major ice sheets. Interdisciplinary use of the research will benefit Australia through an improved ability to plan for future sea level rise in areas with large coastal populations.Read moreRead less
Thermodynamics inversion for mineral systems. This project aims to provide a newly developed science approach to the Australian Lithospheric Architecture Magnetotelluric Project (AusLAMP). AusLAMP provides unparalleled geophysical information aimed at unravelling the tectonic history of the Australian continent and its mineral potential. The project will use thermodynamically based geodynamic simulators to jointly analyse and quantify intraplate deformation. This will illuminate the cause of dri ....Thermodynamics inversion for mineral systems. This project aims to provide a newly developed science approach to the Australian Lithospheric Architecture Magnetotelluric Project (AusLAMP). AusLAMP provides unparalleled geophysical information aimed at unravelling the tectonic history of the Australian continent and its mineral potential. The project will use thermodynamically based geodynamic simulators to jointly analyse and quantify intraplate deformation. This will illuminate the cause of driving fluid flow thorough the lithosphere, mineralisation phenomena, their datasets and geometries, and dynamic aspects of the processes driving mineral systems.Read moreRead less
Understanding the deep driving forces of Earth’s large-scale topography through time. We propose to model the convection of Earth’s mantle linked to tectonic plate motions to unravel their combined influence on the evolution of topography over 550 million years. The project will lead to an understanding of the driving forces of large-scale topography in continental interiors and along their margins through geological time.
From plume source to hotspot: quantifying mixing in mantle plumes and its implications for the nature of deep-mantle heterogeneity. Mantle plumes are buoyant upwellings that bring hot material from Earth's deep-mantle to the surface, forming volcanic hotspots, like Hawaii. Although extensively studied, the geochemical variations recorded in hotspot lavas have, so far, proved difficult to understand, particularly how they relate to their heterogeneous deep-mantle source. This project aims to use ....From plume source to hotspot: quantifying mixing in mantle plumes and its implications for the nature of deep-mantle heterogeneity. Mantle plumes are buoyant upwellings that bring hot material from Earth's deep-mantle to the surface, forming volcanic hotspots, like Hawaii. Although extensively studied, the geochemical variations recorded in hotspot lavas have, so far, proved difficult to understand, particularly how they relate to their heterogeneous deep-mantle source. This project aims to use state-of-the-art geodynamical models to determine how deep-mantle heterogeneities are transported into a plume and how such heterogeneities are mixed during plume ascent. This will facilitate the linking, for the first time, of geochemical variations at volcanic hotspots to the deep-mantle's thermo-chemical structure, under an Earth-like, fluid-dynamical framework.Read moreRead less
A new generation of palaeomagnetic statistics. This project aims to build on recent advances in statistical inference to develop a new quantitative framework for palaeomagnetism. Palaeomagnetic analysis of Earth's ancient magnetic field helps us to derive plate tectonic reconstructions and to use geomagnetic reversals to date rock sequences. These applications depend on statistical methods that are either flawed or that lack sufficient diagnostic power to be useful for addressing increasingly co ....A new generation of palaeomagnetic statistics. This project aims to build on recent advances in statistical inference to develop a new quantitative framework for palaeomagnetism. Palaeomagnetic analysis of Earth's ancient magnetic field helps us to derive plate tectonic reconstructions and to use geomagnetic reversals to date rock sequences. These applications depend on statistical methods that are either flawed or that lack sufficient diagnostic power to be useful for addressing increasingly complex questions. Expected outcomes are an urgently needed new generation of palaeomagnetic statistical analysis methods. The project will provide quantitative tools that will benefit all palaeomagnetic applications across Earth Science and have widespread benefit and impact in academic and industrial research.Read moreRead less
Earth's intra-plate volcanic engine. This project aims to understand the mechanisms underpinning intra-plate volcanism. Australia hosts one of the world’s most extensive intra-plate volcanic regions. However, the mechanisms driving intra-plate volcanic provinces on Earth remain poorly understood. This project will use geodynamical models and observational data-sets from geology, geochemistry and seismology, whilst using the Australian continent as a natural laboratory. The project is expected to ....Earth's intra-plate volcanic engine. This project aims to understand the mechanisms underpinning intra-plate volcanism. Australia hosts one of the world’s most extensive intra-plate volcanic regions. However, the mechanisms driving intra-plate volcanic provinces on Earth remain poorly understood. This project will use geodynamical models and observational data-sets from geology, geochemistry and seismology, whilst using the Australian continent as a natural laboratory. The project is expected to provide understanding about the constraints on Australia's volcanic hazard; reconcile geophysical and geochemical constraints on mantle melting; and improve understanding of mass extinctions, continental breakup and the genesis of metals, diamonds and hydrocarbons.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100329
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$360,000.00
Summary
Linking seismic structure to geodynamic processes beneath Australasia. This project aims to understand the relationship of mantle discontinuities beneath the Australian tectonic plate to mantle convection processes. Subducting slabs stagnate at different depths in the mantle, but the reason is not known. The Australian plate has complex boundaries which exhibit a range of subduction behaviours, making it an ideal location to study convection mechanisms. The project will use specialised seismic s ....Linking seismic structure to geodynamic processes beneath Australasia. This project aims to understand the relationship of mantle discontinuities beneath the Australian tectonic plate to mantle convection processes. Subducting slabs stagnate at different depths in the mantle, but the reason is not known. The Australian plate has complex boundaries which exhibit a range of subduction behaviours, making it an ideal location to study convection mechanisms. The project will use specialised seismic stations for detailed studies beneath New Zealand and Indonesia. The goal is to determine the relationship between seismic observations and geodynamical processes beneath Australasia, and understand how deeper mechanisms influence seismic activity and earthquake hazard at Earth's surface. Such detailed observations will help us to understand processes at the Earth's surface, with implications for earthquake hazard.Read moreRead less