Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210101654
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$335,528.00
Summary
Assessing Eucalyptus forest responses to rising CO2 and climate change. Rising atmospheric CO2 and the associated changes in rainfall regimes are rapidly reshaping how Australia’s forest ecosystems function and underpin our daily life. Whether Australia’s native Eucalyptus trees can withstand the impacts of climate extremes such as drought and heat under rising CO2 is a crucial question that this project aims to resolve. Using an innovative framework that integrates novel knowledge, data assimil ....Assessing Eucalyptus forest responses to rising CO2 and climate change. Rising atmospheric CO2 and the associated changes in rainfall regimes are rapidly reshaping how Australia’s forest ecosystems function and underpin our daily life. Whether Australia’s native Eucalyptus trees can withstand the impacts of climate extremes such as drought and heat under rising CO2 is a crucial question that this project aims to resolve. Using an innovative framework that integrates novel knowledge, data assimilation and ecosystem modelling, this project will provide critically needed evidence to disentangle the multifaceted impacts of climate change to Eucalyptus trees. This will help reduce the predictive uncertainty in assessing the vulnerability and resilience of Eucalyptus forests in the changing Australian landscape. Read moreRead less
Drought effects on soil carbon and nitrogen cycling mediated by rhizosphere processes. There is much uncertainty about how drought caused by global warming will affect agricultural sustainability in Australia. This project will provide new knowledge about plant-soil interactions affecting carbon and nutrient cycling and will make predictions about long-term soil carbon storage and agricultural productivity in response to drought.
Next-generation vegetation model based on functional traits. Global vegetation models try to answer big questions, such as the effects of climate change and carbon dioxide (CO2) on ecosystems and vice versa. But as present models are outdated and give inconsistent results, the project is planning a new, more robust model that will fully exploit recent advances in plant functional ecology and earth system science.
A global-scale analysis of functional traits in the face of global change. This project uses a global collaboration to develop a novel method for determining the response of extremely diverse animal taxa to global change. The method focusses on morphological traits and their functions and will improve conservation efforts by predicting the types of ecological processes and species threatened.
From prediction to action: Responding to rapid ecosystem shifts under climate change. Nobody knows exactly how climate change will affect the ecosystems on which we depend for our own existence, though negative impacts are widely predicted. This project integrates mathematical, economic and ecological approaches to learn about the most effective way to spend limited funds for sustaining ecosystems threatened by climate change.
Discovery Indigenous Researchers Development - Grant ID: DI100100158
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$199,988.00
Summary
Climate change research: Can Sydney rock oysters adapt to chronic multigenerational exposure to ocean acidification and temperature?
. Our goal is to understand how long term exposure to climate change will affect oysters in an effort to climate-proof the Australian oyster industry. Oyster farming is worth more than $1 billion a year in retail sales and employs thousands of Australians. The future of this industry is threatened by climate change, particularly its impact on the reproduction an ....Climate change research: Can Sydney rock oysters adapt to chronic multigenerational exposure to ocean acidification and temperature?
. Our goal is to understand how long term exposure to climate change will affect oysters in an effort to climate-proof the Australian oyster industry. Oyster farming is worth more than $1 billion a year in retail sales and employs thousands of Australians. The future of this industry is threatened by climate change, particularly its impact on the reproduction and development of oysters. Our study will identify how oysters respond to chronic multigenerational exposure to ocean acidification and temperature, & identify physiological mechanisms and genes associated with climate change adaptation. This work will maintain Australia's position at the forefront of climate change research on marine ecosystems.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120103022
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Generalising a root-water uptake mechanism for successful land surface modelling. Understanding root functioning in Australian savanna ecosystems is critically important for successful resource management but such understanding is not represented in land surface models (LSMs). This project will incorporate root functioning into LSMs and improve our ability to manage water and carbon natural resources in a changing climate.
Developing a mechanistic basis for coral reef conservation. This project aims to provide an evidence base for coral reef management to be targeted towards regions at greatest risk, and those that have the greatest capacity for acclimation under near-future climate change. This project will undertake an innovative trans-disciplinary analysis of coral thermal tolerance and the implications for targeted coral reef conservation to mitigate the impacts of climate change across the Great Barrier Reef ....Developing a mechanistic basis for coral reef conservation. This project aims to provide an evidence base for coral reef management to be targeted towards regions at greatest risk, and those that have the greatest capacity for acclimation under near-future climate change. This project will undertake an innovative trans-disciplinary analysis of coral thermal tolerance and the implications for targeted coral reef conservation to mitigate the impacts of climate change across the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The project will provide significant benefits, by assisting in the maintenance of the goods and services (tourism, fisheries, shoreline protection) provided to Australia by the GBR.Read moreRead less
Impacts of extreme hydro-meteorological conditions on ecosystem functioning and productivity patterns across Australia. As Earth’s climate continues to change, the frequency and intensity of warm droughts, extreme precipitation patterns, and heat waves will alter in potentially different ways, ecosystem functioning and productivity with major impacts on carbon and water balance, and food security. The extreme hydro-meteorological conditions that are presently afflicting Australia provide excepti ....Impacts of extreme hydro-meteorological conditions on ecosystem functioning and productivity patterns across Australia. As Earth’s climate continues to change, the frequency and intensity of warm droughts, extreme precipitation patterns, and heat waves will alter in potentially different ways, ecosystem functioning and productivity with major impacts on carbon and water balance, and food security. The extreme hydro-meteorological conditions that are presently afflicting Australia provide exceptional opportunities to study ecosystem-level functional responses using contemporary, in-situ and satellite observational datasets. This project aims to analyse cross-biome and site-level functional responses across contrasting hydroclimatic periods to better understand climate change impacts on ecosystem productivity, resilience, and potential collapse.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100203
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$385,000.00
Summary
Autonomous benthic observing system. This project seeks to improve our ability to monitor marine habitats and characterise their variability by enhancing the Integrated Marine Observing system (IMOS) Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Facility. The new AUV infrastructure will reduce operating costs, increase robustness of the sampling effort and insure continued operation for the next decade.