Deep-sea carbonate cycles and their role in glacial-interglacial atmospheric CO2 changes. The causes for past atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) changes and their mechanistic links to the histories of climate and ocean carbonate chemistry remain elusive, but may hold future-relevant information. This project aims to use novel methods to quantify deep ocean carbonate ion concentrations, a critical but poorly constrained parameter of the global carbon cycle, at 10 key locations spanning the global o ....Deep-sea carbonate cycles and their role in glacial-interglacial atmospheric CO2 changes. The causes for past atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) changes and their mechanistic links to the histories of climate and ocean carbonate chemistry remain elusive, but may hold future-relevant information. This project aims to use novel methods to quantify deep ocean carbonate ion concentrations, a critical but poorly constrained parameter of the global carbon cycle, at 10 key locations spanning the global ocean during the last 350 000 years. By feeding new data into a model, this project aims to gain critical insights into mechanisms controlling past deep-sea carbonate cycles and atmospheric CO2 changes, thereby leading to improved understandings of the climate system.Read moreRead less
Pyrite: a deep-time capsule of ocean chemistry and atmosphere oxidation. Surprisingly little is known about trace element trends in past oceans, even though these data are vital for interpreting the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere, evolutionary pathways of marine life and cycles of major mineral deposits. Using laser-based analysis of sedimentary pyrite in deep marine rocks, this project aims to produce, for the first time, temporal variation curves for 25 trace elements in seawater over the ....Pyrite: a deep-time capsule of ocean chemistry and atmosphere oxidation. Surprisingly little is known about trace element trends in past oceans, even though these data are vital for interpreting the evolution of the Earth's atmosphere, evolutionary pathways of marine life and cycles of major mineral deposits. Using laser-based analysis of sedimentary pyrite in deep marine rocks, this project aims to produce, for the first time, temporal variation curves for 25 trace elements in seawater over the last 3.5 billion years. Preliminary research has validated the technique and demonstrated major changes in certain trace elements over geologically short periods. Outcomes will assist the minerals industry in the discovery of new deposits of zinc, copper, gold and iron ore in Australia.Read moreRead less
Iron sources and cycling in the Tasman Sea. Determining factors that influence the health and vitality of coastal and open-ocean regions is crucial to maintaining marine biodiversity and the Earth's climatic balance. This research project will determine the role iron plays in influencing phytoplankton growth, which ultimately regulates the drawdown of carbon dioxide by the oceans.
Hydrogen: an overlooked intermediate during anoxia in permeable sediments. This project aims to quantify the respiratory pathways and the importance of hydrogen as an intermediate during anoxia in permeable (sand) sediments which dominate our coastline. It is anticipated the findings of this project will enable more accurate fundamental understanding of sediment diagenetic processes which control nutrient regeneration and loss pathways in the marine environment. This will enable better manageme ....Hydrogen: an overlooked intermediate during anoxia in permeable sediments. This project aims to quantify the respiratory pathways and the importance of hydrogen as an intermediate during anoxia in permeable (sand) sediments which dominate our coastline. It is anticipated the findings of this project will enable more accurate fundamental understanding of sediment diagenetic processes which control nutrient regeneration and loss pathways in the marine environment. This will enable better management of these environments in the face of increasing coastal population growth.Read moreRead less
Past to future changes in ocean dynamics and biogeochemistry. This project aims to understand the impact of changes in ocean circulation on marine biogeochemistry, climate and ultimately the Antarctic ice-sheet by combining transient simulations of the last glacial cycle performed with an Earth system model incorporating the compilation of paleoproxy records. The oceanic circulation has varied over the last glacial cycle (~140,000 years) and is expected to change over the coming centuries due t ....Past to future changes in ocean dynamics and biogeochemistry. This project aims to understand the impact of changes in ocean circulation on marine biogeochemistry, climate and ultimately the Antarctic ice-sheet by combining transient simulations of the last glacial cycle performed with an Earth system model incorporating the compilation of paleoproxy records. The oceanic circulation has varied over the last glacial cycle (~140,000 years) and is expected to change over the coming centuries due to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. The project will measure future changes in oceanic circulation on ocean acidification and oxygen content with a state-of-the-art high-resolution ocean carbon cycle model. This will lead to improved understanding of processes and feedbacks within the Earth system.Read moreRead less
Holding coral reefs together with soluble cement. This project aims to characterise and understand cement formation in coral reefs. Coral reefs are constructed by cementing together aragonite building blocks made by corals. The main cementing agent is high-magnesium calcite, the most soluble carbonate mineral and susceptible to ocean acidification. High-magnesium calcite cements are best developed on the high energy margins of coral reefs. This project will quantify how crustose coralline algae ....Holding coral reefs together with soluble cement. This project aims to characterise and understand cement formation in coral reefs. Coral reefs are constructed by cementing together aragonite building blocks made by corals. The main cementing agent is high-magnesium calcite, the most soluble carbonate mineral and susceptible to ocean acidification. High-magnesium calcite cements are best developed on the high energy margins of coral reefs. This project will quantify how crustose coralline algae produces high-magnesium calcite and controls the dissolution and reprecipitation of high-magnesium cements. This project intends to quantify rates of reef cementation, susceptibility to ocean acidification and warming, and possible mitigating effects of alkalinity addition.Read moreRead less
Calcification and shell chemistry response of Southern Ocean planktic foraminifers to ocean acidification and changing climates. Plankton that form tiny calcium carbonate shells will be cultured to determine how they will respond to acidification of the Southern Ocean caused by rising CO2 in the atmosphere. The same experiments will be used to gauge from their fossil shells how the Southern Ocean has caused and responded to changing atmosphere CO2 over the last glacial climate cycle
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989608
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$190,000.00
Summary
The Heron Island Climate Change Observatory: An In-Situ Ocean Acidification and Carbonate Chemistry Monitoring Platform. Climate change and ocean acidification are widely recognized as key threats to Australia's natural ecosystems, yet we are currently ill-equipped to respond due to poor knowledge of the scale/nature of the impacts. The Heron Island Climate Change Observatory will establish key infrastructure that will rapidly improve our understanding of the impacts of ocean acidification whic ....The Heron Island Climate Change Observatory: An In-Situ Ocean Acidification and Carbonate Chemistry Monitoring Platform. Climate change and ocean acidification are widely recognized as key threats to Australia's natural ecosystems, yet we are currently ill-equipped to respond due to poor knowledge of the scale/nature of the impacts. The Heron Island Climate Change Observatory will establish key infrastructure that will rapidly improve our understanding of the impacts of ocean acidification which is important to local communities and the nation given that coral reefs support over $6 billion in revenue (and employ 60,000 people) each year. This critically important information is essential to the management and protection of Australia's coral reefs, including the Great Barrier Reef.
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The impact of ocean acidification on the fertilization, larval development and recruitment of key Australian marine organisms. This work will define the potential vulnerability for Australian marine ecosystems that arises from the rapid acidification of Australia's coastal environments by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. Our preliminary data suggest that the early life history stages of a wide range of marine species are very sensitive to the impact of ocean acidification. At present, almost ....The impact of ocean acidification on the fertilization, larval development and recruitment of key Australian marine organisms. This work will define the potential vulnerability for Australian marine ecosystems that arises from the rapid acidification of Australia's coastal environments by rising atmospheric carbon dioxide. Our preliminary data suggest that the early life history stages of a wide range of marine species are very sensitive to the impact of ocean acidification. At present, almost nothing is known about the impacts and implications of these changes. Without this knowledge, however, we are in a poor position as a nation to respond and adapt to these changes. We plan to explore this vulnerability for Australian marine organisms and develop a detailed understanding of its implications for Australia's marine ecosystems and associated industries. Read moreRead less
Social networking in a changing ocean: Microbial-scale ecological interactions control ocean-scale chemistry. The function of the ocean is governed by microscopic organisms, including bacteria and phytoplankton. Oceanographers typically consider the ecology of these microbes across large ocean-scales, but their activities and interactions are defined at the scale of individual cells. This research will redefine our knowledge of important marine microbial processes by coupling novel physiologica ....Social networking in a changing ocean: Microbial-scale ecological interactions control ocean-scale chemistry. The function of the ocean is governed by microscopic organisms, including bacteria and phytoplankton. Oceanographers typically consider the ecology of these microbes across large ocean-scales, but their activities and interactions are defined at the scale of individual cells. This research will redefine our knowledge of important marine microbial processes by coupling novel physiological and molecular tools to resolve the microscale ecological links between bacteria and phytoplankton, and will identify how the chemical interactions between these groups change under shifting environmental conditions. This has significance for transforming our understanding of the factors that control the health and function of our important ocean ecosystems.Read moreRead less