Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354677
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems through integrated assessment and modelling. Australia must take the lead internationally in sustainability assessment and management; it hosts both the problems and expertise, and is proactive in integrating research and management. This Initiative unites, for the first time, leading researchers from all relevant disciplines to advance our knowledge for achieving sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems (STARS). The intended network can produce a ....Sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems through integrated assessment and modelling. Australia must take the lead internationally in sustainability assessment and management; it hosts both the problems and expertise, and is proactive in integrating research and management. This Initiative unites, for the first time, leading researchers from all relevant disciplines to advance our knowledge for achieving sustainable terrestrial and riverine systems (STARS). The intended network can produce assessments, strategies and policy directions that are objective, adaptive and inclusive. It can evaluate trade-offs between sustainability strategies, integrating research and outcomes, making them accessible to managers. It will build a coordinated research capability that directly supports Australia's goal of ecologically sustainable development. Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0989062
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$450,000.00
Summary
Airborne hyper-spectral scanning for advanced monitoring and assessment of vegetation and water properties. The proposed infrastructure will give Australian researchers the most advanced capabilities available world-wide in airborne remote sensing of the environment. By combining hyper-spectral scanning, with full wave-form resolving Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), microwave scanning and sythetic aperture RADAR, flown simultaneously on the most cost-efficient and technologically advanced re ....Airborne hyper-spectral scanning for advanced monitoring and assessment of vegetation and water properties. The proposed infrastructure will give Australian researchers the most advanced capabilities available world-wide in airborne remote sensing of the environment. By combining hyper-spectral scanning, with full wave-form resolving Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), microwave scanning and sythetic aperture RADAR, flown simultaneously on the most cost-efficient and technologically advanced research aircraft, it will be possible to assess and monitor a wide range of parameters not accessible to airborne methods before.Read moreRead less
ARC Australia-New Zealand Research Network for Vegetation Function. Plant species vary widely in quantitative functional traits, and in their relations to climate, soils and geography. Global generalizations are emerging. Vegetation Function network will reach from plant function into genomics and crop breeding, into palaeoecology and vegetation history, into landscape management for carbon, water and salinity outcomes, into forecasting future ecosystems under global change, and into phylogeny, ....ARC Australia-New Zealand Research Network for Vegetation Function. Plant species vary widely in quantitative functional traits, and in their relations to climate, soils and geography. Global generalizations are emerging. Vegetation Function network will reach from plant function into genomics and crop breeding, into palaeoecology and vegetation history, into landscape management for carbon, water and salinity outcomes, into forecasting future ecosystems under global change, and into phylogeny, ecoinformatics and evolutionary theory. Across this span, working groups will target nine identified opportunities for breakthrough research. Each research target needs input from two or more disciplines. Together, the nine targets link across disciplines, as a network that spans from genomic to planetary scales.Read moreRead less
Management of fire-prone shrublands in Western Australia: testing the effects of frequent fire. Understanding the impacts of different fire regimes (frequency, intensity, patchiness, size of fires) on high diversity shrublands will help CALM (the land managers) develop fire management prescriptions that ensure the conservation of rare and threatened flora, and maintain biodiversity. The research will identify relationships between weather, fuel and fire behaviour that is currently lacking for s ....Management of fire-prone shrublands in Western Australia: testing the effects of frequent fire. Understanding the impacts of different fire regimes (frequency, intensity, patchiness, size of fires) on high diversity shrublands will help CALM (the land managers) develop fire management prescriptions that ensure the conservation of rare and threatened flora, and maintain biodiversity. The research will identify relationships between weather, fuel and fire behaviour that is currently lacking for shrubland vegetation types. It offers advances in our understanding of ecosystem structure and function, with applied value in fire management for conservation and asset protection. The project contributes to development of ecological theory, and provides a scientific basis for improved management of Australia's unique natural heritage.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775642
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$350,000.00
Summary
Stable isotope facility for biological, ecological, and geological applications - West Australian Biogeochemistry Centre. Stable isotope science underpins many disciplines of research, from forensic identification of sources of counterfeit money through to understanding the formation of gold and other mineral deposits. Stable isotope science also provides insights that will improve management of water and land resources, including the impacts of utilisation of groundwater, reducing gaseous emiss ....Stable isotope facility for biological, ecological, and geological applications - West Australian Biogeochemistry Centre. Stable isotope science underpins many disciplines of research, from forensic identification of sources of counterfeit money through to understanding the formation of gold and other mineral deposits. Stable isotope science also provides insights that will improve management of water and land resources, including the impacts of utilisation of groundwater, reducing gaseous emissions from land-use change and knowledge of food webs in marine systems. While a handful of laboratories utilise IRMS around Australia, equipment is fully utilised, outdated and limiting progress. A new IRMS will transform capabilities in WA and enhance projects in terrestrial and marine ecology, ecosystem science and geochemistry of mineral deposits. Read moreRead less
Ecological sustainability and changing land use in the Pilbara. Land use change is frequently associated with large changes in key elements of 'sustainability? ? biodiversity, productivity, and water and nutrient cycles. However, in the Pilbara, fires and flooding rains are so frequent that detecting consequences of land use change is frequently confounded by other ?disturbances?. We aim, through controlled field experiments, to disentangle effects of land use change (e.g. de-stocking of range ....Ecological sustainability and changing land use in the Pilbara. Land use change is frequently associated with large changes in key elements of 'sustainability? ? biodiversity, productivity, and water and nutrient cycles. However, in the Pilbara, fires and flooding rains are so frequent that detecting consequences of land use change is frequently confounded by other ?disturbances?. We aim, through controlled field experiments, to disentangle effects of land use change (e.g. de-stocking of rangelands, altered water availability through mining activity or infrastructure) from those of natural disturbance and variability (both spatially and temporally). This research will improve understanding of key areas in resilience of rangelands and of major processes that are critical for sustainable management.Read moreRead less
Industrial Transformation Training Centres - Grant ID: IC190100031
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,973,202.00
Summary
ARC Training Centre in Data Analytics for Resources and Environments (DARE). Understanding the cumulative impact of actions regarding the use of our resources has important long-term consequences for Australia’s economic, societal and environmental health. Yet despite the importance of these cumulative impacts, and the availability of data, many decisions and policies are based on limited amounts of data and rudimentary data analysis, with little appreciation of the critical role that understand ....ARC Training Centre in Data Analytics for Resources and Environments (DARE). Understanding the cumulative impact of actions regarding the use of our resources has important long-term consequences for Australia’s economic, societal and environmental health. Yet despite the importance of these cumulative impacts, and the availability of data, many decisions and policies are based on limited amounts of data and rudimentary data analysis, with little appreciation of the critical role that understanding and quantifying uncertainty plays in the process. The aim of Data Analytics in Resources and Environment (DARE) is to develop and deliver the data science skills and tools for Australia’s resource industries to make the best possible evidence-based decisions in exploiting and stewarding the nation’s natural resources.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354575
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$30,000.00
Summary
Earth and Ocean Informatics and Technology Network (EON-ITnet). Sustainable resource exploration and mining onshore, as well as marine planning, exploration, and defence depend on effective cross-disciplinary investigation, sharing of expertise and technologies for integration and computational analysis of multidimensional data spaces. EON-ITNET will cross-fertilise the use of artificial intelligence, advanced computing and smart information sharing for management, analysis, visualisation and me ....Earth and Ocean Informatics and Technology Network (EON-ITnet). Sustainable resource exploration and mining onshore, as well as marine planning, exploration, and defence depend on effective cross-disciplinary investigation, sharing of expertise and technologies for integration and computational analysis of multidimensional data spaces. EON-ITNET will cross-fertilise the use of artificial intelligence, advanced computing and smart information sharing for management, analysis, visualisation and metadata modelling between these traditionally separate research groups, with the outcome of improving research efficiency and lowering costs. EON-ITNET will form an alliance with the Caltech-based GeoFramework, which is advancing a novel object-oriented data analysis environment, binding community software for Earth visualisation and simulation to 4D data bases.Read moreRead less
Dynamics of woody vegetation and water in the central Pilbara - understanding and managing for environmental change. The development and application of technologies and knowledge for enhancing sustainable management of semi-arid environments are of high priority and significant economic, social and environmental benefit. The value of iron ore exports from the Pilbara is expected to grow by nearly 30% in the next year, while the projected production of iron ore over the next 4 years is expected t ....Dynamics of woody vegetation and water in the central Pilbara - understanding and managing for environmental change. The development and application of technologies and knowledge for enhancing sustainable management of semi-arid environments are of high priority and significant economic, social and environmental benefit. The value of iron ore exports from the Pilbara is expected to grow by nearly 30% in the next year, while the projected production of iron ore over the next 4 years is expected to be valued in excess of 60 billion dollars. However, continued and rapid expansion in the development of these resources is contingent on environmental oversight and adoption of an adaptive management approach. This research will thus make a major contribution to understanding the Pilbara ecosystems that provide tremendous economic wealth for all Australians.Read moreRead less
Optimising seed sourcing for effective ecological restoration. This project aims to address the sourcing of native seed for ecological restoration under global change. The great demand for native seed to deliver ecological restoration provides a clear need and responsibility to use this seed as efficiently as possible. This project expects to develop detailed new knowledge that links plant and environmental genomics, plant physiology, seed and soil biology in embedded experiments at post-mining ....Optimising seed sourcing for effective ecological restoration. This project aims to address the sourcing of native seed for ecological restoration under global change. The great demand for native seed to deliver ecological restoration provides a clear need and responsibility to use this seed as efficiently as possible. This project expects to develop detailed new knowledge that links plant and environmental genomics, plant physiology, seed and soil biology in embedded experiments at post-mining rehabilitation sites. Expected outcomes include clear industry guidelines that refine seed sourcing strategies for ecological restoration for current and future climates. This should provide significant benefits for improved ecological restoration outcomes when using native seed today and into the future.Read moreRead less