Carbon conundrum: Functional characterisation of organic matter-clay mineral interactions in relation to carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration in soil has been recognised as one of the possible measures through which greenhouse gas emissions can be mitigated. The major processes involved in carbon sequestration in soil include chemical immobilisation of carbon with soil particles and physical protection in the pores of soil microaggregates. These two processes are mediated through the funct ....Carbon conundrum: Functional characterisation of organic matter-clay mineral interactions in relation to carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration in soil has been recognised as one of the possible measures through which greenhouse gas emissions can be mitigated. The major processes involved in carbon sequestration in soil include chemical immobilisation of carbon with soil particles and physical protection in the pores of soil microaggregates. These two processes are mediated through the functional relationships of soil organic matter and clay mineral interactions in soils. This project investigates nanoscale organomineral association underlying microaggregate formation and stability, as well as the distribution and microbial decomposition of carbon within microaggregates using a suite of advanced spectroscopic, molecular and isotopic techniques.Read moreRead less
Risk assessment of climate change mitigation measures. This project will consider market based mechanisms for environmental protection policies and will have both a theoretical and a practical dimension. The main benefactors of the project will be environmental regulators and policy makers working in this area.
A balancing act: Resolving coastal wetland water, carbon and solute fluxes. Coastal wetlands offer an impressive capacity to regulate the Earth’s climate by altering the way carbon dioxide is extracted from the atmosphere and stored while simultaneously influencing the water cycle, thus providing ecosystem services such as carbon storage, abating flood waters, improving water quality and protecting the coastline from sea level rise. This project aims to address the current gaps in understanding .... A balancing act: Resolving coastal wetland water, carbon and solute fluxes. Coastal wetlands offer an impressive capacity to regulate the Earth’s climate by altering the way carbon dioxide is extracted from the atmosphere and stored while simultaneously influencing the water cycle, thus providing ecosystem services such as carbon storage, abating flood waters, improving water quality and protecting the coastline from sea level rise. This project aims to address the current gaps in understanding the critical exchanges of water and greenhouse gases (GHGs) combining field methodologies and hydrological models, under different climatic conditions. The intended outcomes will benefit management of GHG emissions, coastal flooding and vulnerable groundwater dependent habitats.Read moreRead less
A socio-ecological comparison of nations making a transition to renewable energy. This project aims to use ethnography to investigate how legitimacy for renewable energy can be won or lost. The project will focus on Germany, India and Australia, regions that are undergoing ‘energy transition.’ It, conducts in-depth studies of changing socio-ecological relations, theorising through comparative analysis, and creating new data on the socio-cultural forces for emission reduction. The project will an ....A socio-ecological comparison of nations making a transition to renewable energy. This project aims to use ethnography to investigate how legitimacy for renewable energy can be won or lost. The project will focus on Germany, India and Australia, regions that are undergoing ‘energy transition.’ It, conducts in-depth studies of changing socio-ecological relations, theorising through comparative analysis, and creating new data on the socio-cultural forces for emission reduction. The project will analyse what can be done to enhance the transition to renewable energy. The expected outcomes are grounded in the comparative study of regions that are making a transition to renewable power.Read moreRead less
Geological sequestration of carbon dioxide in deep saline aquifers: coupled flow-mechanical considerations. Deep saline aquifers have been routinely proposed as sites for long-term, large-scale storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, as an option to assist the abatement of global warming. This project investigates expected engineering behaviour of deep saline aquifer reservoirs and their stability following CO2 sequestration.
Long range toxic metal pollution in Australia and the Southern Ocean. This project aims to investigate how environmental change and human activities since industrialisation have impacted toxic metal transport and deposition on the south coast of Australia, Tasmania and Southern Ocean islands. This project expects to fill gaps in understanding of the global mercury cycle using a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary methodology including the role of sea salt aerosols and hemispheric-scale wind patte ....Long range toxic metal pollution in Australia and the Southern Ocean. This project aims to investigate how environmental change and human activities since industrialisation have impacted toxic metal transport and deposition on the south coast of Australia, Tasmania and Southern Ocean islands. This project expects to fill gaps in understanding of the global mercury cycle using a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary methodology including the role of sea salt aerosols and hemispheric-scale wind patterns . Anticipated outcomes involve a novel palaeo-atmospheric model that can be applied in other parts of the world. This should provide significant benefits, such as science-based evidence to ratify the Minamata Convention on Mercury and guide new regulations to reduce environmental/health risks from metal pollution.
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Social implications of market-based policy instruments for carbon and water. This project aims to analyse socio-cultural benefits and risks in the two significant environmental markets of carbon and water across three sites in Australia and Timor-Leste. Research into market-based policies to manage significant environmental issues is yet to fully consider socio-cultural dimensions. This project intends to document local community producers, distant investor and consumer perspectives, and incorpo ....Social implications of market-based policy instruments for carbon and water. This project aims to analyse socio-cultural benefits and risks in the two significant environmental markets of carbon and water across three sites in Australia and Timor-Leste. Research into market-based policies to manage significant environmental issues is yet to fully consider socio-cultural dimensions. This project intends to document local community producers, distant investor and consumer perspectives, and incorporate these perspectives into methods for improving the operation and impact of these expanding markets. By undertaking the first systematic comparison across resources and sites, the project expects to fill a key gap in environmental scholarship and contribute to international strategies to improve social and environmental outcomes in market-based environmental policy.Read moreRead less
Beyond the Private Car: Personal Mobility Futures in Australia. Australian urban dwellers' reliance on the private car is a worsening dilemma for policy makers seeking more sustainable alternatives. The identification and nourishing of these alternatives is hindered by conceptual frameworks in which the private car is seen to be the only transport mode that offers independence and flexibility. This project breaks new ground in this transport conundrum in two ways. It develops a framework in whi ....Beyond the Private Car: Personal Mobility Futures in Australia. Australian urban dwellers' reliance on the private car is a worsening dilemma for policy makers seeking more sustainable alternatives. The identification and nourishing of these alternatives is hindered by conceptual frameworks in which the private car is seen to be the only transport mode that offers independence and flexibility. This project breaks new ground in this transport conundrum in two ways. It develops a framework in which to understand how non-private-car transport forms sustain both individual independence and the environment. It provides evidence on the everyday and governance contexts in which individualised, non-private-car mobility can flourish. Read moreRead less
Building insights of our largest terrestrial carbon sink: rangelands soils. Rangelands soils represent Australia’s largest carbon sink. Yet, little is known about their potential for carbon sequestration or their vulnerability to climate and environmental change. This project leverages investments in national terrestrial observation platforms and integrates previous research outputs to develop new methods to measure and build understanding of soil carbon composition and dynamics in rangeland eco ....Building insights of our largest terrestrial carbon sink: rangelands soils. Rangelands soils represent Australia’s largest carbon sink. Yet, little is known about their potential for carbon sequestration or their vulnerability to climate and environmental change. This project leverages investments in national terrestrial observation platforms and integrates previous research outputs to develop new methods to measure and build understanding of soil carbon composition and dynamics in rangeland ecosystems. Under a framework that connects detailed measurements and small-scale processes, with machine-learning, data-model assimilation and large-scale next-generation biogeochemical modelling, it’ll allow more accurate predictions of soil carbon change and better decision-making to guide sustainable rangelands management.Read moreRead less
Governing urban energy transitions: reconfiguring spaces, sites, subjects. Transitioning energy consumption and provision away from fossil fuels toward renewable resources is an urgent priority for Australia. However, the forms of governance required to facilitate these transitions, especially for critically important cities, are not well developed nor well understood. In a novel analysis of the materiality of governance, this project investigates the pathways, practices, and political dynamics ....Governing urban energy transitions: reconfiguring spaces, sites, subjects. Transitioning energy consumption and provision away from fossil fuels toward renewable resources is an urgent priority for Australia. However, the forms of governance required to facilitate these transitions, especially for critically important cities, are not well developed nor well understood. In a novel analysis of the materiality of governance, this project investigates the pathways, practices, and political dynamics of energy transitions in Australia's two largest cities. Through a focus on Central Business Districts and suburban office parks it aims to identify opportunities for, and barriers to, transition. It also aims to shed new light on the limits and potentials of urban energy transitions and to provide an evidence base to inform policy and governance interventions.Read moreRead less