Development of a mechanistic model of marine biological activity. The development of predictive models of marine biological activity lags that in physical oceanography. While modellers of ocean circulation use primarily physical laws, biological processes have typically been modelled using empirical approximations. Many biological processes in the ocean, however, are constrained by quantifiable biophysical limits. This study aims to improve our ability to predict the dynamics of biological po ....Development of a mechanistic model of marine biological activity. The development of predictive models of marine biological activity lags that in physical oceanography. While modellers of ocean circulation use primarily physical laws, biological processes have typically been modelled using empirical approximations. Many biological processes in the ocean, however, are constrained by quantifiable biophysical limits. This study aims to improve our ability to predict the dynamics of biological populations in the marine environment by the development of a model based on mechanistic descriptions of organisms interacting with their environment. The model's performance will be assessed by its ability to predict in situ and remotely sensed data from Australian waters.Read moreRead less
River sensitivity to change: An assessment of threshold shifts between River Styles in Coastal NSW. Over 70% of coastal catchments in northern NSW comprise confined or partly-confined valleys in which floodplains are absent or discontinuous. Evolutionary controls on floodplain presence and their sensitivity to disturbance since European settlement will be explained. Increased understanding of the character, behaviour and evolution of these river types will provide a generic framework to assess ....River sensitivity to change: An assessment of threshold shifts between River Styles in Coastal NSW. Over 70% of coastal catchments in northern NSW comprise confined or partly-confined valleys in which floodplains are absent or discontinuous. Evolutionary controls on floodplain presence and their sensitivity to disturbance since European settlement will be explained. Increased understanding of the character, behaviour and evolution of these river types will provide a generic framework to assess river sensitivity to change. The understanding achieved via this project will form the basis upon which to manage these rivers in an environmentally sustainable manner.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the role of salps in marine food webs and organic carbon export. Australia has recently committed significant resources to the observation and forecasting of ocean temperature and circulation that will vastly improve the understanding of environmental forcing of regional scale biological processes. This project will use ocean circulation hindcasts, ship-board measurements and laboratory studies to capture the dynamics of the zooplankton community, and in particular a fast-growing cla ....Quantifying the role of salps in marine food webs and organic carbon export. Australia has recently committed significant resources to the observation and forecasting of ocean temperature and circulation that will vastly improve the understanding of environmental forcing of regional scale biological processes. This project will use ocean circulation hindcasts, ship-board measurements and laboratory studies to capture the dynamics of the zooplankton community, and in particular a fast-growing class of gelatinous zooplankton, the salps, in the waters off southeast Australia. During bloom events, salps can alter the functioning of marine ecosystems. This project will quantify the impact of salp blooms on fish resources and ocean uptake of carbon in southeast Australian waters.Read moreRead less
Development of a coupled physical-biological model of size-structured biota in marine waters. The marine environment contains highly valued economic, social and environmental resources. Natural resource management in Australia is shifting from considering the value of a single resource, such as the South Eastern Trawl Fishery, to considering complete ecosystems with their multiple uses, such as the South East Australian coastal and shelf waters. With such a shift in perspective, Australia is a w ....Development of a coupled physical-biological model of size-structured biota in marine waters. The marine environment contains highly valued economic, social and environmental resources. Natural resource management in Australia is shifting from considering the value of a single resource, such as the South Eastern Trawl Fishery, to considering complete ecosystems with their multiple uses, such as the South East Australian coastal and shelf waters. With such a shift in perspective, Australia is a world leader. A new suite of tools is required to understand ecosystem dynamics and to formulate management strategies. By providing well-defined manageable outputs from a complex natural system the coupled physical-biological model to be developed will provide such a tool.Read moreRead less
Coastal Processes Driven by the East Australia Current. Coastal waters of Northern NSW are dominated by the East Australia Current (EAC). Through its strength, variability in space and time, and its proximity to the coast, the EAC directly controls not only the longshore currents, but also the cross-shelf transport of nutrients, plankton and other biota. A knowledge of EAC dynamics and ocean productivity will be achieved in this project by comparison of results from high resolution ocean models ....Coastal Processes Driven by the East Australia Current. Coastal waters of Northern NSW are dominated by the East Australia Current (EAC). Through its strength, variability in space and time, and its proximity to the coast, the EAC directly controls not only the longshore currents, but also the cross-shelf transport of nutrients, plankton and other biota. A knowledge of EAC dynamics and ocean productivity will be achieved in this project by comparison of results from high resolution ocean models (having additional biological modules) with data from Research Vessel Franklin cruises in 1998 and 1999.Read moreRead less
Ocean-reef interactions as drivers of continental shelf productivity in a changing climate. Poor coastal management results in the irreparable destruction of reef systems' function and biodiversity, nationally and globally. To manage marine resources effectively we must implement sustainable practices, including forward planning in the context of climate change. A critical limitation in determining appropriate actions is a poor understanding of mechanisms driving productivity. Our project will p ....Ocean-reef interactions as drivers of continental shelf productivity in a changing climate. Poor coastal management results in the irreparable destruction of reef systems' function and biodiversity, nationally and globally. To manage marine resources effectively we must implement sustainable practices, including forward planning in the context of climate change. A critical limitation in determining appropriate actions is a poor understanding of mechanisms driving productivity. Our project will provide key information on the oceanographic mechanisms supporting Australia's coastal systems, linking nutrient supply, physical drivers and climate. By linking all these factors we will both assist in determining appropriate ecosystem management, and provide a knowledge base to support adaptation to future changes in Australia's climate.Read moreRead less
Impact of redox condition on emerging contaminants fate. This project aims to improve our ability to predict the environmental drivers that control the fate of contaminants of emerging concern in the subsurface. Emerging contaminants are a concern due to their potential negative ecosystem and health outcomes. Prediction of their environmental fate will be of benefit as it will help ensure the safety of our drinking water sources and ensure that water sources are fit for purpose. With increasing ....Impact of redox condition on emerging contaminants fate. This project aims to improve our ability to predict the environmental drivers that control the fate of contaminants of emerging concern in the subsurface. Emerging contaminants are a concern due to their potential negative ecosystem and health outcomes. Prediction of their environmental fate will be of benefit as it will help ensure the safety of our drinking water sources and ensure that water sources are fit for purpose. With increasing pressure on our precious water resources prediction of the risks to this resource is essential. Expected outcomes are of significance as they will include a much improved ability to predict and control the ultimate fate of emerging contaminants in our water sources.Read moreRead less
Improving water quality modelling by better understanding solute transport. Poor stream water quality is a critical problem in Australia and globally. Stream water quality depends directly on pathways and time taken for water to transport pollutants through catchments. Predicting these pathways is highly challenging and currently requires specialised data. This project aims to better model the movement of water from rainfall to streams, enable greatly improved use of water quality data routinely ....Improving water quality modelling by better understanding solute transport. Poor stream water quality is a critical problem in Australia and globally. Stream water quality depends directly on pathways and time taken for water to transport pollutants through catchments. Predicting these pathways is highly challenging and currently requires specialised data. This project aims to better model the movement of water from rainfall to streams, enable greatly improved use of water quality data routinely collected in Australia's catchments and thereby better predict water quality behaviour. Proposed field studies aim to support this development. The outcomes sought are improved planning and management of water quality in our rivers, lakes and estuaries, improved health of these water bodies and improved water supplies.Read moreRead less
Shallow water carbonate sediment dissolution in the global carbon cycle. Carbonate sediment dissolution is a globally significant process, but poorly understood in shallow marine waters. This project will determine whether the combined effect of organic matter, ocean acidification and pore water flow in shallow water carbonate sediments increases the release of calcium and alkalinity to the ocean. This project is significant because this release has not previously been accounted for and may lead ....Shallow water carbonate sediment dissolution in the global carbon cycle. Carbonate sediment dissolution is a globally significant process, but poorly understood in shallow marine waters. This project will determine whether the combined effect of organic matter, ocean acidification and pore water flow in shallow water carbonate sediments increases the release of calcium and alkalinity to the ocean. This project is significant because this release has not previously been accounted for and may lead to an additional uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide into the global ocean, maybe some additional buffering against ocean acidification, but unfortunately, maybe also a loss of carbonate ecosystems. The outcomes of this project will make a significant contribution to our understanding of the global carbon cycle.
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Mid-Career Industry Fellowships - Grant ID: IM230100222
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$865,628.00
Summary
Large scale urban stormwater reuse: safe, clear and odourless water supply. This project aims to improve the resilience of Australian water supplies by building capacity in urban stormwater reuse. The project expects to address an industry-identified need to determine the suitability of urban lakes and wetlands for stormwater harvesting and develop chemical-sensory monitoring techniques to assess the quality of harvested water. Expected outcomes include the establishment of satellite-based remot ....Large scale urban stormwater reuse: safe, clear and odourless water supply. This project aims to improve the resilience of Australian water supplies by building capacity in urban stormwater reuse. The project expects to address an industry-identified need to determine the suitability of urban lakes and wetlands for stormwater harvesting and develop chemical-sensory monitoring techniques to assess the quality of harvested water. Expected outcomes include the establishment of satellite-based remote sensing as a key technology for stormwater applications and the widespread use of improved techniques for monitoring odorants by the water industry. This should provide significant benefits by informing adaptive planning and infrastructure readiness at water utilities and guiding Australian policy on stormwater reuse.Read moreRead less