Developing and validating an air quality assessment model for application in human exposure assessment, housing/urban planning and policy setting. At present there does not exist a model for assessing human exposure to airborne pollutants in places where people live, work and rest. In addition, experimental exposure assessments display large discrepancies dependent on the measurement method used. This research aims at developing and validating an air quality assessment model that would enable ....Developing and validating an air quality assessment model for application in human exposure assessment, housing/urban planning and policy setting. At present there does not exist a model for assessing human exposure to airborne pollutants in places where people live, work and rest. In addition, experimental exposure assessments display large discrepancies dependent on the measurement method used. This research aims at developing and validating an air quality assessment model that would enable predictions of air quality in various mircoenvironments for the purpose of exposure and risk assessment, housing and urban planning, and policy setting. This research will provide scientific foundation and a tool for developing future directions for management and control to protect the community and the environment.Read moreRead less
Quantifying the effects of criteria air pollutants on child health - setting Australian air quality standards. The project is proposed and supported by the National Environment and Heritage Protection Council, who will be reviewing Australian air quality standards from 2005. The study aims to determine whether current air quality standards adequately protect the health of Australian school children, and to provide nationally-based information to inform any changes to the current standards. A cr ....Quantifying the effects of criteria air pollutants on child health - setting Australian air quality standards. The project is proposed and supported by the National Environment and Heritage Protection Council, who will be reviewing Australian air quality standards from 2005. The study aims to determine whether current air quality standards adequately protect the health of Australian school children, and to provide nationally-based information to inform any changes to the current standards. A cross-sectional study will examine cumulative effects; a nested panel study will quantify day-to-day effects of air pollution in sensitive children. Sampling will ensure national representation and generalisability of findings. This will be the first nationally-based study of the relationship between air quality and child health in Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101046
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Ecotoxicology-on-a-chip: towards smart devices in environmental biomonitoring. High-throughput water quality monitoring is of great importance to the wellbeing of Australian society. The project will address this issue by developing new economical miniaturised biocybernetic instrumentation, designed for use by non-specialists and thus applicable for governmental, industrial and community projects.
Performance of waste stabilisation ponds: controlling factors, novel performance indicators, and risk assessment. As the world population increases, maintaining robust, cost-effective and environmentally safe wastewater treatment systems is of vital importance. This project will enhance the ability to design, operate and manage Australia's extensive wastewater infrastructure for safer and more sustainable water resources in Australia and the world.
Gravity Current Driven Smoke Dispersion In a Stratified Ambient. Smoke from bushfires transported by gravity currents, and known to occur nationwide, caused the shutdown of businesses, education and events in Canberra in 2019. Recent scientific investigations have shown that the speed of propagation and concentration of smoke in these three-dimensional gravity currents have a long term ‘memory’ of their initial configuration. In this project, high-fidelity computational and experimental techniq ....Gravity Current Driven Smoke Dispersion In a Stratified Ambient. Smoke from bushfires transported by gravity currents, and known to occur nationwide, caused the shutdown of businesses, education and events in Canberra in 2019. Recent scientific investigations have shown that the speed of propagation and concentration of smoke in these three-dimensional gravity currents have a long term ‘memory’ of their initial configuration. In this project, high-fidelity computational and experimental techniques will be used to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms of gravity current entrainment and propagation. This knowledge will set a strong foundation to improve operational forecasts of smoke transport that will allow government agencies to better respond to the negative impact of these complicated flows.Read moreRead less
The Effect of Fuel Type on Health and Environmental Risks Caused by Motor Vehicle Emissions. Motor vehicles constitute one of the most significant sources of air pollutants but the state of knowledge on the quantity of some of these does not permit for projection of the risk they create. This project aims at quantification of emissions of pollutants contributing to deterioration of health, ozone formation, global warming and acid rain as a function of fuel type, using a novel on-road sampling m ....The Effect of Fuel Type on Health and Environmental Risks Caused by Motor Vehicle Emissions. Motor vehicles constitute one of the most significant sources of air pollutants but the state of knowledge on the quantity of some of these does not permit for projection of the risk they create. This project aims at quantification of emissions of pollutants contributing to deterioration of health, ozone formation, global warming and acid rain as a function of fuel type, using a novel on-road sampling method. Resultantly, a holistic picture of integrated health and environmental risk will be developed that will build a scientific foundation for future fuel,transport and land use to protect the community and the environment.Read moreRead less
AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF BUS EMISSION IMPACTS AT AND AROUND BUS STATIONS AND BUSWAYS FOR TRANSPORT AND LAND USE PLANNING. Buses are one of the two most common forms of public transport in Australia, with bus fleet and service coverage increasing, yet the effect on human health and the environment of the emissions from these vehicles is unknown. This research will develop a comprehensive model of bus emission impacts in and around bus stations and along bus corridors for use in exposure and risk as ....AN INTEGRATED MODEL OF BUS EMISSION IMPACTS AT AND AROUND BUS STATIONS AND BUSWAYS FOR TRANSPORT AND LAND USE PLANNING. Buses are one of the two most common forms of public transport in Australia, with bus fleet and service coverage increasing, yet the effect on human health and the environment of the emissions from these vehicles is unknown. This research will develop a comprehensive model of bus emission impacts in and around bus stations and along bus corridors for use in exposure and risk assessment, integrated transport and land use planning and policy setting. This research will provide a scientific foundation for developing future directions for the management of public transport to minimize the impact of emissions on the public and the environment.Read moreRead less
Risk assessment for environmental health in Adelaide based on weather, air pollution and population health outcomes. This is the first systematic assessment of the effect of climate variation and air pollution on population health in an Australian temperate region. It is one of the ARC's research priorities (PG 7: Responding to climate change and variability). The results will provide a more complete picture of association among air pollution, climate variability and population health in Austral ....Risk assessment for environmental health in Adelaide based on weather, air pollution and population health outcomes. This is the first systematic assessment of the effect of climate variation and air pollution on population health in an Australian temperate region. It is one of the ARC's research priorities (PG 7: Responding to climate change and variability). The results will provide a more complete picture of association among air pollution, climate variability and population health in Australia. They will also provide important information to policy-makers and communities for their relevant actions, including changes in resource management systems and the operation of these systems, a range of socioeconomic actions, infrastructure establishment, disaster prevention and emergency events response regulation, and health education and promotion campaigns.Read moreRead less
Environmental DNA: Integration of new methods to enhance marine management. Environmental DNA: Integration of new methods to enhance marine management. This project aims to develop new environmental DNA (eDNA)-based methods of managing humanity’s impact on valuable marine resources. eDNA preserved in seawater provides a lens to study and monitor marine biota and ecosystems. This project will work with fisheries managers and the environmental consulting sector, and focus on sites in the Kimberley ....Environmental DNA: Integration of new methods to enhance marine management. Environmental DNA: Integration of new methods to enhance marine management. This project aims to develop new environmental DNA (eDNA)-based methods of managing humanity’s impact on valuable marine resources. eDNA preserved in seawater provides a lens to study and monitor marine biota and ecosystems. This project will work with fisheries managers and the environmental consulting sector, and focus on sites in the Kimberley, Cocos-Keeling Islands, Fremantle and Deep-sea oil/gas sites to demonstrate the value of eDNA methods in best-practice monitoring. A multi-proxy toolkit (including eDNA) that can audit and baseline marine biota could make balancing conservation and sustainable exploitation achievable. Anticipated outcomes are improved management and monitoring of fisheries, ports and offshore oil/gas sites.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