A novel top-down approach to ecosystem management using multivariate foraging strategies of an iconic marine top-predator. Understanding predator aggregation patterns in relation to marine productivity is critical in designing ecosystem-level conservation plans for protecting marine habitats and species. The project aims to develop a new approach to measure prey abundance and availability in the marine ecosystem for the management of resources of top-predators. This will be of specific benefit i ....A novel top-down approach to ecosystem management using multivariate foraging strategies of an iconic marine top-predator. Understanding predator aggregation patterns in relation to marine productivity is critical in designing ecosystem-level conservation plans for protecting marine habitats and species. The project aims to develop a new approach to measure prey abundance and availability in the marine ecosystem for the management of resources of top-predators. This will be of specific benefit in areas where a strong need exists for conservation of prey species with economic importance too low to justify expensive at-sea research.Read moreRead less
Utilising plant-sediment-feedbacks to enhance seagrass restoration. This project aims to investigate the role of sediment microbes in promoting the health of threatened seagrass species across Australia. This project expects to create new knowledge for enhancing restoration success for seagrasses by integrating macro and micro-ecology, environmental genomics, plant ecology and ecosystem function (e.g. nutrient and biogeochemistry cycling). Expected outcomes are new knowledge to enhance seagrass ....Utilising plant-sediment-feedbacks to enhance seagrass restoration. This project aims to investigate the role of sediment microbes in promoting the health of threatened seagrass species across Australia. This project expects to create new knowledge for enhancing restoration success for seagrasses by integrating macro and micro-ecology, environmental genomics, plant ecology and ecosystem function (e.g. nutrient and biogeochemistry cycling). Expected outcomes are new knowledge to enhance seagrass restoration utilising sediment microbes that can be integrated into management and policy. This project should provide significant benefits, such as the development of key strategic alliances to enhance management of seagrasses, and the ecosystem services, and economic and social benefits they provide.Read moreRead less
Outflows, Jets and Plumes. This project studies how fluid flows out from a small concentrated object into a second surrounding fluid. New solution methods will be provided, and new results about how these fluid flows evolve will be obtained. These are important problems with significance in modelling underwater explosions. They are also important in astrophysics, and will help explain the shapes of outflows from some stars or galaxies. The outcomes of the project will be a deeper mathematical un ....Outflows, Jets and Plumes. This project studies how fluid flows out from a small concentrated object into a second surrounding fluid. New solution methods will be provided, and new results about how these fluid flows evolve will be obtained. These are important problems with significance in modelling underwater explosions. They are also important in astrophysics, and will help explain the shapes of outflows from some stars or galaxies. The outcomes of the project will be a deeper mathematical understanding of which outflow shapes are stable, and under what circumstances they might become unstable. This will provide valuable information about galaxy shapes, and a new suite of computational methods for solving such problems.Read moreRead less
Coupled physical and biogeochemical dynamics on the Australian North West Shelf. Information regarding the natural function of the Australian North West Shelf is urgently required to sustainably manage the often conflicting uses of the region. This project will study the role of ocean processes in driving ocean productivity on the North West Shelf and determine the impact of projected climate variability.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100041
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$100,000.00
Summary
A high-resolution isotope facility for low cost analysis of water, plant, and soil/sediment samples to understand environmental change. The most significant environmental challenges facing Australia include ensuring sustainable management of our water resources and conservation of both terrestrial and marine biodiversity, particularly in the face of our changing climate and land-use. The new instruments will accelerate progress across a number of projects aimed at understanding the developme ....A high-resolution isotope facility for low cost analysis of water, plant, and soil/sediment samples to understand environmental change. The most significant environmental challenges facing Australia include ensuring sustainable management of our water resources and conservation of both terrestrial and marine biodiversity, particularly in the face of our changing climate and land-use. The new instruments will accelerate progress across a number of projects aimed at understanding the development of groundwater resources, the relative dependency of ecosystems on groundwater versus soil and surface water, and an assessment of the likely impacts of altered hydrology, especially dewatering and salinisation, on ecosystems. In addition, they will also be used to extend our knowledge of climate variability in the recent past and increase understanding of critical marine resources.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100112
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$348,575.00
Summary
Design and synthesis of new radical and heterometallic magnetic molecules. This project aims to build upon recent advances in developing magnetic molecules for use in electronic devices. The development of new electronic devices based on quantum systems will lead to the development of faster more efficient computers. Magnetic molecules are promising candidates for the data storage components in these systems. Despite the potential of these materials, the temperature at which they operate needs t ....Design and synthesis of new radical and heterometallic magnetic molecules. This project aims to build upon recent advances in developing magnetic molecules for use in electronic devices. The development of new electronic devices based on quantum systems will lead to the development of faster more efficient computers. Magnetic molecules are promising candidates for the data storage components in these systems. Despite the potential of these materials, the temperature at which they operate needs to be increased above that of liquid helium. This project is focused on the development of new magnetic lanthanide molecules with higher working temperatures. The outcomes will provide a greater understanding of how structure impacts on the magnetic properties of the molecule.Read moreRead less
Species redundancy in response to multiple disturbances. This project aims to elucidate how the context within which disturbances occur affects food web linkages and how these map to responses in ecosystem function. There is a critical need to test the common assumption in environmental management that high biodiversity makes ecosystems resilient to disturbances. Studies that merely observe biodiversity change after disturbance cannot identify ecological processes connecting high diversity and e ....Species redundancy in response to multiple disturbances. This project aims to elucidate how the context within which disturbances occur affects food web linkages and how these map to responses in ecosystem function. There is a critical need to test the common assumption in environmental management that high biodiversity makes ecosystems resilient to disturbances. Studies that merely observe biodiversity change after disturbance cannot identify ecological processes connecting high diversity and ecosystem function, making experiments that manipulate identical disturbances in ecosystems with different biodiversity essential. This project will use field experiments that manipulate disturbances in streams replicated in low and high biodiversity regions and across gradients of chronic background stress to show how biodiversity sustains functional ecosystems, and how much diversity can be lost before ecosystems collapse.Read moreRead less
Empowering Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Girls, Changing Communities. This project applies Indigenous knowledges to develop new understandings and insights in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls’ education. Expected outcomes of the project include: the development of a national framework that supports the education of girls and acknowledges the importance of self-determination, culture, gender and place in creating life changing educational opportunities; addressing Clo ....Empowering Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Girls, Changing Communities. This project applies Indigenous knowledges to develop new understandings and insights in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls’ education. Expected outcomes of the project include: the development of a national framework that supports the education of girls and acknowledges the importance of self-determination, culture, gender and place in creating life changing educational opportunities; addressing Close the Gap targets; and creating broader long lasting positive changes regarding access, participation and success for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The outcomes of this project can provide significant benefits to the broad Australian schooling system.Read moreRead less
Robotic investigation of water optical properties in the Southern Ocean. The project aims to improve our understanding of light–matter interactions in the waters of the Southern Ocean (SO), in particular the role of phytoplankton and associated material of biological origin. Phytoplankton are the energy source for the food web and a critical component of carbon cycling in the SO. However, their dynamics in the SO cannot be quantified using satellite observations because bio-optical data processi ....Robotic investigation of water optical properties in the Southern Ocean. The project aims to improve our understanding of light–matter interactions in the waters of the Southern Ocean (SO), in particular the role of phytoplankton and associated material of biological origin. Phytoplankton are the energy source for the food web and a critical component of carbon cycling in the SO. However, their dynamics in the SO cannot be quantified using satellite observations because bio-optical data processing algorithms perform poorly due to a lack of field data. This project seeks to remedy this by improving understanding of SO bio-optics, and by providing novel algorithms of known uncertainty, based on in situ data.Read moreRead less
Automated Sensors for a ‘wetland in a box’. Globally, and particularly in Australia, water supply and water pollution is one of the most critical constraints to our health and growth. This project seeks to validate a new portable remediation system suitable for deployment at regional locations through the integration and development of advanced sensors. We aim to develop the world’s first completely integrated platform for monitoring both water chemistry and microbiology to provide near-real-tim ....Automated Sensors for a ‘wetland in a box’. Globally, and particularly in Australia, water supply and water pollution is one of the most critical constraints to our health and growth. This project seeks to validate a new portable remediation system suitable for deployment at regional locations through the integration and development of advanced sensors. We aim to develop the world’s first completely integrated platform for monitoring both water chemistry and microbiology to provide near-real-time information regarding the quality of the remediated water. We expect this to improve the availability of regional water resources by providing a low-cost remediation solution with integrated monitoring to provide assurances of meeting the Australian Guidelines for Water Recycling (2006).Read moreRead less