Biomimetic templating radical polymerisation in nanoreactors. The aim is to develop methodology for synthesis of polymer with hitherto inaccessible control of the microstructure by free radical means, that is the molecular weight distribution and monomer sequences. This will be achieved by combining the two concepts of biomimetic templated radical polymerisation and polymerisation in nanoreactors in the form of submicron-sized micelles or droplets. Scale-up of the methodology will be developed b ....Biomimetic templating radical polymerisation in nanoreactors. The aim is to develop methodology for synthesis of polymer with hitherto inaccessible control of the microstructure by free radical means, that is the molecular weight distribution and monomer sequences. This will be achieved by combining the two concepts of biomimetic templated radical polymerisation and polymerisation in nanoreactors in the form of submicron-sized micelles or droplets. Scale-up of the methodology will be developed based on an environmentally friendly approach whereby miniemulsions are generated using carbon dioxide. Increased ability to control the polymer microstructure will enable advanced design of functional polymers with far-reaching applications in materials science, nanotechnology and nanomedicine. Read moreRead less
Australia's variable rainfall - how dry or wet can it really get? Australia’s rainfall is extremely variable, which means existing weather records are too short to calculate the true risk posed by droughts and floods. This project aims to quantify how naturally variable the rainfall coming from the Indo-Pacific mid-latitudes is, allowing recent rainfall extremes and future projections to be assessed in a long-term context. This project expects to produce new estimates of atmospheric moisture bud ....Australia's variable rainfall - how dry or wet can it really get? Australia’s rainfall is extremely variable, which means existing weather records are too short to calculate the true risk posed by droughts and floods. This project aims to quantify how naturally variable the rainfall coming from the Indo-Pacific mid-latitudes is, allowing recent rainfall extremes and future projections to be assessed in a long-term context. This project expects to produce new estimates of atmospheric moisture budgets between Australia and Antarctica based on a novel, 1000-year length reconstruction of moisture-bearing southern Indian Ocean storms. This new information is critically needed by water managers so that they can properly calculate (and ultimately prepare for) the worst of Australia’s rainfall-related risks.Read moreRead less
Equator to Pole: Reconstructing tropical and Antarctic climate variability over the last millennium and their impacts on southern Australian rainfall. Water resource management is one of the greatest challenges facing sustainable agriculture and urban populations across southern Australia. Key players driving catastrophic droughts in southern Australia are the tropical Indian Ocean Dipole and polar Southern Annual Mode climate systems, which affect moisture availability and transport pathways. T ....Equator to Pole: Reconstructing tropical and Antarctic climate variability over the last millennium and their impacts on southern Australian rainfall. Water resource management is one of the greatest challenges facing sustainable agriculture and urban populations across southern Australia. Key players driving catastrophic droughts in southern Australia are the tropical Indian Ocean Dipole and polar Southern Annual Mode climate systems, which affect moisture availability and transport pathways. This collaborative research project draws together a uniquely-skilled research team to develop targeted coral, ice and cave reconstructions of these climate systems and their impacts on Australian rainfall through the last millennium. This fundamental new knowledge of the drivers of Australian rainfall variability will aid improved predictability of future changes in our valuable water resources. Read moreRead less