Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100136
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$340,000.00
Summary
Mobile weather radar system for advanced environmental monitoring and modelling. High spatial and temporal resolution weather radar data on wind and precipitation will translate to significant environmental model advances. Australian researchers will undertake model validation studies on precipitation, dust storm, and flood prediction under a wider range of environmental conditions and in greater detail than currently possible.
Origins and distributions of intraplate earthquakes. This project aims to investigate the behaviour and origin of intraplate earthquakes in Australia by developing a multi-million-year record of earthquakes using geological, geochronological, geospatial, seismological, statistical and numerical modelling data. It will use maximum credible magnitudes, maximum shaking intensities of intraplate earthquakes and spatiotemporal relationships between large prehistoric and contemporary earthquakes to im ....Origins and distributions of intraplate earthquakes. This project aims to investigate the behaviour and origin of intraplate earthquakes in Australia by developing a multi-million-year record of earthquakes using geological, geochronological, geospatial, seismological, statistical and numerical modelling data. It will use maximum credible magnitudes, maximum shaking intensities of intraplate earthquakes and spatiotemporal relationships between large prehistoric and contemporary earthquakes to improve models of future seismic hazard in Australia and globally. This will lead to improved predictions of future earthquake impacts in urban and natural environments and development of new paleoseismic techniques.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101297
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$320,094.00
Summary
Rethinking Australian drought risk, its long-term variability and processes. Drought risk describes the likelihood that damage will result from exposure to drought. This project aims to fundamentally reshape how we define, characterise and understand drought risk in Australia. A framework for drought risk will be applied that includes the complete range of characteristics that modulate the impacts of drought, which are the frequency of recurrence, duration, severity, seasonality and spatial exte ....Rethinking Australian drought risk, its long-term variability and processes. Drought risk describes the likelihood that damage will result from exposure to drought. This project aims to fundamentally reshape how we define, characterise and understand drought risk in Australia. A framework for drought risk will be applied that includes the complete range of characteristics that modulate the impacts of drought, which are the frequency of recurrence, duration, severity, seasonality and spatial extent. Long-term changes in drought risk will be examined and the process-based climatic risk factors will be identified. Advancing knowledge on the nature and causes of the long-term changes in drought risk is crucial to improving risk management of drought in the agricultural and water resource sectors.Read moreRead less
Matching flotation concentrate composition to downstream processing in copper production at the Olympic Dam operations of BHP Billiton. This research is important for the Australian and South Australian economies. There are both large capital and operating costs benefits if a successful and robust mineral separation can be achieved. Being able to separate different copper sulphide minerals in copper concentrates will have global significance. In the particular case of Olympic Dam mine, the imp ....Matching flotation concentrate composition to downstream processing in copper production at the Olympic Dam operations of BHP Billiton. This research is important for the Australian and South Australian economies. There are both large capital and operating costs benefits if a successful and robust mineral separation can be achieved. Being able to separate different copper sulphide minerals in copper concentrates will have global significance. In the particular case of Olympic Dam mine, the impact of being able to separate the copper sulphide minerals at the mineral processing stage is a significant reduction in operating costs, which is a result of reduced ore handling, mining and smelting costs.Read moreRead less
Dating the Aboriginal rock art of the Kimberley region, Western Australia - landscape geochemistry, surface processes and complementary dating techniques. The age of much of the spectacular rock art of the Kimberley region of Western Australia remains unknown, especially in its earliest stages. This project aims to use the most advanced dating techniques now available to determine a sequence of ages for this ancient cultural record, increasing its recognition as a heritage site of international ....Dating the Aboriginal rock art of the Kimberley region, Western Australia - landscape geochemistry, surface processes and complementary dating techniques. The age of much of the spectacular rock art of the Kimberley region of Western Australia remains unknown, especially in its earliest stages. This project aims to use the most advanced dating techniques now available to determine a sequence of ages for this ancient cultural record, increasing its recognition as a heritage site of international significance.Read moreRead less
Can we see the wood for the trees? Effective restoration strategies in rapidly changing subtropical river systems. Addressing the issue of degraded waterways nationally will cost billions of dollars; in southeast Queensland alone it is estimated that it will cost $500 million. Fundamental research is needed to ensure such efforts achieve the desired outcomes. Previous research has shown riverbank erosion is a key stressor for water quality. This project aims to link fluvial disturbance with the ....Can we see the wood for the trees? Effective restoration strategies in rapidly changing subtropical river systems. Addressing the issue of degraded waterways nationally will cost billions of dollars; in southeast Queensland alone it is estimated that it will cost $500 million. Fundamental research is needed to ensure such efforts achieve the desired outcomes. Previous research has shown riverbank erosion is a key stressor for water quality. This project aims to link fluvial disturbance with the capacity for effective riparian restoration in subtropical river systems at a local, reach and whole of catchment scale. The outcome aims to develop decision-support tools and methods for industry partners to invest in catchment-scale restoration activities in order to manage the risks to drinking water quality and aquatic ecosystem health from riverbank erosion.Read moreRead less
An integrated study of dynamic interactions in soft matter systems. Established Australian pharmaceutical, dairy and food processing industries and growing high-value biotechnology and nanotechnology rely on the processing and control of a generic class of materials called Soft Matter. Cost driven demands for high throughput and increasing water and energy conservation requirements will be met by advances in the underpinning engineering science pursued in this project. In addition to increasing ....An integrated study of dynamic interactions in soft matter systems. Established Australian pharmaceutical, dairy and food processing industries and growing high-value biotechnology and nanotechnology rely on the processing and control of a generic class of materials called Soft Matter. Cost driven demands for high throughput and increasing water and energy conservation requirements will be met by advances in the underpinning engineering science pursued in this project. In addition to increasing the international competitiveness of Australian industries in high value products, the research outcomes also add to the knowledge capacity of the nation for future technological developments.Read moreRead less
Impact of recycled and low quality process water on sustainable mineral processing practices. Water is in short supply and needs to be considered as a 'key reagent'. The quality of this reagent can vary widely. For a sustainable mineral processing practice, the use of recycled or low quality/saline process water will be essential for a plant to operate in the future. The major benefit is recognition that significant recycle of process water for flotation is achievable if simple water quality con ....Impact of recycled and low quality process water on sustainable mineral processing practices. Water is in short supply and needs to be considered as a 'key reagent'. The quality of this reagent can vary widely. For a sustainable mineral processing practice, the use of recycled or low quality/saline process water will be essential for a plant to operate in the future. The major benefit is recognition that significant recycle of process water for flotation is achievable if simple water quality control and management practices are implemented. In addition, a better understanding and control of water quality in recycled/saline process water may lead to improved flotation stability and performance, and reduced reagent consumption.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100770
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$358,536.00
Summary
Solving the mystery of natural carbon mineralisation in Australian lakes. Some lakes, such as the Coorong lakes in South Australia, naturally sequester carbon dioxide in magnesium carbonate minerals. These minerals, which form in association with microorganisms in lake water, represent the safest possible long-term traps for carbon dioxide pollution. This project aims to determine the essential geochemical constraints on formation of magnesium carbonate minerals in the Coorong lakes, which are u ....Solving the mystery of natural carbon mineralisation in Australian lakes. Some lakes, such as the Coorong lakes in South Australia, naturally sequester carbon dioxide in magnesium carbonate minerals. These minerals, which form in association with microorganisms in lake water, represent the safest possible long-term traps for carbon dioxide pollution. This project aims to determine the essential geochemical constraints on formation of magnesium carbonate minerals in the Coorong lakes, which are unique natural laboratories for studying carbon dioxide sequestration. By delivering fundamental understanding of how microbial populations alter water chemistry for carbonate production, this project aims to inform the design of efficient and sustainable technologies for carbon dioxide sequestration that emulate natural processes in lakes.Read moreRead less
The application of clumped isotope thermometry to the terrestrial environment. Clumped-isotope geochemistry, a novel method for measuring the temperature of formation of carbonate minerals, will be applied to terrestrial materials (soil carbonates, lake deposits and speleothems) from Australia and New Zealand. The method relates the abundance or 'clumping' of rare isotopes (for example, carbon dioxide of mass 47 as carbon-13, oxygen-18, oxygen-16) extracted from carbonates to their formation tem ....The application of clumped isotope thermometry to the terrestrial environment. Clumped-isotope geochemistry, a novel method for measuring the temperature of formation of carbonate minerals, will be applied to terrestrial materials (soil carbonates, lake deposits and speleothems) from Australia and New Zealand. The method relates the abundance or 'clumping' of rare isotopes (for example, carbon dioxide of mass 47 as carbon-13, oxygen-18, oxygen-16) extracted from carbonates to their formation temperature and is independent of the oxygen-18:oxygen-16 value of the host water from which the mineral precipitated. The materials to be investigated span the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition and will provide robust past temperature estimates and the delta-oxygen-18 values of waters, thereby permitting hydrological balances (for example, precipitation/evaporation) to be constructed. Read moreRead less