Resolving nitrogen and phosphorus transformations along subterranean estuary - sediment/water interface continuums in carbonate sands. Humans are modifying global nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles at an alarming rate. The release of N and P into the environment drives eutrophication, one of the greatest threats to coastal ecosystems worldwide. Globally, there is little effort being made to control increasing N and P emissions. The transport of contaminated groundwater is a major source of N ....Resolving nitrogen and phosphorus transformations along subterranean estuary - sediment/water interface continuums in carbonate sands. Humans are modifying global nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycles at an alarming rate. The release of N and P into the environment drives eutrophication, one of the greatest threats to coastal ecosystems worldwide. Globally, there is little effort being made to control increasing N and P emissions. The transport of contaminated groundwater is a major source of N and P to the coastal zone and an overlooked driver of eutrophication. Yet, research into the processes that influence N and P transformation in groundwater are scarce, they neglect carbonate sand systems and have ignored the processes in key groundwater transition zones. This project will generate new knowledge that will help us understand the role that groundwater plays in coastal eutrophication.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE170100007
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$552,000.00
Summary
A fisheries and oceanographic observing system for the continental shelf. This project aims to create a floating, mobile fisheries and oceanographic observing system for Eastern Australia. Australian oceanographic and fisheries research has been hampered by the lack of appropriately sized and equipped research vessels required to investigate continental shelf waters and beyond. The automated floating facility will provide data to support ongoing ARC-funded research programs in marine biogeochemi ....A fisheries and oceanographic observing system for the continental shelf. This project aims to create a floating, mobile fisheries and oceanographic observing system for Eastern Australia. Australian oceanographic and fisheries research has been hampered by the lack of appropriately sized and equipped research vessels required to investigate continental shelf waters and beyond. The automated floating facility will provide data to support ongoing ARC-funded research programs in marine biogeochemistry, climate change, ocean acidification, coastal hydrology, biological oceanography, active acoustics, and fisheries resources and technology in the continental shelf and beyond. The expected outcome will bridge a major gap in fisheries and oceanographic research capacity to make observations in a critical region of the Australian marine estate and provide a stronger scientific basis for early detection of changes in seawater chemistry, biology and fisheries in priority waters experiencing rapid change.Read moreRead less
Unravelling the history of nitrogen cycling within the central Great Barrier Reef. This project aims to use coral skeleton geochemical analysis to establish if, when, and how nitrogen cycling changed along the central inshore region of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. Increasing anthropogenic nitrogen discharge to coastal waters could drive ecosystem decline in the GBR, one of Australia’s most sensitive and economically valuable natural environments. However, the full effect of anthropogenic ....Unravelling the history of nitrogen cycling within the central Great Barrier Reef. This project aims to use coral skeleton geochemical analysis to establish if, when, and how nitrogen cycling changed along the central inshore region of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) lagoon. Increasing anthropogenic nitrogen discharge to coastal waters could drive ecosystem decline in the GBR, one of Australia’s most sensitive and economically valuable natural environments. However, the full effect of anthropogenic nitrogen is unclear due to a lack of long, continuous records. This project will unravel the history of nitrogen cycling in the GBR since the mid-1800s, knowledge crucial for managing this reef system.Read moreRead less
Iron sources and cycling in the Tasman Sea. Determining factors that influence the health and vitality of coastal and open-ocean regions is crucial to maintaining marine biodiversity and the Earth's climatic balance. This research project will determine the role iron plays in influencing phytoplankton growth, which ultimately regulates the drawdown of carbon dioxide by the oceans.
Unravelling the legacy of groundwater pollution to coastal waters. This project aims to resolve whether groundwater polluted decades ago is now seeping out along shorelines, and driving coastal water quality. The project will challenge common assumptions about the sources of chemical pollution to Australian coastal waters using a combination of cutting-edge analytical techniques, modelling, and laboratory investigations. The outcomes of the project will support the development of pollutant budge ....Unravelling the legacy of groundwater pollution to coastal waters. This project aims to resolve whether groundwater polluted decades ago is now seeping out along shorelines, and driving coastal water quality. The project will challenge common assumptions about the sources of chemical pollution to Australian coastal waters using a combination of cutting-edge analytical techniques, modelling, and laboratory investigations. The outcomes of the project will support the development of pollutant budgets and models required for the effective creation of water management solutions. As a result, the project will benefit the management of iconic waterways experiencing persistent, unresolved water quality issues which are costing the government billions of dollars.Read moreRead less
Predicting and understanding coccolithophorid calcification in a changing ocean. This project will investigate the entire natural coastal and oceanic coccolithophore assemblages. The least and most sensitive species to ocean change will be examined in innovative laboratory experiments and will enhance the understanding of how species-specific responses translate to the ecosystem level, necessary for predictions of future carbon cycling.
Are subterranean estuaries a source or sink of greenhouse gases? The aim of this project is to investigate the role of subterranean estuaries and submarine groundwater discharge on the marine cycle of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The expected outcome of this project is a better understanding of the role of coastal environments as a net source or sink of greenhouse gases.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE130100153
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$240,000.00
Summary
A liquid chromatography/gas bench: isotope ratio mass spectrometer for new and novel carbon and nitrogen research in coastal systems. This project will build a cutting-edge facility that will allow measurement of new and novel carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. The facility will allow ground-breaking research to be undertaken in a variety of environmental fields such as coastal eutrophication, climate change, ocean acidification, coastal hydrology, and coral reefs.
Impact of Metal - Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Interactions on Growth and Toxicity of Ichthyotoxic Algae in Australian Coastal Waters. Toxic algal blooms in estuarine and coastal waters can have devastating economic and ecological impacts but remarkably little is known about the factors that control either organism growth or toxin severity. Recent studies suggest that the interplay between delivery of the nutrient trace metals iron and copper and the method via which the organism acts to assimi ....Impact of Metal - Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Interactions on Growth and Toxicity of Ichthyotoxic Algae in Australian Coastal Waters. Toxic algal blooms in estuarine and coastal waters can have devastating economic and ecological impacts but remarkably little is known about the factors that control either organism growth or toxin severity. Recent studies suggest that the interplay between delivery of the nutrient trace metals iron and copper and the method via which the organism acts to assimilate these metals is critical to the generation and aggressiveness of the toxins produced. These processes will be investigated in this study and conceptual and mathematical models will be developed which will assist in assessing management options for estuarine and coastal environments.Read moreRead less
Mechanisms of Iron Acquisition by the Cyanobacterium Trichodesmium in Coastal Waters. The toxic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium is the most conspicuous phytoplankter in Great Barrier Reef waters which, as a nitrogen fixer, produces and biologically packages "new" nitrogen into forms potentially available to other marine organisms and, as such, is likely to be a key driver of food web dynamics on the GBR. In this study, we will clarify the mechanism by which the critical nutrient iron is acquired by ....Mechanisms of Iron Acquisition by the Cyanobacterium Trichodesmium in Coastal Waters. The toxic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium is the most conspicuous phytoplankter in Great Barrier Reef waters which, as a nitrogen fixer, produces and biologically packages "new" nitrogen into forms potentially available to other marine organisms and, as such, is likely to be a key driver of food web dynamics on the GBR. In this study, we will clarify the mechanism by which the critical nutrient iron is acquired by this organism and, in so doing, assess the role that terrestrial activities play in iron supply.Read moreRead less