The Great Barrier Reef in 2100. Our research aims to answer fundamental geomorphic questions about the future of coral reefs, focusing on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). We will develop cutting-edge, fully open-source numerical models to quantify the eco-morphodynamic evolution of the GBR under IPCC climate-change scenarios. Our geomorphic numerical models will consider biotic/abiotic feedbacks including synergistic effects of multiple stressors such as waves, temperature, acidification and sedime ....The Great Barrier Reef in 2100. Our research aims to answer fundamental geomorphic questions about the future of coral reefs, focusing on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). We will develop cutting-edge, fully open-source numerical models to quantify the eco-morphodynamic evolution of the GBR under IPCC climate-change scenarios. Our geomorphic numerical models will consider biotic/abiotic feedbacks including synergistic effects of multiple stressors such as waves, temperature, acidification and sediment transport, at individual reef scales. We will model the future of the GBR’s ecosystem-services, allowing for a quantum leap in the geomorphic knowledge and understanding of coral reef ecosystems. Expected outcomes include a gamechanger tool for future management of the GBR.Read moreRead less
Dynamics of carbonate sands and morphodynamics of coral reef environments. Coral reefs are mainly composed of mobile sedimentary deposits that influence the living regions of the coral reefs. Using sites on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the project will learn how, why and how fast sand advances, and will predict how these processes will change in response to predicted rises in sea levels.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE210100028
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,000,000.00
Summary
Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. This proposal is for an 18-month membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), the world’s largest collaborative research program in Earth and Ocean sciences. The Program studies the history and current activity of the Earth by conducting seagoing coring expeditions and monitoring of instrumented boreholes, using globally unique infrastructure that Australians would otherwise have no access to. Program outcomes ....Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. This proposal is for an 18-month membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), the world’s largest collaborative research program in Earth and Ocean sciences. The Program studies the history and current activity of the Earth by conducting seagoing coring expeditions and monitoring of instrumented boreholes, using globally unique infrastructure that Australians would otherwise have no access to. Program outcomes include understanding past global environmental change on multiple time scales, the deep biosphere, plate tectonics, formation and distribution of resources, and generation of hazards. These outcomes are paramount to Australia’s national science and research priorities, and societal and economic prosperity.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE160100067
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000,000.00
Summary
Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. Australian membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program:
This project is for a 5-year membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program, the world’s largest collaborative research program in earth and ocean sciences addressing international priorities. The program conducts seagoing coring expeditions and monitoring of instrumented boreholes to study the history and current activity of the Earth, recorded in sed ....Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. Australian membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program:
This project is for a 5-year membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program, the world’s largest collaborative research program in earth and ocean sciences addressing international priorities. The program conducts seagoing coring expeditions and monitoring of instrumented boreholes to study the history and current activity of the Earth, recorded in sediments and rocks below the seafloor. The program’s aims include understanding past global environments on multiple time scales, the deep biosphere, plate tectonics, occurrence and distribution of resources, and generation of hazards. Several multinational expeditions are scheduled and planned in our marine jurisdiction and within the Australasian region. Read moreRead less
Beach Erosion and Recovery: Quantifying the Hazard. Coastal erosion is confronting societies and the natural environment. The economic value in Australia of built assets at risk includes roads ($60 billion), commercial buildings ($81 billion) and homes ($63 billion). Hard engineering entire coastlines is rarely feasible, with beaches providing the best coastal defence along the great majority of sandy coastlines. But how wide should a buffer zone be to provide adequate protection from storms? An ....Beach Erosion and Recovery: Quantifying the Hazard. Coastal erosion is confronting societies and the natural environment. The economic value in Australia of built assets at risk includes roads ($60 billion), commercial buildings ($81 billion) and homes ($63 billion). Hard engineering entire coastlines is rarely feasible, with beaches providing the best coastal defence along the great majority of sandy coastlines. But how wide should a buffer zone be to provide adequate protection from storms? And critically, how reliable are the present modelling tools used to predict this, and can they be improved? Underpinned by innovative field observations to fill fundamental knowledge gaps, this project aims to deliver advanced understanding and the best available solution to storm erosion prediction.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100084
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,428.00
Summary
The interplay of tectonics and sea level on carbonate platform evolution. Reefs and carbonate platforms represent the most prolific component of Earth’s carbonate factory on geological timescales. The project will develop a digital community framework for modelling the rise and demise of carbonate platforms on geological timescales. The project will untangle the relative influence of tectonics, dynamic topography from mantle convection, sea level change, climate, and terrestrial sediment runoff ....The interplay of tectonics and sea level on carbonate platform evolution. Reefs and carbonate platforms represent the most prolific component of Earth’s carbonate factory on geological timescales. The project will develop a digital community framework for modelling the rise and demise of carbonate platforms on geological timescales. The project will untangle the relative influence of tectonics, dynamic topography from mantle convection, sea level change, climate, and terrestrial sediment runoff on the growth and drowning of carbonate platforms. The outcomes will identify the environmental conditions that shut down reefs on the scale of the Great Barrier Reef, quantify the carbon storage potential of carbonate platforms, and model the tectonic development of Australia's continental margins in unprecedented detail.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE140100047
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,600,000.00
Summary
Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. Australian membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program: This project is for an Australian membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. The Program will recover drill cores, situate observatories, and conduct down-hole experiments in all the world's oceans from lowest to highest latitudes to address fundamental questions about Earth's history and processes within four high-priority scientific themes: clima ....Australian Membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. Australian membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program: This project is for an Australian membership of the International Ocean Discovery Program. The Program will recover drill cores, situate observatories, and conduct down-hole experiments in all the world's oceans from lowest to highest latitudes to address fundamental questions about Earth's history and processes within four high-priority scientific themes: climate and ocean change - reading the past and informing the future; biosphere frontiers - deep life, biodiversity, and environmental forcing of ecosystems; earth connections - deep processes and their impact on earth's surface environment; earth in motion - processes and hazards on a human time scale.Read moreRead less
Developing reliable chronologies for extinct Australian Pleistocene megafauna from museum fossil collections. Our ability to understand the timing of prehistoric extinction events is critical, but can only be achieved by reliable dating methods. This project will adopt several new and exciting methodologies in the direct dating of fossils to determine the chronological sequence and the timing of extinction of the Pleistocene megafauna.
Determining the relative roles of dispersal and vicariance in the assembly of the New Zealand fauna. New fossils from New Zealand's St Bathans Fauna (19-16 million years) will revolutionise our understanding of the shared biodiversity and evolutionary history of New Zealand and Australia through the first views of the origin and evolution of major Gondwanan groups including frogs, crocodiles, birds and bats on the now mostly-drowned continent Zealandia.
New Riversleigh: Bridging chasms in the Neogene of Australia. This project aims to investigate the evolution of Australia’s animals in the late Miocene, 10 - 5 million years ago. The team’s discovery of a remote fossil field west of and larger than the Riversleigh World Heritage Area opens a window into Australia’s past, linking those of Australia's older lush rainforest communities to those of its drier, more modern habitats. Radiometric dates indicate that sediments in this vast area are late ....New Riversleigh: Bridging chasms in the Neogene of Australia. This project aims to investigate the evolution of Australia’s animals in the late Miocene, 10 - 5 million years ago. The team’s discovery of a remote fossil field west of and larger than the Riversleigh World Heritage Area opens a window into Australia’s past, linking those of Australia's older lush rainforest communities to those of its drier, more modern habitats. Radiometric dates indicate that sediments in this vast area are late Miocene in age. This project will reveal how Australia’s wildlife responded to one of the world’s biggest climate changes and help better anticipate what will be required to ensure its survival into the future. Benefits include enhanced understanding about long-term biota/climate interactions and significant additions to Australia’s unique, internationally significant palaeontological artefacts.Read moreRead less