The Australian Geologist - Geological Society of Australia

Special Report
Special Report
ARC 2007 Grants for Earth Science Research
PROJECT SUMMARY GRANT
Earth's internal system: deep processes
and crustal consequences.
Prof SY O'Reilly; Prof WL Griffin; Dr NJ Pearson;
Dr O Alard; Prof Dr K RegenauerLieb; Prof S Grand;
Prof S Chung; Prof J Cottin; Dr R Herrington;
Prof Dr M Scambelluri; Prof Dr E Rampone;
A/Prof T Stachel; Prof X Xu
Administering Institution
Macquarie University
Outcomes will include significant new information about the structure and formation
of the Earth's crust and the underlying mantle. An improved framework
for interpreting the architecture of Australia and other continents will be directly
relevant to exploration for worldclass economic deposits, the Earth resources on
which society depends. Innovations in geochemical technology and in the integration
of information from geochemistry, geophysics and geodynamics will
maintain our high international profile in research relevant to National Priority
1.6 (Developing Deep Earth Resources). The project and its interaction with the
minerals industry will provide advanced Postgraduate training in a field critical
to Australia's future.
2007 : $230,000
2008 : $230,000
2009 : $230,000
Mantle melting dynamics and the
influence of recycled components.
Prof SP Turner
APF
Administering Institution
Macquarie University
This proposal is directly concerned with the continuing aim of building a sustainable
Australia through knowledge of deep earth resources. The more we know
about the processes of melting and melt and fluid migration the better we will
be able to inform models for resource exploration and volcanic hazard mitigation.
Uranium series isotopes are relevant to the very recent history of the planet
(< 350,000 years) time scales which are often overlooked. Application to mantle
melting as described in this proposal may also have direct application to gold
exploration in the Manus basin and elsewhere. It is to these techniques we must
look at if we are to understand the immediate past as a clue to the immediate
future of our planet.
2007 : $ 90,000
2008 : $ 90,000
2009 : $ 95,000
Improving climate models through new
insights on longterm interhemispheric
climate synchronicity from speleothems.
Dr RN Drysdale; Dr JC Hellstrom; Dr R Maas;
Dr G Zanchetta; Prof AE Fallick; Prof G Lohmann
Administering Institution
The University of Newcastle
It is important that palaeoclimatologists continue to improve understanding
of how the Earth responds to climate forcing, so that climate models can be rigorously
validated and refined. Since the Earth responds to most of this
forcing over time scales that exceed the length of instrumental weather
measurements, the recovery of datable palaeoclimate archives that are highly
sensitive to past climate changes is essential. Our project will provide important
new palaeoclimate data from both hemispheres on how key regions of the Earth
responded to past climate changes. This will bring improved understanding of
past oceanicatmospheric processes that can be fed into climate models, ultimately
producing better forecasts to the benefit of all Australians.
2007 : $150,000
2008 : $142,000
2009 : $ 37,000
Unravelling the last great Gondwanan
mystery: the first land vertebrate fauna
from the tertiary of New Zealand.
Dr S Hand; Prof M Archer
Administering Institution
The University of New South Wales
This project will dramatically increase knowledge about Australia's and New
Zealand's shared biodiversity and the history of transTasman dispersals. By
comparing Australian and New Zealand fossil records, it will be possible to assess
the speed at which evolving vertebrates of one landmass invade another, as well
as the biotic consequences of such events, and provide data important for
predicting and responding to future potentially damaging events of this kind.
Developing understanding about the timing and intensity of antipodean faunal
response to past climate change will improve ability to anticipate and manage
processes that threaten ecosystem resilience in both lands.
2007 : $182,902
2008 : $171,000
2009 : $160,000
Wavebywave bedlevel changes at the
beachface of gravel and sand beaches.
Dr IL Turner; Dr G Masselink; Dr PE Russell
Administering Institution
The University of New South Wales
Australia's coastline is one of this country's greatest natural, cultural and economic
resources. Recent experiences internationally have shown that in a changing
climate, coastal erosion is a real and growing threat to the presentday
sustainability of our coasts. Innovative instrumentation developed by our team
now enables fundamental erosion and accretion processes to be quantified for
the first time. Working within the framework of two collaborative, fully integrated,
international research programs commencing in 2007 and 2008, this study
will place Australia at the forefront of breakthrough coastal research, leading to
rapid advances in the scientific, engineering and operational understanding and
modelling of coastal change.
2007 : $104,000
2008 : $103,000
2009 : $ 97,000
30 | TAG December 2006