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The Australian Government's Innovation Report

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Overcoming soil loss, salinity and acidity<br />

Coral gives new insight into changing ocean acidity: <strong>The</strong> rising level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere<br />

is changing the acidity of oceanic waters.<br />

Researchers from AIMS and the <strong>Australian</strong> National University have obtained the first historical insight into<br />

changes in ocean acidity and coral growth.<br />

<strong>The</strong> scientists analysed a core sample from a 300-year-old massive coral on Flinders Reef in the western Coral Sea.<br />

By studying the growth rings in the coral, they were able to measure its past growth rates and compare these<br />

with levels of boron isotopes, which provide a marker for ocean acidity.<br />

<strong>The</strong>ir results, published in the journal Science, showed that ocean acidity rose and fell approximately every 55 years<br />

coinciding with periodic fluctuations in global climate.<br />

<strong>The</strong> relatively large variations in seawater pH (a measure of acidity) experienced at Flinders Reef, suggest that coral<br />

reefs may be resilient to the shorter-term effects of ocean acidification. However, in the coming decades many<br />

reefs are likely to experience unnaturally low pH levels.<br />

Improved understanding of the response of coral reefs to increased acidity and the long-term impacts of ocean<br />

acidification will be important in predicting the effects of climate change on coral reefs and other marine communities.<br />

International collaborations to overcome environmental challenges: <strong>The</strong> <strong>Australian</strong> Centre for International<br />

Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has entered research partnerships with neighbouring countries that experience<br />

similar environmental challenges as Australia.<br />

Water and soil management techniques have continued to receive high levels of attention over the last year. Outputs<br />

generated include improved understanding of institutional arrangements for water management and more<br />

efficient allocation of scarce irrigation water to crops.<br />

Research partnerships have contributed to joint understanding of soil acidity and salinity and approaches to revegetation<br />

and reduction of degradation.<br />

Current research in the area of a sustainable use of Australia’s biodiversity includes efforts to improve productivity<br />

of peas and faba beans in the drier parts of China which involve a focus on common interests by breeders,<br />

pathologists and genetic resource specialists. <strong>The</strong>ir major goal is to develop cultivars with multiple resistances<br />

to disease and abiotic stress such as drought.<br />

Extensive collecting expeditions have been under way in Qinghai (spring sown) and Yunan (autumn sown) provinces<br />

for landraces of pea and faba bean traditionally grown by the farmers. Germplasm exchanges continued and Australia<br />

has sent elite breeding material to China. In return Australia received collections of landraces and a core collection<br />

of peas.<br />

Reducing and capturing emissions in transport and energy generation<br />

Driving greener: In March 2006, the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics (BTRE) released its paper<br />

Greenhouse gas emissions from <strong>Australian</strong> transport: base case projections to 2020.<br />

<strong>The</strong> report provides projections for carbon dioxide emissions out to 2020 and forecasts that emissions will continue<br />

to increase by about 1.6% a year over this period. This work will assist the government to assess the greenhouse<br />

impact of the <strong>Australian</strong> transport sector and the likely progress in meeting greenhouse gas abatement objectives.<br />

<strong>The</strong> report shows a significant contributor to environmental pollution in Australia comes from land based<br />

transport. Hence, growth in Australia’s population places pressure on national infrastructure and the need to<br />

manage growth in both traffic numbers and greenhouse emissions.<br />

During 2005-06, the Bureau commenced a number of research projects in the area of road traffic congestion, including<br />

lessons from overseas, with congestion charging. <strong>The</strong> Bureau also assisted the Council of <strong>Australian</strong> Governments<br />

(COAG) in its review of congestion management in Australia, for reporting to the first COAG meeting in 2007.<br />

Chapter 3 - National research priorities 97

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