Research Projects
Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Strategy for Landholders Driving Change project (Old ID 25096)
Stephen Lewis
02 Jul 2018 - 28 Sep 2018
The objective of the Burdekin MIP is to work closely with groups in one or two focus areas, with the Bowen- Broken-Bogie (BBB) catchments, to trial a range of regionally tailored, coordinated actions that reduce sediment and nutrient loads. Throughout this Major Integrated Project, progress in achieving land management practice changes, economic benefits for landholders and pollutant load reductions will be closely monitored and results will inform adaptive management. This project is to develop an overarching Monitoring, Modelling and Reporting Strategy for the water quality component of the program.
Cairns POM morphology mapping (Old ID 26492)
Rob Beaman
01 Apr 2019 - 30 Jun 2019
This research will generate the most accurate and up-to-date 3D depth model for the Cairns Plan of Management (POM) area, at the 30m pixel resolution, using all the available source bathymetry data for this region. This fundamental dataset will then be used to derive a Morphology-Surface, as per the proposed structure of the national Seafloor GeoMorphology (NSGM) mapping scheme, being developed by Geoscience Australia. This involves the semi-automatic derivation of morphological surfaces from bathymetric data into Plan, Slope and Escarpment classes.
Metal concentrations in green turtles on the Great Barrier Reef (Old ID 26767)
Ellen Ariel
28 Jan 2020 - 01 Apr 2021
The aim of this study is to investigate metal concentrations in green turtles foraging at four study sites before and after the wet season and the 2019 North Queensland flood event. Funding is requested for ICP-MS sample analysis of metal exposure in seagrass species and green turtles with the aim of better understanding the full extent of metal exposure at a number of coastal study sites of the Northern Great Barrier Reef, impacted by anthropogenic activity.
Applications for Magnetic Resonance Image Guidance in Radiation Therapy in Prostate Cancer. (Old ID 27208)
Mostafa Rahimi Azghadi
29 Mar 2021 - 30 Sep 2024
Prostate cancer is a serious disease with a large burden on the Australian health system, often treated with radiation therapy (RT). A specific RT treatment called Magnetic resonance image-guided radiation therapy (MRIgRT) combines imaging with therapy to provide potentially superb targeting. In this project, technical machine learning solutions for novel applications of MRIgRT will be explored.
Challenging targets in rare earth metalorganic chemistry (Old ID 24847)
Peter Junk
17 May 2019 - 31 Dec 2022
This project aims to prepare technically demanding, highly reactive rare earth organometallic and metal-organic compounds, especially from the free metals, and to determine their structures and reactivity. The challenging target systems include coordination stabilised novel ligands, pseudo-Grignard reagents LnR(X) including the rare fluorides, complexes primed for C-F activation, and intermediates from use of lanthanoid reagents in organic synthesis. The studies provide a knowledge base and expertise for the utilisation of Australia's abundant rare earths in chemical manufacture, catalysis, and recycling, and will transform the current behaviour of the elements.
Water Quality, eDNA and NRM Management Directions (Old ID 26264)
Nathan Waltham
04 Dec 2018 - 30 Jun 2022
Water quality and the threat of invasive species continue to exist in the Torres Straits. This project will continue to provide research services to assist Torres Straits Regional Authority to track restoration and protection of freshwater and marine wetland habitats in the Torres Strait islands. A component of this project includes facilitating training and educational material for Land and Sea Ranger program.
Acoustics for Large Scale Biodiversity Assessment. (Old ID 26340)
Lin Schwarzkopf
07 Jul 2020 - 31 Dec 2023
Aims: This project will investigate using automated acoustic recording to efficiently census biodiversity assessment at a continental scale. Significance: To generate new techniques for analysing environmental acoustic data and assessing Australian biodiversity, verified empirical estimates of biodiversity, an understanding of causes of variation in biodiversity. Expected outcomes: methods for large-scale and accurate assessment of biodiversity, enhanced capacity to detect causes of variation in biodiversity, open-source software tools for analysing environmental audio data, biodiversity datasets. Benefits: measuring and understanding biodiversity change, allowing enhanced management, conservation, and use of Australian natural resources.
Targeting bio-compatible homo- and hetero-bimetallic cages and their application in high energy and dual energy computed tomography (Old ID 21314)
Peter Junk
01 Jan 2014 - 31 Dec 2016
The project is focused on the synthesis, characterisation and stability of novel homo-metallic and hetero-metallic O- and S- based cage compounds which have the potential to be suitable for high energy and Dual Energy CT imaging (DECT), and also for optical imaging where rare-earth metals are involved. Pre-requisites for cage design are that they be stable and soluble in aqueous media, and be resistant to anionic ligand exchange at the cluster surface. The targeted metals are based on good attenuation at high (100-140 keV) and low X-ray (< 30 keV) energies, and the possibility of high stability and low toxicity.
Direct age determination with validation for commercially important Australian lobster and crab species (western, eastern, southern and ornate rock lobster, and crystal, Tasmanian giant and mud crab) (Old ID 21354)
Clive Jones
01 Jul 2014 - 30 Jun 2016
Age information for commercially important crustaceans is necessary for calculating growth, mortality, recruitment and productivity, and is a critical component for any sustainable fisheries management plan. Until recently, direct age determination was considered impossible for crustaceans and only indirect methods existed (e.g. size frequency distributions). However, recent research has demonstrated that direct age determination of crustaceans is possible. Clear growth marks have been identified in gastric ossicles from several key Australian species. This project will produce validated ages for several crustacean species, across their full size range and in climatic regions other than the cool temperate conditions assessed previously. Validated age information will facilitate the sustainable management of Australia's crustaceans fisheries. This component managed by JCU will examine the tropical rock lobster Panulirus ornatus.
Crowdsourced bathymetry on the Great Barrier Reef (Old ID 26203)
Rob Beaman
05 Nov 2018 - 30 Dec 2019
Crowdsourced bathymetry is the collection of depth measurements from vessels, using standard navigation instruments. Bathymetry and navigation data are logged to a SmartLog USB data logger from the vessel's depth sounder and GPS, then used to improve the accuracy of the high-resolution 3D depth model of the Reef, through Project 3D-GBR. The GBR Foundation is funding a pool of data loggers to enable more partner vessels to collect depth data. This project gives people an increasing role in contributing valuable citizen science data to improve a fundamental dataset that helps the reef.