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Sensitivity Of Subantarctic Marine Invertebrates To Metal Contamination, Jessica Rose Holan

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Areas of the subantarctic are isolated, cold, harsh and generally pristine. However, the presence of humans invariably leads to contamination, particularly around research stations and legacy refuse sites. Increases in ship visits to the region will heighten the chance of fuel spills and increase concentrations of contaminants including copper, due to its use as a biocide on ship hulls. Despite this increased risk of contamination, there is currently very limited data available on the sensitivity of subantarctic marine biota to contaminants, and no environmental quality guidelines exist for this region. This study is therefore the first marine-based comprehensive ecotoxicology study …

Improving Coastal Management Outcomes Through Science And The Law, Katie J. O'Neal

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The conservation of coastal resources and environmental values for current and future generations is challenged by pressure for development in vulnerable coastal locations. Science and the law each provide important contributions to addressing how development is approved on the coast. Coastal decision makers accept that science is crucial for management, providing knowledge about habitats, physical processes and predicted responses to change. Yet, there are many challenges associated with applying science to management decisions. A growing body of scientific research investigates the barriers occurring within environmental governance networks to identify ways to improve the application of science, referred to as ‘science …

Weather-Ways: Experiencing And Responding To Everyday Weather, Eliza De Vet

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Climates are changing, yet how these changes will affect individuals in their everyday lives is unclear. In climate change research, weather and climate (change) have largely been represented quantitatively. Such representations offer individuals, societies and institutions limited tangible explanation of future climate change, impeding efforts to develop and implement effective climate change responses. In order to comprehend the realities of climate change and potential adaptation capacities, research must recognise how individuals and societies currently relate to weather in context of everyday life.

This thesis contributes to research on weather relations by exploring the role of weather in everyday life in …

Processes Controlling Fuel Dynamics And Fire Regimes Across Environmental Gradients In The Mediterranean Region Of South Eastern Australia, Rebecca Gibson

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Fire is a key process that governs the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems. Changes in fire regimes have the potential to greatly affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Fire regimes differ between ecosystems due to variation in fuel dynamics (i.e. vegetation growth and moisture content), fire weather and ignitions. Patterns of growth, fuel accumulation and flammability in response to resource availability will differ fundamentally between fuel systems dominated by grasses compared to woody plants. As such, the effect of fuel dynamics on fire will beinfluenced byfactors that determine the relative abundance of grass and shrub cover.

This study aimed to …

Investigating Secondary School Students’ Understanding Of Climate Change, Lorna Elaine Jarrett

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

A large body of international research confirms that misconceptions about the science of climate change remain common, despite the topic having been part of many science syllabi for more than a decade. This study explored students’ ideas about the key scientific concepts underlying the topic.

To do this, I developed the Climate Change Concept Inventory (CCCI), a 27 item multiple-choice diagnostic instrument. The concepts addressed by the CCCI were determined through a Delphi study of experts in secondary science teaching and climate science, and a review of research literature on students’ understanding of the topic. I applied a rigorous methodology …

A Study On The Possible Impacts Of Climate Change On Food Security In The Central Coastal Area Of Bangladesh, Zubyda Siddika

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Global and local climate changes can affect crop yields in the future. Recent increase of weather related stresses and damages are resulting from an increase in the frequency of climate hazards. However, agriculture in both developing and developed countries depends highly on climate factors (temperature, solar radiation and precipitation) that act as a main driver of rice production. Nevertheless, the relationship of climate variability and rice production could vary in different regions across the world. Bangladesh is perhaps one of the most climatic vulnerable countries because of geographical location and large Gnga-Meghna-Brahmuptra river systems. The costal belt of Bangladesh covers …

Exposure To Legal Risk For Climate Change Damage Under The Unfccc, Kyoto Protocol And Losc: A Case Study Of Tuvalu And Australia, Keely Boom

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

In 2002, the Pacific Island State of Tuvalu made international news when its Prime Minister announced that Tuvalu intended to sue Australia and the United States in the International Court of Justice. To date, Tuvalu has never brought the threatened litigation. Tuvalu is one of a number of small island developing States that could eventually become uninhabitable due to the effects of climate change. This thesis aims to test to what extent legal responsibility for climate change damage may arise under international law. It also seeks to determine what level of exposure to legal risk Australia may face for such …

The Effects Of Temperature On The Early Life History Of The Rocky Intertidal Barnacle Tesseropora Rosea, Justin Adam Lathlean

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The rocky intertidal zone represents the interface between the marine and terrestrial environment and is considered one of the most thermally complex ecosystems on earth. Biologists have long understood that life within the intertidal zone is considerably influenced by a steep thermal gradient produced by the rising and falling tide. In recent years, however, studies have discovered that numerous small-scale processes, other than elevation in tidal height, can produce mosaic patterns of thermal stress along rocky intertidal shores. Linking this local temperature variability to the physiological and demographic patterns of intertidal invertebrates is an essential first step to understanding how …

Invasive Plant Management In Complex Social Landscapes: A Case Study In Coastal New South Wales In Australia, Mohammed Jahangir Alam

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Climate change, landowner diversity, human socio-cultural and political attitudes, the biological and ecological characteristics of invasive plants and the nature of the communities they invade are the major drivers of plant invasion. The role of landowners in ranking invasive weeds and in adopting appropriate management strategies to limit invasion problems has received insufficient research attention. This thesis aimed to investigate how the complex interaction between bio-physical and socio-political drivers exacerbates the invasion problem and leads to adoption of management strategies to control and/or eradicate invasive plant species. This study was carried out in the Kiama LGA in the Illawarra Region …

Tropical Cyclone Induced Cooling: Another Mechanism For Providing Thermal Refuge For Coral Reefs In An Era Of Climate Warming?, Adam D. Carrigan

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The world’s coral reefs provide valuable socio-economic services to millions of people and are host to a biodiverse array of marine life. Yet they face an uncertain future given increasingly heightened exposure to natural and anthropogenic disturbances, which can interact and / or occur at such high frequencies and intensities that coral reefs are unable to recover sufficiently between events to maintain a stable state dominated by hard-corals. The primary goal of current coral reef conservation strategies is to protect a reef’s capacity to recover following a disturbance or disturbances (i.e. resilience), and thus remain in a hardcoral dominated state. …

Aspects Of The Contemporary And Quaternary Hydrology Of The Lake Eyre Basin, Central Australia, Joshua Redder Larsen

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

The availability of surface water resources is of fundamental concern globally, especially in dryland environments where these resources are particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation. Determining the extent and quality of this water also requires some knowledge about the susceptibility of these resources to change. This thesis aims to improve our understanding of the water balance in dryland environments, in particular within the Lake Eyre Basin (LEB) in central Australia, both in terms of modern processes and the factors that may have resulted in changing hydrological conditions during the Late Quaternary.

The dissolved load in the contemporary dryland rivers of the LEB …

Adaptation To Climate Change In Desert Contexts: Comparing Two Australian Local Government Areas, Athier Hussin

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

As a result of the seriousness and intensification of the impacts of climate change, the study of adaptation and adaptive capacity has become more necessary. Most such studies have focused in Australia on the urbanised and coastal areas, but have not yet been extended to desert areas. This thesis examines the implications of, and adaptive capacity to, climate change for desert areas. In order to cover the Australian arid and semi-arid areas within this study, this research uses the town of Mildura as an example of a semi-arid area while the town of Broken Hill is used as an example …

Climate Conflict: Players And Tactics In The Greenhouse Game, Patrick Hodder

University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016

Climate change is bitterly controversial in public and political debate despite mainstream scientific consensus on its causes and consequences. Through a series of case studies I examine the strategies and tactics of three key players – government, industry, and scientists. I develop a framework adapted from Brian Martin‘s backfire model of outrage management to classify and compare the tactics of these groups. Applying a framework of tactics to the climate change debate gives insight into a pattern of techniques used by the protagonists.

Governments and industry are powerful players with access to a wide range of tactics. The Australian government …