Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Bioregional Assessment Project: Sydney Metropolitan, Southern Rivers And Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchments: Data Collation Phase To Study The Impact Of Mining Activity And Coal Seam Gas On Environmental Assets, John Bradd, Tim Cohen, Sam Marx, Sol Buckman, Emma Burkhardt, A Clarke, Nicole Cook, Stephen Cullen, James Daley, Alexi Gavin, Ren Hu, Emma Kiekebosch-Fitt, Matt Lemcke, Andrew Lowe, Thomas Mcmahon, Luke Mcneilage, Kaitlyn O'Mara, Garth Nagle, Sam Robson, Carolyn Silveri, Joe Stammers

Samuel K Marx

This study was commissioned by the Hawkesbury-Nepean (HNCMA), Sydney Metropolitan (SMCMA) and Southern Rivers (SRCMA) Catchment Management Authorities and undertaken by the University of Wollongong to collate existing data and to provide a preliminary assessment of the potential impacts of coal seam gas (CSG) and coal mining activities on environmental assets within the three CMA regions, where environmental assets were defined under three broad themes; water, land and biodiversity. This study formed part of the Australian Federal Government’s Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPaC) Bioregional Assessment initiative within regions potentially affected by CSG and coal mining activities. …

The Significance Of Carbon-Enriched Dust For Global Carbon Accounting, Nicholas P. Webb, Adrian Chappell, Craig L. Strong, Samuel K. Marx, Granth Mctainsh

Samuel K Marx

Soil carbon stores amount to 54% of the terrestrial carbon pool and twice the atmospheric carbon pool, but soil organic carbon (SOC) can be transient. There is an ongoing debate about whether soils are a net source or sink of carbon, and understanding the role of aeolian processes in SOC erosion, transport and deposition is rudimentary. The impacts of SOC erosion by wind on the global carbon budget, and its importance for carbon accounting remain largely unknown. Current understanding of SOC losses to wind erosion is based on the assumption that the SOC content of eroded material is the same …

A Methodology For The Rapid Assessment Of The Potential Impact And Hazard Of Coal Seam Gas Mining On Aquifers And The Environment, John M. Bradd, Emma Kiekebosch-Fitt, Tim J. Cohen, Sam K. Marx, Solomon Buckman

Samuel K Marx

The potential environmental impacts and hazards of coal seam gas mining in Australia are highly contentious and poorly understood. Concerns have been raised by communities, and the Australian government has incorporated management tools and strategies to address these concerns. The primary environmental issue associated with coal seam gas mining would be on the aquifers above the target coal seam. If the upper aquifers are affected in terms of quantity and quality, then there are cumulative impacts to the surface environment such as groundwater dependent ecosystems and surface waters. This paper will examine the Australian situation with regard to coal seam …

Unprecedented Wind Erosion And Perturbation Of Surface Geochemistry Marks The Anthropocene In Australia, Samuel Marx, Hamish Mcgowan, Balz Kamber, Jon M. Knight, John Denholm, Atun Zawadzki

Samuel K Marx

[1] Australia, the last continent to undergo industrial development, is an ideal environment in which to quantify the magnitude of human-induced environmental change during the Anthropocene because its entire agricultural and industrial history has occurred within this period. Analysis of an alpine peat mire showed that rapid industrial and agricultural development (both pastoral and cropping) over the past 200 years has resulted in significant environmental change in Australia. Beginning in the 1880s, rates of wind erosion and metal enrichment were up to 10 and 30 times that of background natural conditions, respectively. Increased dust deposition and an expansion in dust …

Trace Elements And Metal Pollution In Aerosols At An Alpine Site, New Zealand: Sources, Concentrations And Implications, Samuel K. Marx, Karen S. Lavin, Kimberly J. Hageman, Balz S. Kamber, Tadhg O'Loingsigh, Grant H. Mctainsh

Samuel K Marx

Atmospheric aerosol samples were collected at a remote site in New Zealand's Southern Alps. Collected samples were found to be a mixture of New Zealand and Australian sourced sediment, using their trace element signatures. Aerosol concentrations and the relative contribution of different sources was found to be a function of specific air-mass trajectories influencing the study site, dust entrainment rates in source areas and rainfall. Results show that Australian dust is a major source of particulate matter in New Zealand, particularly in remote alpine locations; however, locally derived dust is also important. Metal pollutants, including Pb, Cu and Sn, were …

First Occurrence And Biogeographical Significance Of The Operculate Tetracoral Goniophyllum From The Wenlock (Silurian) Of Baillie-Hamilton Island, Canadian Arctic, Anthony J. Wright

Anthony Wright

Opercula of the Silurian tetracoral genera Goniophyllum and Rhizophyllum are described from early Wenlock (Sheinwoodian) strata of the Cape Phillips Formation, Baillie-Hamilton Island, Canadian Arctic. This is the first record of Goniophyllum in northern Laurentia, emphasising previously recognised faunal connections of this region with Baltica and Avalonia. As the opercula of Goniophyllum belong mostly to very early juveniles, which have not previously been documented, specific identification is impossible.

Using Formative Feedback To Identify And Support First Year Chemistry Students With Missing Or Misconceptions. A Practice Report, Gwen Lawrie, Anthony Wright, Madeleine Schultz, Timothy Dargaville, Glennys O'Brien, Simon B. Bedford, Mark Williams, Roy Tasker, Hayden Dickson, Christopher Thompson

Anthony Wright

Students entering tertiary studies possess a diverse range of prior experiences in their academic preparation for tertiary chemistry so academics need tools to enable them to respond to issues in diversity in conceptual models possessed by entering students. Concept inventories can be used to provide formative feedback to help students identify concepts that they need to address to improve construction of subsequent understanding enabling their learning. Modular, formative learning activities that can be administered inside or outside of class in first year chemistry courses have been developed. These activities address key missing and mis-conceptions possessed by incoming student. Engagement in …

Morphology And Taxonomy Of The Late Silurian Rhynchonellide Brachiopod Notoconchidium, Anthony J. Wright, Michael J. Garratt

Anthony Wright

The distinctive brachiopod genus Notoconchidium is known from late Silurian, mostly sandy, shallow marine strata in Tasmania, Victoria and New Zealand. Material from the Zeehan and Wynyard areas (Tasmania), the Whittlesea-Wallan and Heathcote areas (Victoria), and the Wangapeka River area (New Zealand), permits further insight into detailed aspects of morphology and relationships between the previously named species N. tasmaniense, N. florencense and N. thomasi. We conclude that N. thomasi is a junior synonym of N. tasmaniense, but N. florencense is retained as a separate species. New species described are N. talenti and N. argentium. The diamond-shaped septalium of Notoconchidium exhibits, …

Notes On The Early Devonian Brachiopod Leptaena Ouralensis De Verneuil, 1845, Anthony J. Wright

Anthony Wright

On the basis of the type material, an attempt is made to review the widely reported brachiopod Leptaena ouralensis de Verneuil, 1845, much more commonly known as Megastrophia uralensis (de Verneuil, 1845). Assignment of this species to Megastrophia is still tentative, and many reports of the species, especially those based on crack-out material, must remain doubtful. The species has an established narrow geographic and stratigraphic range to the upper Emsian (upper Lower Devonian) of mostly Siberia, Mongolia and China.

Earth Is (Mostly) Flat: Apportionment Of The Flux Of Continental Sediment Over Millennial Time Scales: Reply, J K. Willenbring, Alexandru T. Codilean, B Mcelroy

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

We thank Warrick et al. (2014) for the Comment on our recent synthesis of 10Be-derived denudation rates (Willenbring et al., 2013), in which we suggested that gently sloping areas, representing ∼90% of the Earth’s land surface, have sufficiently high rates of denudation to produce a majority of mass fluxes to the world’s ocean.

First, Warrick et al. take issue with labeling our global cosmogenic nuclide denudation fluxes “sediment” and with the inferred comparisons to other sediment yield apportionment studies. We apologize for instances of unclear wording related to the terms: sediment production, sediment to the oceans, and mass flux. Unlike …

Late-Holocene Climatic Variability Indicated By Three Natural Archives In Arid Southern Australia, Luke A. Gliganic, Timothy J. Cohen, Jan-Hendrik May, John D. Jansen, Gerald C. Nanson, Anthony Dosseto, Joshua R. Larsen, Maxime Aubert

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Three terrestrial climate proxies are used to investigate the evolution of Holocene palaeoenvironments in southern central Australia, all of which present a coherent record of palaeohydrology. Single-grain optically stimulated luminescence from sediments supplemented by 14C from charcoal and lacustrine shells was obtained to date shoreline deposits (Lake Callabonna) and the adjacent Mt Chambers Creek alluvial fan. Our findings are complemented by a U/Th-based record of speleothem growth in the Mt Chambers Creek catchment, which we interpret to reflect increased precipitation. Together, these archives shed light on the timing of, and possible sources of water for, Holocene pluvial intervals. We identified …

Environmental Character And History Of The Lake Eyre Basin, One Seventh Of The Australian Continent, Anna Habeck-Fardy, Gerald C. Nanson

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

One of the world's largest internally drained (endorheic) basins, the 1.14 million km2 Lake Eyre (hydrological) Basin (LEB), covers nearly 15% of the Australian continent. Palaeoclimatic and associated flow regime variations are recorded in an archive of fluvial, aeolian and lacustrine sediments that are particularly accessible for deposits from the past ~ 300 ka, and are especially relevant for the past ~ 50 ka during which humans have inhabited Australia. Due to its great size, economic resources and diverse latitudinal extent, it has for over six decades been the focus of environmental, scientific and resource-based studies across numerous disciplines. With …

Rapid Profiling Of Laser-Induced Photochemistry In Single Microdroplets Using Mass Spectrometry, Phillip J. Tracey, Bartholomew S. Vaughn, Brendon J. Roberts, Berwyck L. J Poad, Adam J. Trevitt

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Rapid assessment of laser-induced photochemistry in single microdroplets is afforded by on-demand microdroplet generation coupled to a commercial ion-trap mass spectrometer. Single microdroplets (diameter 50 μm, 65 pL) fall on a steel needle held at +2 kV where they subsequently form a spray that is directed toward the inlet of an ion-trap mass spectrometer. It is demonstrated that single microdroplet mass spectra are recordable, one at a time, for methanol droplets containing 100 μM 4-iodoaniline. Extending on this, to probe laser-initiated photochemistry in single picoliter volumes, a UV laser pulse is timed to intercept the droplet before hitting the needle. …

Annual Distributions And Sources Of Arctic Aerosol Components, Aerosol Optical Depth, And Aerosol Absorption, Thomas J. Breider, Loretta J. Mickley, Daniel Jacob, Qiaoqiao Wang, Jenny A. Fisher, Rachel Y.-W Chang, Becky Alexander

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Radiative forcing by aerosols and tropospheric ozone could play a significant role in recent Arctic warming. These species are in general poorly accounted for in climate models. We use the GEOS-Chem global chemical transport model to construct a 3-D representation of Arctic aerosols and ozone that is consistent with observations and can be used in climate simulations. We focus on 2008, when extensive observations were made from different platforms as part of the International Polar Year. Comparison to aircraft, surface, and ship cruise observations suggests that GEOS-Chem provides in general a successful year-round simulation of Arctic black carbon (BC), organic …

Late Pleistocene Glaciation Of The Kodar Mountains, South-Central Siberia, Constrained By Be-10 Exposure Dating, Martin Margold, John Jansen, Artem L. Gurinov, Natalya V. Reznichenko, Alexandru T. Codilean, David Fink

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Geophysical Research Abstracts of EGU General Assembly 2014, held 27 April - 2 May, 2014 in Vienna, Austria.

Constraining The Timescales Of Sediment Transport In Lowland Regions Using U-Series Isotopes And Morphometric Analysis, Ashley Martin, Anthony Dosseto, Allan Chivas, Jan-Hendrik May

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Geophysical Research Abstracts of EGU General Assembly 2014, held 27 April - 2 May, 2014 in Vienna, Austria.

Photodissociation Of Tempo-Modified Peptides: New Approaches To Radical-Directed Dissociation Of Biomolecules, David L. Marshall, Christopher S. Hansen, Adam J. Trevitt, Han Bin Oh, Stephen J. Blanksby

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Radical-directed dissociation of gas phase ions is emerging as a powerful and complementary alternative to traditional tandem mass spectrometric techniques for biomolecular structural analysis. Previous studies have identified that coupling of 2-[(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl)methyl]benzoic acid (TEMPO-Bz) to the N-terminus of a peptide introduces a labile oxygen–carbon bond that can be selectively activated upon collisional activation to produce a radical ion. Here we demonstrate that structurally-defined peptide radical ions can also be generated upon UV laser photodissociation of the same TEMPO-Bz derivatives in a linear ion-trap mass spectrometer. When subjected to further mass spectrometric analyses, the radical ions formed by a single laser …

Unprecedented Wind Erosion And Perturbation Of Surface Geochemistry Marks The Anthropocene In Australia, Samuel Marx, Hamish Mcgowan, Balz Kamber, Jon M. Knight, John Denholm, Atun Zawadzki

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

[1] Australia, the last continent to undergo industrial development, is an ideal environment in which to quantify the magnitude of human-induced environmental change during the Anthropocene because its entire agricultural and industrial history has occurred within this period. Analysis of an alpine peat mire showed that rapid industrial and agricultural development (both pastoral and cropping) over the past 200 years has resulted in significant environmental change in Australia. Beginning in the 1880s, rates of wind erosion and metal enrichment were up to 10 and 30 times that of background natural conditions, respectively. Increased dust deposition and an expansion in dust …

Response To Sheppard, C. Atoll Rim Expansion Or Erosion In Diego Garcia Atoll, Indian Ocean? Comment On Hamylton, S.; East, H. A Geospatial Appraisal Of Ecological And Geomorphic Change On Diego Garcia Atoll, Chagos Islands (British Indian Ocean Territory). Remote Sens. 2012, 4, 3444-3461, Sarah Hamylton, Holly East

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

We welcome Sheppard's comments on our recent assessment of both ecological and geomorphic change at Diego Garcia Atoll in the central Indian Ocean [1]. Whilst our assessment incorporated numerous aspects of change, including movements of the lagoon rim shorelines, changes in the terrestrial vegetation on the lagoon rim and amendments to the bathymetry of the lagoon basin through dredging activities [2], this comment solely addresses the estimates of shoreline change. Here we make some brief remarks relating to this shoreline assessment of Diego Garcia and elaborate on some of the complexities of the geomorphic processes that underpin shoreline dynamics. These …

Inner Gorges Cut By Subglacial Meltwater During Fennoscandian Ice Sheet Decay, John Jansen, Alexandru T. Codilean, Arjen P. Stroeven, Derek Fabel, C Hattestrand, Johan Kleman, J M. Harbor, J Heymann, Peter Kubik, S Xu

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The century-long debate over the origins of inner gorges that were repeatedly covered by Quaternary glaciers hinges upon whether the gorges are fluvial forms eroded by subaerial rivers, or subglacial forms cut beneath ice. Here we apply cosmogenic nuclide exposure dating to seven inner gorges along ~500 km of the former Fennoscandian ice sheet margin in combination with a new deglaciation map. We show that the timing of exposure matches the advent of ice-free conditions, strongly suggesting that gorges were cut by channelized subglacial meltwater while simultaneously being shielded from cosmic rays by overlying ice. Given the exceptional hydraulic efficiency …

The Impact Of Spectral Resolution On Satellite Retrieval Accuracy Of Co2 And Ch4, A Galli, Sandrine Guerlet, Andre Butz, Ilse Aben, H Suto, A Kuze, Nicholas Deutscher, Justus Notholt, Debra Wunch, Paul Wennberg, D W. T Griffith, Otto Hasekamp, J Landgraf

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

The Fourier-transform spectrometer on board the Japanese GOSAT (Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite) satellite offers an excellent opportunity to study the impact of instrument resolution on retrieval accuracy of CO2 and CH4. This is relevant to further improve retrieval accuracy and to optimize the cost-benefit ratio of future satellite missions for the remote sensing of greenhouse gases. To address this question, we degrade GOSAT measurements with a spectral resolution of ≈ 0.24 cm−1 step by step to a resolution of 1.5 cm−1. We examine the results by comparing relative differences at various resolutions, by referring the results to reference values from …

Isomer-Specific Product Detection Of Gas-Phase Xylyl Radical Rearrangement And Decomposition Using Vuv Synchrotron Photoionization, Patrick Hemberger, Adam J. Trevitt, Thomas Gerber, Edward Ross, Gabriel Da Silva

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Xylyl radicals are intermediates in combustion processes since their parent molecules, xylenes, are present as fuel additives. In this study we report on the photoelectron spectra of the three isomeric xylyl radicals and the subsequent decomposition reactions of the o-xylyl radical, generated in a tubular reactor and probed by mass selected threshold photoelectron spectroscopy and VUV synchrotron radiation. Franck-Condon simulations are applied to augment the assignment of elusive species. Below 1000 K, o-xylyl radicals decompose by hydrogen atom loss to form closed-shell o-xylylene, which equilibrates with benzocyclobutene. At higher temperatures relevant to combustion engines, o-xylylene generates styrene in a multistep …

Critical Cartography And The Use Of New Technologies For Conserving The Australian Coastline: A Case Study From Lord Howe Island, Sarah Hamylton

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Maps exert power. In this paper I explore the power of maps in relation to the technical methods employed and the political context of their production. The internal power of maps is realised in the actions taken by cartographers themselves when making maps, while the external power of maps is both realised by the patrons of cartography and wielded through the use of cartographic products as agents for natural resource management, in particular for defining conservation strategies. An Australian case study of coastal mapping is used to examine the methods employed and motivation behind map production through a series of …

Synthesis, Properties, Water And Solute Permeability Of Mwnt Buckypapers, Md. Harun-Or Rashid, Son Q. T Pham, Luke J. Sweetman, Leighton J. Alcock, Anthony Wise, Long D. Nghiem, Gerry Triani, Marc In Het Panhuis, Stephen F. Ralph

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

High power tip sonication was used to prepare dispersions containing multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), or multi-walled carbon nanotubes functionalised with carboxylic acid groups (MWNT-COOH) or amine groups (MWNT-NH2). The dispersion of carbon nanotubes was facilitated by the presence of a surfactant (Triton X-100) or various macrocyclic ligands (derivatised porphyrin, phthalocyanine or calixarene) in the solution. Vacuum filtration of the dispersions afforded self-supporting membranes known as buckypapers. Microanalysis provided evidence for retention of the surfactant or macrocyclic ligands in the buckypapers, which were also characterised by measurement of their electrical conductivities (24±16 to 58±11 S/cm), contact angles (28±1° to 55±10°) and …

Discordance Between Cosmogenic Nuclide Concentrations In Amalgamated Sands And Individual Fluvial Pebbles In An Arid Zone Catchment, Alexandru T. Codilean, Cassandra R. Fenton, Derek Fabel, Paul Bishop, Sheng Xu

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Based on cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al analyses in 15 individual detrital quartz pebbles (16–21 mm) and cosmogenic 10Be in amalgamated medium sand (0.25–0.50 mm), all collected from the outlet of the upper Gaub River catchment in Namibia, quartz pebbles yield a substantially lower average denudation rate than those yielded by the amalgamated sand sample. 10Be and 26Al concentrations in the 15 individual pebbles span nearly two orders of magnitude (0.22 ± 0.01 to 20.74 ± 0.52 × 10610Be atoms g−1 and 1.35 ± 0.09 to 72.76 ± 2.04 × 10626Al atoms g−1, respectively) and yield average denudation rates of ∼0.7 …

Using Communities Of Practice To Enhance Interdisciplinary Teaching: Lessons From Four Australian Institutions, Emma Pharo, Aidan Davison, Helen Mcgregor, Kristin Warr, Paul Brown

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

We report on the establishment of communities of practice at four Australian institutions and evaluate their effectiveness and durability as a means of building staff and institutional capacity for interdisciplinary teaching. A community of practice approach is a potentially valuable methodology for overcoming dynamics of fragmentation, isolation and competition within universities. The communities we established were anchored by a shared focus on the topic of climate change and they worked collaboratively to build relationships of trust and reciprocity between teachers in a wide range of disciplines. The aim of each community was to improve the teaching of climate change through …

Will Coral Islands Maintain Their Growth Over The Next Century? A Deterministic Model Of Sediment Availability At Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Sarah Hamylton

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

A geomorphic assessment of reef system calcification is conducted for past (3200 Ka to present), present and future (2010-2100) time periods. Reef platform sediment production is estimated at 569 m3 yr−1 using rate laws that express gross community carbonate production as a function of seawater aragonite saturation, community composition and rugosity and incorporating estimates of carbonate removal from the reef system. Key carbonate producers including hard coral, crustose coralline algae and Halimeda are mapped accurately (mean R2 = 0.81). Community net production estimates correspond closely to independent census-based estimates made in-situ (R2 = 0.86). Reef-scale outputs are compared with historic …

Trace Elements And Metal Pollution In Aerosols At An Alpine Site, New Zealand: Sources, Concentrations And Implications, Samuel K. Marx, Karen S. Lavin, Kimberly J. Hageman, Balz S. Kamber, Tadhg O'Loingsigh, Grant H. Mctainsh

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Atmospheric aerosol samples were collected at a remote site in New Zealand's Southern Alps. Collected samples were found to be a mixture of New Zealand and Australian sourced sediment, using their trace element signatures. Aerosol concentrations and the relative contribution of different sources was found to be a function of specific air-mass trajectories influencing the study site, dust entrainment rates in source areas and rainfall. Results show that Australian dust is a major source of particulate matter in New Zealand, particularly in remote alpine locations; however, locally derived dust is also important. Metal pollutants, including Pb, Cu and Sn, were …

Cosmogenic 3he And 21ne Surface Exposure Dating Of Young Basalts From Southern Mendoza, Argentina, Venera R. Espanon, Masahiko Honda, Allan R. Chivas

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Southern Mendoza, Argentina, is characterised by abundant Pleistocene to Holocene volcanism associated with back-arc magmatism, influenced by the subducting Nazca plate. Age determinations in this volcanic area have been improved during the last 5 years. However, there are some volcanic features especially in the Payunia Volcanic Field (PVF) which suggest fairly recent eruptions and which have not been chronologically determined. Recent studies on the Llancanelo Volcanic Field (LLVF) and PVF have determined volcanic activity mainly using K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar as well as cosmogenic 3He. However, K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar fail to produce reliable ages in Holocene basaltic flows. To better constrain …

Distributed Leadership: Building Capacity For Interdisciplinary Climate Change Teaching At Four Universities, Aidan Davison, Paul Brown, Emma Pharo, Kristin Warr, Helen Mcgregor, Sarah Terkes, Davina Boyd, Pamela Abuodha

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Purpose - Interdisciplinary approaches to climate change teaching are well justified and arise from the complexity of climate change challenges and the integrated problem-solving responses they demand. These approaches require academic teachers to collaborate across disciplines. Yet, the fragmentation typical of universities impedes collaborative teaching practice. This paper aims to report on the outcomes of a distributed leadership project in four Australian universities aimed at enhancing interdisciplinary climate change teaching. Design/methodology/approach - Communities of teaching practice were established at four Australian universities with participants drawn from a wide range of disciplines. The establishment and operation of these communities relied on …