The article is published in the August 2010 edition of Nature. Dr You said a global network of cable monitoring could be used to record climate change.

“Since the first submarine communication cable was laid across the English Channel in 1850, more than a million kilometres of telecommunications cables have been laid on the ocean floor,” he said.

“The result is a valuable network that can provide information about the world’s oceans: electrical signals from the cables can yield information about the water they run through and cables can be used to provide power to and transmit data from observatories on the sea floor. Yet only a tiny fraction of the existing undersea cabling is used for scientific purposes.

“This is a missed opportunity. If the full potential of undersea cables could be harnessed, they would be hugely useful in monitoring the potential effects of climate change on ocean currents, temperature, and salinity as changed by melting ice, and in extending the global monitoring of seismicity.

“Telecommunications companies and the scientific community should be urged to work together to overcome these difficulties, to create a global network of undersea observation.”

Dr John You is a senior research associate at the University of Sydney Institute of Marine Science.

Let ecologists take you on a trip into the heart of Australia’s red desert with an exhibition that celebrates 20 years of continual ecological study in the Simpson Desert. Images and journals from the volunteers who have worked on the study will be displayed alongside real specimens of the unique plants and animals found in the Simpson Desert.

The exhibition will also showcase the Iconic Landscapes Study – an interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences project looking at how scientific research is communicated to, and received by, local communities. The three case study areas are the arid-zone (Simpson Desert), NSW Rangelands (Fowlers Gap Research Station) and Sydney Harbour (North Sydney seawalls)

Time: 10am – 5pm

Location: The SciTech Library Level 1, Jane Foss Russell Building, G02 160 City Road Darlington NSW 2006

Cost: FREE

Contact: Carla Avolio

Prime Minister Julia Gillard will re-prosecute the case for a carbon price following the elections. But first, she intends to build a community consensus for action. How hard is this likely to be? Earlier in the year, following “climategate” and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s unsubstantiated finding that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035, many claimed the case for a carbon price had evaporated.

Read the full article at the University of Sydney.

Professor Rosemary Lyster is from Sydney Law School and director of the Australian Centre for Climate and Environmental Law.

Researchers examining the fossil coral reef cores have found climate change has not been smooth and continuous.

The team has discovered the fossil reef that grew from the last Ice Age when global sea levels and climate were very different from today. The team, led by co-chief scientists Dr Webster, and Dr Yusuke Yokoyama from the University of Tokyo, have now begun investigating these cores and their unique archive of past sea-level and climate change and how the Great Barrier Reef responded to these major environmental changes.

The Great Barrier Reef Environmental Changes Expedition (GBREC) is the only expedition in Australian waters that forms part of the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), which is a multi-million dollar international collaboration with US, Europe, Japan , Australia, New Zealand, China, and India, that explores Earth’s history and structure as it is recorded in seafloor sediments and rocks, and sub-seafloor environments.

The preliminary findings from the IODP Onshore Science Party held in Bremen, Germany in July unveiled fossil coral reefs up to 30,000 years old and showed how the reef ecosystem responded to rapid rises of sea level and changes in climate.

The investigation team recovered more than 225 metres of material from 34 holes at three key geographical locations on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef is a significant site for the expedition because it is a tectonically inactive area situated a long way from glaciated regions that might bias global sea level reconstructions.

“The Great Barrier Reef is on a tectonically stable portion of the Earth’s crust and is a prime location to investigate sea level changes over the last 20,000 years including the final phase of the last ice age,” Dr Webster said.

Researchers examining the fossil coral reef cores have found climate change has not been smooth and continuous.

“Coral reefs are excellent sea-level indicators, and their accurate dating by mass spectrometry is critical for constraining the timing, rate and amplitude of deglaciation events.”

Although the investigations deal with past events in Earth history they can be very important to our understanding of how the modern Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage Site since 1980, will respond to future changes.

Analysis of the cores will provide important insights into how robust the reef is over different timescales and under different environmental conditions and stresses such as changing sea level and sea-surface temperatures, changing sediment input and ocean chemistry.

“The expedition has provided us with a truly unique opportunity to test ecologic theories about coral reef resilience and the vulnerability of the Great Barrier Reef to future climate change,” Dr Webster said.

A preliminary report of the GBREC Expedition is due to be released in the next six to eight weeks. A more detailed report of the expedition and scientific papers concerning the findings will be released later next year.

The GBREC Expedition is a European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) contribution to the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP).

In collaboration with Flinders University, SARDI Aquatic Sciences and the University of South Australia, the Australian Seafood CRC invite applications for a PhD top-up scholarship to complete research on product-quality-based harvest strategies designed to increase the profitability of greenlip abalone.

This scholarship will provide an indexed, tax-free, PhD top-up of ~$6,500 pa for up to three years, subject to satisfactory progress. If the successful applicant is an Australian or New Zealand citizen, or Australian Permanent Resident, they will receive a Research Training Scheme place, which provides an exemption from tuition fees. The scholarship has an additional operating budget of ~$22 000 per year for 3 years and $300 towards thesis binding in the 3rd year. A further $1 000 per year is also available for defined mentor activities to be approved by the CRC. As a Seafood CRC student the successful candidate will be fully engaged in the CRC PhD program which will support the development of the student as a scientist in a number of innovative ways through annual workshops and mentoring programs (see www.seafoodcrc.com).

Project Description
Greenlip abalone support valuable wild-harvest fisheries, primarily in SA, Tas and WA. The largest of these is in SA, where the greenlip abalone TACC is ~390 t.yr-1. Increasing the volume of “premium” greenlip abalone product to the market will enhance market share and product image, and increase the current profitability of
the fishery. This is due to the large beach price difference (up to $10.kg-1) between “premium” and “non-premium” greenlip abalone, which is important in the current economic climate that includes a strong Australian Dollar and rising harvest costs.

Current knowledge on appropriate quality characteristics and measures, along with the cost and potential value of spatial and temporal variability in quality, is not well understood. Similarly, approaches to exploit this variation through targeted harvest strategies to improve product quality and consistency, and increase
profitability are not well developed. Consequently, this project is focussed around understanding and predicting spatial and temporal variation in quality, and to use this information to develop harvest strategies that maximise yield, product value and profitability.

The objectives of the project are: 1. Document current knowledge and perceptions of spatial and temporal variation in greenlip abalone product quality characteristics; 2. Identify a suite of measures for industry-based indexing of greenlip abalone product quality traits; 3. Determine the range of variation, and associated scale of spatial and temporal variability, in greenlip abalone product quality characteristics from wild populations; 4. Model and evaluate the profitability, practicality and predictability of harvest strategies that maximise product quality attributes; and 5. Test effectiveness of current freezing technology using measures identified in Objective 2.

The student will be enrolled at Flinders University, Adelaide, but the position will be based at the Lincoln Marine Science Centre, Port Lincoln, South Australia. The project will require some travel to Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas for the collection of samples and interaction with the supporting industry, and to Adelaide for sample processing.

The student will be co-supervised by Dr Stephen Mayfield and Dr Ben Stobart (SARDI Aquatic Sciences), Dr Trent D’Antignana (Flinders University) and Dr Miguel de Barras Lopes (University of South Australia). External collaborators in the project include two industry mentors: Mr Jim George (Western Abalone Processors)
and Mr Jonas Woolford (President: Abalone Industry Association of SA). This scholarship will only be available to those who: are in receipt of or will be in receipt of a base rate scholarship at Flinders University such as an APA, FURS or FSERA; have completed at least four years of tertiary education studies at a high level of achievement and have an appropriate Honours 1 or high 2A (or equivalent) undergraduate degree; and are enrolled as full-time students in a PhD by 1 September 2010.

Selection of Candidate
Selection criteria – essential
1. An Honours (1ST or 2A) degree, Master’s degree (Distinction average) or equivalent in a relevant discipline (e.g., Biological Sciences, Fisheries and Aquaculture);
2. Ability and experience in working both independently and as part of an interdisciplinary team;
3. Strong written and oral communication skills, including an ability to publish and present results of scientific research and to communicate effectively in a variety of scientific and non-scientific forums; and
4. Knowledge, understanding and commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity, Occupational Health and Safety, Workplace Diversity and Employee Participation.

Selection criteria – desirable
5. A commitment to applied research and an interest in supporting the development of Australia’s seafood industry; and
6. An understanding of the biology, ecology and fisheries for greenlip abalone.

The final decision on the award of this scholarship will be based on an assessment of the requirements of the total Selection Criteria. The decision will be final but feedback may be given to unsuccessful candidates as to how to improve their future applications.

Additional information
For additional information regarding this scholarship, organisational environment and other aspects of pursuing a PhD at Flinders University and with the Australian Seafood CRC, please contact: Dr Stephen Mayfield (SARDI Aquatic Sciences) on (08) 8207 5427 or or stephen.mayfield@sa.gov.au or Dr Trent D’Antignana (Flinders University) on (08) 8683 2542 or trent.dantignana@flinders.edu.au

Further information
For information on how to apply, see the following link:
http://www.flinders.edu.au/scholarships-system/main-display-scholarship-details.cfm?scholarship_id=3171
.
Applications for APA or equivalent scholarships are available at:
http://www.flinders.edu.au/scholarships/postgrad-scholarships.cfm

International applicants must meet the English language requirement – see http://www.flinders.edu.au/international-students/

stephen.mayfield@sa.gov.au
——————————————–
Dr Stephen Mayfield
Subprogram Leader: Molluscan Fisheries
SARDI Aquatic Sciences
PO Box 120
Henley Beach
SA 5022
Australia
Telephone: +61-8-8207 5427
Facsimile: +61-8-8207 5406
Mobile: 0401 122 108

Developed in collaboration with waste technology specialist, Ziltek Pty Ltd, the technique means that the presence of petroleum hydrocarbons can now be quantified simply by using a hand-held infrared spectrometer to take readings at the site of interest, without the need to take samples or perform any kind of processing.

“Petroleum hydrocarbons are a valuable resource, but can also be pretty nasty environmental contaminants,”
Sean Forrester, CSIRO scientist

The technique could be used for oil exploration purposes. It will also be particularly useful in assessing and monitoring contaminated sites such as coastal land following off-shore oil spills and industrial sites planned for urban redevelopment.

“Petroleum hydrocarbons are a valuable resource, but can also be pretty nasty environmental contaminants,” says CSIRO scientist, Sean Forrester.

“They can remain in the environment for extended periods of time and can be harmful to wildlife, plants and humans. Better tools to detect them makes a rapid response possible.”

The technique uses an infrared signal to detect the presence of petroleum hydrocarbons in samples.

By contrast, current methods use sampling and processing techniques that are labour intensive, time consuming, require sensitive equipment and are not well suited to on-site analysis.

“The ability of this new technique to rapidly detect the presence of contaminants at the site has the potential to provide significant cost advantages, in terms of reduced testing costs and the avoidance of delays,” Mr Forrester says.

“Rapid analysis allows immediate measures to be undertaken to prevent further contamination or to limit contaminant spread.”

A significant portion of the time and financial costs involved in assessing and remediating contaminated sites is consumed by monitoring and analysis.

By decreasing analysis time and reducing costs this new technique can assist in the fast and effective identification of oil and other petroleum products in the environment, as well as treatment and protection of environmental assets threatened by petroleum contamination.

The breakthrough was made by Thomas Jennewein, Hannes Hübel, Deny Hamel and Kevin Resch of the University of Waterloo, Canada, along with Alessandro Fedrizzi of the University of Queensland, Australia and Sven Ramelow of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

The international research team achieved a longstanding milestone in quantum optics research — the direct generation of photon triplets. This result has been sought for years but never achieved until now.

“This is going to open a new frontier of quantum optics and allow a new class of experiments in quantum computing using photons,” lead investigator Associate Professor Thomas Jennewein said.

In the past, the generation of pairs of photons (particles of light) revolutionized quantum optics and made possible emerging technologies such as quantum cryptography and quantum computing with photons.

Typically, these photon pairs were created from strong lasers sent through a crystal — a process known as “parametric down-conversion.”

In the new approach, researchers created photon triplets by producing a first pair of photons using an optical crystal, then splitting one of the photon pairs further into two additional photons inside a second crystal.

It’s a process that was first conceived 20 years ago, but had never before been experimentally observed.

Because each triplet originates from a single pump photon, the quantum correlations will extend over all three photons in a manner not achievable when using independently created photon pairs.

It is expected that this photon-triplet source will allow tests of novel quantum correlations, and will greatly advance photonic quantum computing.

“It shows the value of a very strong team and a great environment for allowing breakthroughs to happen,”Dr Jennewein said.

In their publication, titled “Direct generation of photon triplets using cascaded photon-pair sources,” the researchers explain that these tripartite quantum correlations will significantly advance quantum information research.

Release by Nature: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100728/full/news.2010.381.html

The PM’s policy is the same tired old approach that’s failed for decades.

On taking office, Julia Gillard was quick to announce the government had “lost its way” on several issues. We in the mental health community were excited about the prospect of her leadership – as the daughter of a psychiatric nurse and as a former shadow minister for health, she has a strong background on the issue.

Read more at the University of Sydney.