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School of Earth and EnvironmentPotential research projects offered for Level 4 (Honours) and Level 5 (Masters) students commencing in 2016.

Agricultural Science Environmental Science Soil Science

The Projects outlined in this Handbook are NOT necessarily all of those available. Please feel free to talk to supervisors about designing projects around your interests.

Contents Identifying nutrient export hotspots in catchments of the Peel-Harvey Estuary..................................................5

The effect of water level manipulation on the health of a hydropower reservoir................................................5

The ecohydrology of mosquito breeding areas in the Peel-Harvey estuary and wetland system........................5

Long-term effects of gypsum, lime and dolomite on topsoil and subsoil acidity..................................................6

Role of Mg in alleviating Al toxicity and soil acidity..............................................................................................6

The effect of liming on volatilisation losses from surface-applied N fertilisers....................................................6

Effectiveness of liquid and granular Zn fertilizers.................................................................................................7

Effectiveness of various elemental S fertilizers....................................................................................................7

Effects of glyphosate drifts on non-resistant canola and wheat crops.................................................................7

Using constructed wetlands for purification of wastewater and stormwater......................................................8

Increasing nitrogen-use efficiency in wheat and barley germplasm.....................................................................8

The Potential for ameliorating subsoil acidity with gypsum.................................................................................8

Plant physiology of nutrient uptake and transport..............................................................................................9

Biology and chemistry of rhizosphere..................................................................................................................9

Climate change impacts on wetland ecosystems.................................................................................................9

Mapping soil management zones using electromagnetic induction and gamma radiometric data.....................9

Digital soil map of the UWA Future Farm Ridgefield..........................................................................................10

Impact of past soil erosion on today’s landscape...............................................................................................10

Palaeosols as a valuable source for ancient microbial communities..................................................................10

Soils and sediments at the UWA Future Farm....................................................................................................11

Soil biological fertility.........................................................................................................................................11

Compost use in agriculture and horticulture......................................................................................................11

Does soil liming decrease soil N2O emissions from WA cropping soils?............................................................11

Biodiversity of living, non-marine, thrombolites of Western Australia..............................................................12

Microbial population dynamics in a phosphorus limited environment..............................................................12

Relationship between soil organic fractions and function..................................................................................13

Long-term nutrient enrichment drives soil and vegetation community development in Arctic habitats – how are microbial populations affected....................................................................................................................13

Use of animal waste as a phosphorus fertiliser..................................................................................................13

Organic agriculture and horticulture..................................................................................................................14

Sustainability of agricultural horticultural and viticultural systems....................................................................14

Mycorrhizal associations in natural and/or agricultural ecosystems..................................................................14

Can biochar suppress root diseases of wheat in WA agriculture?......................................................................15

Can mycorrhizal fungi suppress root disease of wheat in WA agriculture?........................................................15

Interplant connectivity and nutrient/water transfer along a common Mycorrhizal network............................16

Recycling waste as organic fertilisers: Are they safe?........................................................................................16

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How do we measure soil quality?......................................................................................................................17

Recycling waste as organic fertilisers: Are they safe?........................................................................................17

Bioenergy: Converting household waste into biogas.........................................................................................18

Who is killing all the fish?...................................................................................................................................18

Recycling waste as organic fertilisers: Do they enhance soil quality?................................................................19

How did the Swan Estuary recover from an extreme storm event?...................................................................19

Could nitrogen fixation be significant in sustaining summer algal blooms?.......................................................20

Turning up the heat: how do estuaries respond to climate change?.................................................................20

Converting piggery waste into biogas................................................................................................................21

Kimberley Hydrogeology and Ecohydrology.......................................................................................................21

Microbialte Ecohydrology and Sedimentology...................................................................................................21

South West Western Australia Hydrogeology and Ecohydrology.......................................................................22

Biological diversity and its impact upon spatial vegetation patterns.................................................................22

Global patterns of land-surface water variability...............................................................................................22

Water flow networks: Short Stay Research at Korea University.........................................................................23

Microbial populations and preferential flow pathways in soil...........................................................................23

Survey of urban pesticide use and water quality monitoring in the Perth metropolitan area...........................24

Biological diversity and its impact upon spatial vegetation patterns.................................................................24

Acid sulphate soils impacts on water quality: field/lab study and risk assessment............................................24

Archaeology on groundwater: Groundwater age dating with 14-C....................................................................25

Biogeomorphlogy of south coast rivers: Patterns of river change and vegetation degradation.........................25

Climate Change and Transforming River Hydrology in SW WA..........................................................................25

Water balance of “mega” Lake Woods..............................................................................................................26

What are the forms of trace elements in sulfidic estuarine sediments? Can we use trace elements as geochemical tracers in these systems?..............................................................................................................26

Geochemical evolution of dredge spoils............................................................................................................26

Can rare earth element (REE) concentrations in vegetation explain enrichment of rare earth elements in some surface soils?......................................................................................................................................................27

What can we learn from geochemical soil surveys?...........................................................................................27

Understanding metal contamination of sediments in the Swan-Canning estuary.............................................27

Assessing contaminated urban environments...................................................................................................28

Tracing the fate of rare-earth elements in soil sequences at the UWA Farm Ridgefield....................................28

Robust, absolute, measurement of nutrient additions and depletions at the UWA Future Farm......................28

Coastal Planning and Management in Western Australia..................................................................................29

Hydro-Ecology and Aquatic System Dynamics...................................................................................................29

Reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions from piggeries.........................................................................................30

Covered anaerobic ponds: Converting piggery waste into biogas and soil improvers........................................30

The effect of antimicrobials on the anaerobic digestion of piggery waste.........................................................31

Quantifying the benefits and risks associated with applying manure to land....................................................31

Bioenergy: Converting waste into biogas...........................................................................................................31

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Reducing water pollution from using treated piggery effluent as a liquid fertiliser...........................................32

Spatial survival analysis of UWA Future Farm plant trials..................................................................................32

Developing manures as alternative P fertilisers.................................................................................................33

Biodiversity & conservation patterns in the novel ecological systems of West Australian cities: studying socio-cultural contexts in Perth’s front gardens & public parks..................................................................................33

Promoting healthy urban nightscapes in a climate of global change: the ecological and planning challenges of artificial lighting at night in Perth.......................................................................................................................34

Australo-Antarctic Geology and the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.............................................................................34

Phosphate - lime interactions and soil biology...................................................................................................35

Impact of herbicides on soil microbial diversity and functions...........................................................................35

Improving Truffle growth in south western Australia.........................................................................................35

Future proofing drinking water against the global expansion of harmful algae due to climate change.............36

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Project: Identifying nutrient export hotspots in catchments of the Peel-Harvey Estuary.

For majors including:

Environmental Science, (eg Land and Water Management)

Supervisor: Matthew Hipsey, [email protected], 6488 3186; Sri Adiyanti, [email protected], 6488 1593

Description: The Peel-Harvey catchments are characterized by a complex land-use mosaic that is rapidly changing due to urban expansion of the greater Perth area. This project seeks to review land use, soil and hydrological information for the Serpentine, Murray and Harvey rivers and develop an estimate of nutrient export rates, considering the different nutrient species and partitioning between inorganic and organic nutrients. After a desktop analysis, areas of potential concern will be identified and field sampling will be undertaken to characterize the significance of these areas. The potential for using isotopes as “signatures” of export will also be possible.

Project: The effect of water level manipulation on the health of a hydropower reservoir.


Environmental Science, Land and Water Management

Supervisor: Matthew Hipsey, [email protected], 6488 3186; Lousie Bruce, [email protected], 6488 1593;

Description: Great Lake is a large reservoir in Tasmania used for hydropower generation. The lake also supports a diverse biotic community including submerged vegetation and a range of fish species. This project will apply our state-of-the-art lake ecosystem model to explore how water level management regimes, in conjunction with a drying climate, impact upon the water quality and health of the lake biota. Students who have completed ENVT3362 or similar would be suitable for this project.

Project: The ecohydrology of mosquito breeding areas in the Peel-Harvey estuary and wetland system.


Environmental Science, Hydrology, Land and Water Management

Supervisor: Matthew Hipsey, [email protected], 6488 3186; Jana Coletti, [email protected], 6488 1593;

Description: Mosquito borne diseases (eg Ross River Virus) have become prevalent in the Mandurah region. Anecdotal evidence has linked the mosquito breeding intensity to water level regimes, since high water levels at critical times of the year creates pools where larvae can develop. In this project a combination of remote sensing, analysis of field sensor data and hydrodynamic modeling will be used to explore the ecohydrology of pools of the estuary and relationship with epidemiological data.

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mailto:[email protected]






Project: Long-term effects of gypsum, lime and dolomite on topsoil and subsoil acidity


Agriculture, Land and Water Management, Soil Science, Environmental Science

Supervisor: Zed Rengel, [email protected], 6488 2557

Description: • The project would utilise a long-term CSBP trial in Bonnie Rock

• CSBP would support the project financially, and their staff would be involved in supervision

• Root growth and distribution would be assessed in the field

• Soil properties would be measured

Modelling would be done based on multi-year grain yield data

Project: Role of Mg in alleviating Al toxicity and soil acidity




Description: • CSBP would support the project financially, and their staff would be involved in supervision

• A range of Mg sources and rates will be tested in layered soil profiles (topsoil/subsoil) and/or nutrient solution with various levels of acidity and Al toxicity stresses

• Wheat would be a preferred crop, but other choices are available depending on interest

• Emphasis will be on root growth and nutrient uptake

Project: The effect of liming on volatilisation losses from surface-applied N fertilisers





• Urea and Flexi-N will be tested as the most common surface-applied N fertilisers

• A range of soil types differing in texture will be tried with and without liming

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Project: Effectiveness of liquid and granular Zn fertilizers





• A large proportion of crop samples in WA tests low in Zn

• Around 1/3 of the human population in the world is deficient in Zn, resulting in various disorders and in critical cases even death

• Biofortification of crops via Zn fertilisation is an effective way to increase Zn intake in the human diet

Project: Effectiveness of various elemental S fertilizers





• Many soils in WA are testing low in S

• Canola has particularly high S requirement

• One to two soils will be used in testing various sources and rates of S fertilisers

Project: Effects of glyphosate drifts on non-resistant canola and wheat crops




Description: • Glyphosate-resistant canola is grown in proximity of non-resistant crops

• Given that glyphosate is now applied in-crop to resistant varieties, there is potential of drift to non-resistant varieties

• Work in 2015 showed that such drift (2-3% of the weed-kill rate) can damage root and shoot growth and micronutrient uptake of non-resistant canola and wheat varieties

• This work can be extended by testing the alleviating effects of micronyutrietn sprays before glyphosate drift occurring

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Project: Using constructed wetlands for purification of wastewater and stormwater


Agriculture, Environmental Science, Soil Science


Description: • Identify WA wetland species suitable for accumulation of nutrients from wastewater

• Optimise conditions for biofiltration of stormwater using constructed wetlands

• Characterise interactions between heavy metals (e.g. cadmium) and organic contamination (e.g. hydrocarbons) in constructed wetlands purifying wastewater

Project: Increasing nitrogen-use efficiency in wheat and barley germplasm




Description: Characterise N-use efficiency of selected wheat and barley genotypes, specifically looking at potential mechanisms underlying differential efficiency (eg. root growth, stem carbohydrates, N remobilisation from leaves into developing grain, etc)

Project: The Potential for ameliorating subsoil acidity with gypsum




Description: Identify the levels, species and activity of aluminium found in subsoils across the Wheatbelt and relate this back to potential limitations to crop growth

Test for potential responsiveness to gypsum based on pH changes and sorption of gypsum using the method of Sumner (1993). Does this test apply to WA Wheatbelt soils?

Assess changes in aluminium and pH levels associated with sites where gypsum has been applied to overcome subsoil activity

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Project: Plant physiology of nutrient uptake and transport




Description: Transport pathways of root- and leaf-supplied micronutrients into developing cereal or legume grains

Fertilizer placement and nutrient uptake by various crops Modelling 3D root growth nutrient uptake and determining optimal

fertilization P nutrition and root exudation by various crops and genotypes

Project: Biology and chemistry of rhizosphere




Description: Role of root exudates in acquisition of micronutrients and phosphorus Isolating bacteria and fungi capable of increasing availability of phosphorus in

the rhizosphere

Project: Climate change impacts on wetland ecosystems


Environmental Science, Hydrology, Environmental Science

Supervisor: Matthew Hipsey, [email protected], 6488 3186, Nicola Mitchell (Animal Biology)

Description: Linking hydrology of Ellenbrook wetlands and bio-energetics of the endangered Western Swamp Tortoise. [Field/Modelling]

Linking wetland hydrology and vegetation health in DEC Natural Diversity Recovery Catchments. [Field/Modelling]

Project: Mapping soil management zones using electromagnetic induction and gamma radiometric data



Supervisor: Matthias Leopold (matthias.leopold@ uwa .edu.au , 6488 2769) and Frank D'Emden (Precision Agronomics Australia)

Description: Investigation of soil type distributions across the UWA Future Farm using ground-based electromagnetic and gamma radiometric survey data with groundtruthing soil cores. Field work includes collecting EM and gamma radiometric data with a utility terrain vehicle (UTV) and soil samples using a mechanical soil corer. Analysis of soil samples for physical and chemical characteristics (e.g. particle size distribution, pH, EC, Cl, exch. cats, PBI, P, K, S, C, N etc.). Analysis of geophysical and soil data using GIS

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software and statistical applications. Digital soil mapping techniques to be explored.

Project: Digital soil map of the UWA Future Farm Ridgefield



Supervisor: Matthias Leopold ([email protected], 6488 2769); Co-supervision DAFWA

Description: Soil maps are an essential part of proper planning at any agricultural business. The UWA Farm Ridgefield is a mixed rural enterprise with cropping and grazing. Over the past years a large data base on soil properties was created. This project summarizes available data to create a state of the art digital soil map and further explores potential data gaps by further soil mapping in the field. Basic GIS skills and willingness to work in the field are essential for this project. Project will be partly in co-supervision with DAFWA.

Project: Impact of past soil erosion on today’s landscape


Soil Science, Geography, Environmental Science, Geoarchaeology

Supervisor: Matthias Leopold, [email protected], 6488 2769

Description: First Australian settlers cleared large parts of the forests along the Australian coast in the South West. Deforestation followed by agriculture and settling causes soil erosion and according colluviation at the toe slope of a hill. Mapping colluvial sediments and studying their physical and chemical composition allows (i) a reconstruction of information about the native soils (ii) an assessment of soil erosion caused by the settlers (iii) a comparison of past and present soil erosion rates.

In addition to literature studies, the project requires some field mapping of soils and sediments and soil sampling with continuative laboratory work.

Project: Palaeosols as a valuable source for ancient microbial communities


Agriculture, Soil Science, Environmental Science


Description: Investigation of buried soils (Palaeosols) on the coast of WA (Hamelin Bay) and their comparison with the modern soil. Work includes fieldtrip with mapping and sampling of soils (2 days), characterisation of physical and chemical soil parameters (particle size distr., C/N, pH EC etc.,). Additionally, the microbial community composition (16S rRNA next-generation sequencing) and biomass (quantitative PCR) of the different soil horizons will be analysed.

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Project: Soils and sediments at the UWA Future Farm


Soil Science, Environmental Science, Physical Geography, Geophysics


Description: Layering and composition of soils and sediments have a strong influence of many hydrologic and biologic subsurface processes. Knowledge of the subsurface is often restricted. A combination of geophysical prospection techniques (e.g. resistivity and ground penetrating radar), percussion drilling and sedimentologic lab analysis will help to develop a 2D subsurface model of the CZ at a selected site at the UWA Future Farm near Pingelly, WA.

Project: Soil biological fertility



Supervisor: Dan Murphy, [email protected], 6488 7083, Lynn Abbott

Description: Investigation of biological factors associated with soil fertility, especially their interactions with other components of soil fertility, including factors associated with the soil habitat.

Project: Compost use in agriculture and horticulture



Supervisor: Dan Murphy, [email protected], 6488 7083, Lyn Abbott

Description: Practical considerations in use of compost for sustainable land management focused on soil fertility and use of clay and biochar soil amendments (biological, physical and chemical interactions) – in collaboration with Custom Composts.

Project: Does soil liming decrease soil N2O emissions from WA cropping soils?



Supervisor: Louise Barton, [email protected], 6488 2542

Description: Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas released from soils as a result of soil microbial activity. Recent research conducted by the Soil Biology Group showed applying lime to soil mitigated these emissions from a field site at Wongan Hills. Your aim would be to determine if the findings from Wongan Hills can be extended to other soil types in the Western Australian grainbelt. This will involve:

Location and collection of suitable soil types. Designing and implementing a laboratory experiment.

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Analysis of soil and gas samples (training provided). Working as a member of the Soil Biology & Molecular Ecology Group..

Project: Biodiversity of living, non-marine, thrombolites of Western Australia



Supervisor: Deirdre Gleeson, [email protected], 6488 3593, David Wacey, Matt Kilburn and Michael Slat

Description: Microbialites, biosedimentary structures formed by the interaction of microbial communities with their environment, are found throughout the geological record. Stromatolites (layered) and thrombolites (clotted) are morphological types of microbialites, classified by their internal mesostructure, and have been cited as providing some of the earliest evidence for life on Earth ~3.5 billion-years-ago. Living microbialites are found in just a few select locations worldwide, including the open marine waters of Exuma Sound, Bahamas, the hypersaline region of Hamelin Pool, Western Australia and the brackish waters of the Peel-Yalgorup region in Western Australia. This Project aims to investigate the microbial populations present in modern thrombolites to shed light on their relevance to ancient stromatolite-like structures. The project will involve:

Sampling of thrombolites and lake water at a number of locations in the Peel-Yalgorup region of Western Australia (note field work involved).

Assessing thrombolite morphology using microscopy techniques at the CMCA, as well as mineralogical and elemental analysis of the thrombolites.

Assessing microbial diversity of thrombolites using DNA.

Project: Microbial population dynamics in a phosphorus limited environment



Supervisor: Deirdre Gleeson, [email protected], 6488 3593

Description: Australian grain producers apply $1 billion worth of phosphorus (P) fertilisers each year, but only 50% is taken up by plants. Much of the remaining fertiliser P becomes fixed in soil and the P 'bank' in Australian arable soils is estimated to be worth $10 billion, or 100 kg P/ha of arable land. This project aims to evaluate the potential of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) availability to influence microbial release of fixed phosphorus in soil. Specifically the project will evaluate the effect of organic matter carbon to nitrogen ratio on microbial populations.

The project will involve:

Setting up a laboratory incubation experiment using Arabidopsis residue where the wild type and mutant have altered cell wall chemistry resulting in differing C:N ratios in the residue between wild type and mutant.

Assessing changes in microbial populations through time by analysis of microbial biomass, microbial P and microbial populations using DNA.

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Project: Relationship between soil organic fractions and function



Supervisor: Deirdre Gleeson, [email protected], 6488 3593, Daniel Murphy

Description: This project aims to assess the how soil physical properties and organic matter influence the diversity of soil organisms. It will involve collecting soils from the Liebe Group long term field trial (ref Chris O’Callaghan) and to destructively sample soil cores for organic matter composition (total carbon, soil organic matter fractions and their respective C:nutrient ratios) and characterisation of soil organisms (mass, diversity). Note: field work required.

Project: Long-term nutrient enrichment drives soil and vegetation community development in Arctic habitats – how are microbial populations affected



Supervisor: Deirdre Gleeson, [email protected], 6488 3593, Daniel Murphy

Description: Net primary production in the terrestrial Arctic is typically limited by short growing seasons, cold temperatures, frequent and strong winds and low nutrient supply. Consequently, the projected rapid increase in temperature, changes in precipitation pattern and enhanced atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition are predicted to have profound effects on polar ecosystem functioning. One of the primary impacts of these anthropogenically mediated changes are the projected nutrient induced shifts in plant community composition which will impact directly on a range of ecosystem services including water quality, soil carbon storage and food provisioning (grazer biodiversity). Understanding and predicting the long-term resilience and potential feedbacks in response to environmental change therefore remains a central goal in polar ecosystem science. The project will involve:

Assessing microbial populations by using DNA extracted from previously collected Arctic samples and (1) quantifying gene abundances using qPCR and (2) assessing diversity and population structure using next generation sequencing approaches (Ion Torrent).

Project: Use of animal waste as a phosphorus fertiliser



Supervisor: Sasha Jenkins, [email protected], 6488 8779, Deirdre Gleeson

Description: Agriculture is under increasing pressure to meet human demands for food yet crop productivity is often phosphorus (P) limited. Consequently, inorganic fertilisers are applied to soils but its non-renewable nature means alternative P sources are urgently sought. One possibility is recycling animal waste by-products as P fertilisers but their effect on the microbial P cycling is largely. The project will involve running a laboratory incubation where agricultural soil is amended with animal waste to assess effects on nutrient cycling and microbial populations. The aim is to develop novel technique to identify key P pathways.

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Project: Organic agriculture and horticulture



Supervisor: Lyn Abbott, [email protected], 6488 2499

Description: Investigation of the Standards for certified organic production systems related to soil factors, especially organic matter and soil microbial activity.

Understanding soil microbial processes in relation to use of alternative nutrient sources (including mineral and organic inputs).

Project: Sustainability of agricultural horticultural and viticultural systems




Description: Investigation of the sustainability of farming and horticultural systems on different soil types in relation to management of the soil microbial environment.

Project: Mycorrhizal associations in natural and/or agricultural ecosystems



Supervisor: Zakaria Solaiman, [email protected], 6488 7463, Lyn Abbott

Description: Effectiveness of arular mycorrhizal fungi in relation to land management practices such as fertilizer use, plant residue management and soil disturbance (including ‘biological’ and ‘organic’ agriculture)

Effectiveness of arular mycorrhizal fungi in saline soils – including interactions with organic matter

P uptake by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in association with different plant species (mycorrhiza dependency)

Arbuscular mycorrhizal associations in the jarrah forest – role in interactions among plant species

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Project: Can biochar suppress root diseases of wheat in WA agriculture?



Supervisor: Zakaria Solaiman, [email protected], 6488 7463, Shahajahan Miyan (WA Department of Agriculture and Food)

Description: Disease development and expression may be limited through (i) suppression of disease as a result of the action of beneficial organisms in spite of the persistence of pathogen inoculums, and (ii) non-specific suppression which probably results from the competition for sites and resources within the soil as the proportions of pathogen and beneficial microorganisms alters seasonally within a year and across a number of years. Biochar is a recalcitrant porous carbon byproduct of pyrolysis process which acts as a habit for microbes including mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria. Biochar may also sorp pesticides and induce plant systemic resistance to disease.

This project will investigate followings:

Whether addition of biochar to soil facilitates suppression of soil-borne diseases of wheat using one common root disease as an example selected from take-all, crown rot, rhizoctonia root rot or root lesion nematode.

Investigate the possible mechanisms of any suppression which may be evident.

Whether biochar enhances the persistence of AM and their availability for associations with crop plants, especially wheat.

Project: Can mycorrhizal fungi suppress root disease of wheat in WA agriculture?



Supervisor: Zakaria Solaiman, [email protected], 6488 7463, Shahajahan Miyan (WA Department of Agriculture and Food)

Description: Disease development and expression may be limited through (i) suppression of disease as a result of the action of beneficial organisms in spite of the persistence of pathogen inoculums, and (ii) non-specific suppression which probably result from the competition for sites and resources within the soil as the proportions of pathogen and beneficial microorganisms alters seasonally within a year and across a number of years.

Mycorrhizal fungi are beneficial fungi which form an intimate association with plant roots. The intimate association with AM has previously been shown to delay the death of cortical (outer) root cells and may thus reduce the resistance of root to various pathogens.

This project will investigate followings:

Effect of arular mycorrhizal fungi to the suppression of soil-borne root disease of wheat using one common root disease as an example selected from take-all, crown rot, rhizoctonia root rot or root lesion nematode.

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Investigate the possible mechanisms of any suppression which may be evident.

Project: Interplant connectivity and nutrient/water transfer along a common Mycorrhizal network


Environmental Science, Soil Science, Land and Water Management, Agricultural Science, Conservation Biology, Botany

Supervisor: Zakaria Solaiman, [email protected], 6488 7463, Lyn Abbott, Bede Mickan

Description: Plants can transfer nutrients and water to other plants via a common mycorrhizal network, through below complex underground networks involving multiple plant / fungal partners.

Grasses that have agricultural production value (grazing species), may benefit from knowledge of what grass species form the strongest below ground interconnectivity through a symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. It is widely claimed that arbuscular mycorrhiza can aid the host plant in drought or nutrient deficiency.

This project is a controlled glass house interaction experiment using differing grass species and their fungal partners to determine the best plant partnership under water / nutrient deficiency for real agricultural production.

This project is highly relevant because drought and decreasing winter rainfall are real problems for current agricultural production, and climate change projections for an even drier climate with more drought frequency makes this project very applicable.

Project: Recycling waste as organic fertilisers: Are they safe?


Environmental Science, Soil Science

Supervisor: Sasha Jenkins, [email protected], 6488 8779, Tony O’Donnell

Description: Many organic fertilisers are derived from waste products which may contain contaminants or undesirable elements resulting in adverse environmental impacts. For instance, manure is often directly spread onto agricultural land without treatment and there are growing concerns over this practice with respect to pathogens and nutrient contamination of surface and groundwater, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, salinity and phyto-toxicity. However, these potential adverse affects have not been fully assessed and quantified.

The focus of the project is to quantify the environmental risks associated with the re-use of different waste by-products. To this end, this project will assess the implications of their use in terms of environmental risks with specific focus on (i) pathogen survival (ii) salinity & toxicity (iii) N and P leaching to surface and groundwater’s and (iv) GHG emissions.

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Project: How do we measure soil quality?




Description: Soil microorganisms play a central role in maintaining soil health and quality through their activities that include recycling nutrients (N, P, S, C), nitrogen fixation, disease suppression, pollutant mitigation, improved soil structure and degradation of organic matter. Thus, they determine the form and availability of nutrients that are essential for plant growth and subsequently impact on grain productivity. To continue to improve the sustainability, quality and productivity of agricultural grains producers need monitoring tools that directly measure soil biology enabling them to adopt the best management practices to enhance crop performance. Consequently, there is a pressing need to identify a set of biological indicators that can be used to assess the quality of Australian soils. This bioindicators could be incorporated into current monitoring programmes to help maximise yields and optimise profitability. The objective is to enable producers to identify when soil quality is being or has been lost and provide advice on the interventions needed to restore quality. These soil biological quality measures will be used a guide for best management that will improve soil health and profitability.

Project: Recycling waste as organic fertilisers: Are they safe?




Description: Many organic fertilisers are derived from waste products which may contain contaminants or undesirable elements resulting in adverse environmental impacts. For instance, manure is often directly spread onto agricultural land without treatment and there are growing concerns over this practice with respect to pathogens and nutrient contamination of surface and groundwater, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, salinity and phyto-toxicity. However, these potential adverse affects have not been fully assessed and quantified.

The focus of the project is to quantify the environmental risks associated with the re-use of different waste by-products. To this end, this project will assess the implications of their use in terms of environmental risks with specific focus on (i) pathogen survival (ii) salinity & toxicity (iii) N and P leaching to surface and groundwater’s and (iv) GHG emissions.

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Project: Bioenergy: Converting household waste into biogas




Description: In Western Australia the preferred disposal method for municipal solid waste (MSW) is landfill. However, this is not necessarily the most effective means of disposing of such waste and there is growing interest in finding alternative uses that solve both waste excesses and energy shortages. One option is to convert MSW into biogas (methane) and compost via a process called anaerobic digestion. The biogas can then be used to provide renewable energy by the generation of electricity. However, anaerobic digestion is a complex process performed by microbes and consequently the ecology, prevailing environmental conditions and mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. The aim of this project is to develop more efficient anaerobic digestion by investigating the relationship between microbial degradation, environmental parameters and biogas production during the anaerobic digestion of MSW. Improved understanding of the conditions required for optimal waste degradation will enable us to both improve both the quality and quantity of biogas production through bioengineering. Such innovative technologies would allow local authorities and commercial waste operators to reduce landfill disposal and mitigate the environmental impact of landfill sites, such as, greenhouse gas emissions and leachate production.

Project: Who is killing all the fish?



Supervisor: Sasha Jenkins, [email protected], 6488 8779, Matt Hipsey, Tony O’Donnell

Description: High nutrient loading, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, can result in algal blooms and eutrophication. When these blooms die, microbes in the sediments decompose the algae and use up all the oxygen in the bottom waters leading to very low oxygen concentrations called hypoxic or anoxic conditions (dissolved oxygen concentration of < 2 mg/L or 0 mg/L, respectively) that kill fish and benthic organisms. These so-called “dead zones” provide ideal conditions for some microbes that don’t like oxygen and their metabolism could result in the release of toxic and greenhouse gases (H2S, CH4, CO2, N2O). Australian estuaries are more susceptible to “dead zones” (also called anoxia/hypoxia) through drought and climate change and the frequency of these events is a growing concern in the Swan-Canning River. However, relatively little is known about the microbes living in these “dead zones” and their activities. This projects aims to identify who they are and what they are doing.

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Project: Recycling waste as organic fertilisers: Do they enhance soil quality?




Description: Organic farming has been claimed to enhance soil health & quality in terms of biodiversity, nutrient cycling, organic matter content, soil structure & stability, water holding capacity and disease suppression. However, the true extent to which organic management ‘enhances’ nutrient cycling and other soil functions remains largely unexplored.

The goals of the project are to determine and quantify whether soil quality is ‘enhanced’ in soils subject to organic waste inputs.

Since soil microbes play a central role in maintaining soil health and quality through their activities that include recycling nutrients (N, P, S, C), disease suppression and degradation of organic matter we first need to develop monitoring tools that directly measure soil biology. This project will initially investigate how organic management impacts on soil biology by developing biological indicators. These bio-indicators in combination with other conventional indicators will then be used to assess whether soil quality is being gained, maintained or has been lost in soils receiving organic waste.

Project: How did the Swan Estuary recover from an extreme storm event?




Description: Perth’s biggest storm event in fifty years had a huge impact on the Swan-Canning River. The storm on Monday 22 March 2010 washed a large amount of organic material, including overflowing sewage into the river causing a rapid increase in microbial activity and growth, which in turn, lead to decreased dissolved oxygen levels. At one point, majority of the river was completely anoxic (no oxygen present) leading to mass fish death. In fact, crabs and water marron in the Canning and Upper Swan were seen leaving the water! However, not everybody was unhappy with these new anoxic conditions as these so-called “dead zones” provided an ideal environment for oxygen intolerant microbes whose metabolism results in the release of toxic and greenhouse gases (H2S, CH4, CO2, N2O). This project monitors the response of the microbes and their activity as the river recovers from the effects of the storm. Ultimately, we want to know how well the system, including its residents, can recover from extreme events.

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Project: Could nitrogen fixation be significant in sustaining summer algal blooms?


Environmental Science, Soil Science, Land and Water Management


Description: Nitrogen fixation is not usually significant in most temperate estuaries even though algal growth (primary production) is nitrogen limited. Rates are low because N-fixation is an energy-demanding process and has many requirements (light, Fe, P, trace metals) and controls (inhibited by oxygen, high levels of salinity, grazing pressure). During an algal bloom when nitrogen is used up, blue-green algae that are capable of fixing N could have a competitive advantage and become dominate. The blue-green algae Synechococcus was a dominate member of the summer algal blooms but has never been shown to fix nitrogen. However, some researchers now believe that Synechococcus does fix nitrogen but it has been missed because it either fixes N at night or by forming symbiosis with other algae (dinoflagellates or diatoms) to avoid oxygen inhibition. This project will confirm whether Synechococcus does indeed fix nitrogen and if so, does N-fixation help sustain algal blooms.

Project: Turning up the heat: how do estuaries respond to climate change?




Description: Climate change is a serious environmental issue that is expected to increase water temperature, raise water levels and reduce stream flow in the Swan Canning River. Also, shifts in rainfall patterns may result in drier summers and autumns that will increase the frequency of algal blooms and subsequent anoxia events (low oxygen concentration that kills fish). Climate-induced changes in C and N cycling could seriously affect net productivity and N2O emissions (a greenhouse gas). This project will determine how estuaries respond to environmental gradients (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen) by running a series of laboratory experiments. This will enable us to predict better how these communities might respond to environmental gradients and ultimately to climate change.

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Project: Converting piggery waste into biogas




Description: Currently most pig farmers put their pig waste into large ponds where the waste is gradually broken down by microbes within the pond. However, these microbes release both odours and methane a Greenhouse gas (GHG) that upset local residents and contribute to global warming. One solution is to cover these ponds with an impermeable cover resulting in reduced gas emissions since the methane is retained under the cover. Although, the prospect of covered ponds is a very attractive idea, the initial start-up cost is often too high to be economically feasible in most cases. This could be overcome by capturing the methane under the cover (since methane is a fuel) and using it to off-set start-up costs by providing on-farm heating or electricity. However, methane recovery from covered ponds is not very efficient. Furthermore, covers on the ponds could alter the waste degradation process and reduce biogas yield. Therefore, we need to identify indicators of pond health that act as an early-warning detection of system failure. Our research aims to increase biogas production from covered ponds by optimising the waste degradation process through different management practices and provide advice on interventions required to prevent pond failure. Ultimately, we want to help farmers select the best management practices to maximise the benefits from covered waste effluent ponds.

Project: Kimberley Hydrogeology and Ecohydrology


Hydrogeology, Environmental Science

Supervisor: Ryan Vogwill [email protected], 6488 2680

Description: The Kimberley of Western Australia is a huge area with a near pristine environment, a diverse hydrology and an urgent need for increased understanding. Biodiversity Asset Ecohydrology is closely linked to both western and traditional owner social values, threatened by hydrological change due to climate change or development. A number of project opportunities exist for motivated students happy to work in remote settings on cutting edge hydrogeological or ecohydrology research in the east and west Kimberley. A desire to work with and learn about traditional owner culture would be beneficial.

Project: Microbialte Ecohydrology and Sedimentology


Hydrogeology, Geology, Geography, Environmental Science


Description: South West Western Australia contains a large number of microbialte bearing wetlands which are under threat from climate change, anthropogenic water use and landuse change. Microbialites (stromatolites, thrombolites and tufas) are all formed by the presence of microbial communities which form CaCO3 deposits. Multiple project opportunities exist at multiple sites to assess microbialite formation, microbialite sedimentology, microbialite evotuion, wetland surface and groundwater interaction,

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links between microbial assemblage and water quality to contribute towards developing environmental water requirements.

Project: South West Western Australia Hydrogeology and Ecohydrology


Hydrogeology, Geography, Environmental Science


Description: South West Western Australia is an area of high population, critical groundwater resources and amazing biodiversity with landuse change, climate change and water resource utilization all threatening sustainability. Consequentially the area has been recognized by WWF as a global biodiversity hotspot. Assessment of available groundwater resources, environmental impacts and links between the two is urgently needed at multiple sites. Multiple project opportunities exist to partner with the Department of Water or the Department of Parks and Wildlife to work across these critical issues.

Project: Biological diversity and its impact upon spatial vegetation patterns


Environmental Science

Supervisor: Gavan McGrath [email protected], 6488 3735

Description: Strikingly regular vegetation patterns such as spots, labyrinths and bands are thought to spontaneously emerge in water limited systems as a result of vegetation impacts on soil and spatial competition for water. Theories developed to date consider vegetation to be homogeneous in terms of the physiological aspects related to water use and their impacts on soil properties. This study will utilise an existing model to assess the impact of variation in plant water use strategies upon surface water hydrology, vegetation patterning, and/or soil erosion.

Project: Global patterns of land-surface water variability


Hydrogeology, Geography, Environmental Engineering and Environmental Science


Keith Smettem

Description: Interested in working with remote-sensed data? The global hydrological system is comprised of the atmosphere, oceans and the land surface. There are indices related to the coupling between the oceans and the atmosphere, such as the Southern Oscillation Index, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, the Southern Annular Mode etc. These indices describe teleconnections, links between different parts of the globe with correlated rainfall, wind or temperature for example. This project aims to understand how water storage variations over continents might be related to existing ocean-atmosphere indices and to possibly develop new ones that can account for more of the land to

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atmosphere/ocean coupling.

Project: Water flow networks: Short Stay Research at Korea University


Hydrogeology, Environmental Science


Kyungrock Paik (Korea University)

Description: Water often tends to move via networks. In soil it moves via complex pore networks, soil pipes, or over bedrock. In cites it moves in networks via pipes, drains and sewers, to, from and past our homes. By better understanding how these networks are structured and how they change over time we can, for example, improve our understanding of chemical movement through soils or to improve the resilience of urban infrastructure.

This project seeks a number of students to join in an international effort at Korea University with other students from Korea, Asia, USA and Europe, to collaborate on studying these networks. The project will commence with an intensive three-week research trip at Korea University during February 2015, where students will be mentored on their project by a team of scientists from around the world. On return to Australia students will continue the research begun in Korea with both UWA and international supervision. We are seeking students willing to travel and experience new cultures, to analyse existing data or to interrogate existing models. It may be possible to tailor projects to student’s skills. Given the timing, applicants should speak with Gavan as soon as possible as some preparations will need to be made during the upcoming summer break.

Project: Microbial populations and preferential flow pathways in soil


Ecology and Environmental Science


Deirdre Gleeson

Description: Preferential water flow paths are known to be hot-spots for microbial activity in soil. What is not yet understood is how different species are distributed in and around these flow channels. This study will aim to measure the spatial distribution of microbe populations in and around preferential flow paths using molecular biology tools to assess microbial populations with samples collected based on micro CT scanning data.

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Project: Survey of urban pesticide use and water quality monitoring in the Perth metropolitan area



Hydrogeology, Environmental Science and Geography

Description: Pesticide use in the urban environment is not well documented, however they are used widely from houses, gardens, parks, office complexes and on roads. In addition, there is little systematic collection of data to monitor the environmental fate of these chemicals, particularly in cities. This study will survey industry, government agencies and the wider community to quantify the types and amounts of pesticides used, where and when they are used and to summarise available monitoring data with a view to developing an exposure risk assessment.

Project: Biological diversity and its impact upon spatial vegetation patterns


L Ecology and Environmental Science


Description: Strikingly regular vegetation patterns such as spots, labyrinths and bands are thought to spontaneously emerge in water limited systems as a result of vegetation impacts on soil and spatial competition for water. Theories developed to date consider vegetation to be homogeneous in terms of the physiological aspects related to water use and their impacts on soil properties. This study will utilise an existing model to assess the impact of variation in plant water use strategies upon surface water hydrology, vegetation patterning, and/or soil erosion.

Project: Acid sulphate soils impacts on water quality: field/lab study and risk assessment



Supervisor: Ursula Salmon, [email protected], 6488 1508, Andrew Rate

Description: Acid sulphate soils are known to have detrimental effect on the environment, water resources, and infrastructure. This project could involve groundwater sampling, laboratory experiments, and/or a modelling study to investigate rates of acid and metal release and attenuation under conditions of declining groundwater levels. The project may involve interacting with government agencies and environmental consultants, and will be closely linked to a larger, ongoing research project, which will ultimately develop a risk assessment methodology for acid sulphate soils impacts in the Swan Coastal Plain. The project can be tailored depending on interests, to include, e.g., chemical/mineralogical characterisation of acid sulphate soil materials, hydrological modelling including consideration of land

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use, biogeochemical modelling, and/or risk assessment.

Project: Archaeology on groundwater: Groundwater age dating with 14-C



Supervisor: Ursula Salmon, [email protected], 9333 6163; Henning Prommer, Ming Wu

Description: Age dating of groundwater with isotopes, such as 14-C (radiocarbon), provides a fantastic opportunity to constrain uncertainty in groundwater flow models. However the groundwater age requires “correction” for various geochemical processes that may affect the 14-C concentration. This project will involve using reactive transport modelling of groundwater quality to improve estimates of groundwater age. The project may involve using existing data sets from e.g. Gnangara Mound or Europe and/or may also include field data collection.

Project: Biogeomorphlogy of south coast rivers: Patterns of river change and vegetation degradation


Geography, Environmental Science

Supervisor: Nik Callow [email protected], 6488 1924

Description: Changes in river geomorphology are often related to changes in the riparian vegetation communities, but factors such as slope are stream power are also important. This project looks to better understand the links and patterns between areas that have (and have not) experienced shifts in river morphology in relation to vegetation degradation and boundary condition factors such as slope. The aim of this project is to build a better understanding of where rivers have become most unstable and where vegetation-based river management may offer the greatest potential for success.

Project: Climate Change and Transforming River Hydrology in SW WA




Description: Southwestern Western Australia has experienced a significant reduction in rainfall since the 1970s. This has resulted in significant changes to river flow processes, including changes to flow duration (perenniality) groundwater baseflows and salinity. Some of our recent work shows that some river have or will soon transform or undergo threshold shifts in their underlying hydrology, with significant implications for the ecology of rivers in SW WA. This project will focus on analysing streamflow sites with a long (>30 years) records across the SW to map the extent and magnitude of rivers undergoing transformation in river hydrology.

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Project: Water balance of “mega” Lake Woods




Description Lake Woods is an iconic wetland in northern Australia that has been fed by pulses of water from the Australian Summer Monsoon. The current Lake Woods sits within a much larger basin and includes relict wave-cut shorelines that have been associated with the “mega” Lake Woods extent under a past climate regime. This project will use novel satellite data to build a water balance model of the current Lake Woods and explore scenarios that can be used to infer the palaeoclimate during the “mega” Lake Woods extent.

This project will require students to have good geospatial (GIS) skills and knowledge of hydrological processes and modelling (e.g. ENVT2251 and ENVT3362).

Project: What are the forms of trace elements in sulfidic estuarine sediments? Can we use trace elements as geochemical tracers in these systems?


Environmental Science, Soil Science, Physical Geography, Geology (Environmental)

Supervisor: Andrew Rate, [email protected], 6488 2500

Description: Trace elements represent potential contaminants in aquatic sediments, but may also be useful in determining the origin of sulfidic minerals in these systems. You would collect samples of monosulfide-rich sediments from the Peel-Harvey Estuary System or use archived samples. Using these sediments, you would measure the concentrations of different forms of trace elements using a range of chemical and spectroscopic analytical techniques. Normalised trace element concentrations would be related to geographical spatial distribution of the sediments.

Project: Geochemical evolution of dredge spoils


Environmental Science, Soil Science, Physical Geography, Geology (Environmental)


Description: The disposal of estuarine or marine dredge material has become very topical with the proposed development of the Abbot Point on the Great Barrier Reef. The Peel-Harvey estuary in WA has examples of both land-based and submarine disposal of dredged sediments. Some consequences are known, but incompletely understood, such as the oxidation of sedimentary sulfides in land-disposed sediment, with consequent acidification and release of metals. The evolution of dredge spoil disposed within the estuary is very poorly understood. Your project would involve sampling in one of these scenarios and assessing the geochemical

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evolution and potential for export of contaminants.

Project: Can rare earth element (REE) concentrations in vegetation explain enrichment of rare earth elements in some surface soils?


Geochemistry, Soil Science, Environmental Geoscience


Description: The biogeochemical cycling of trace elements in terrestrial ecosystems is a surprisingly poorly-researched topic. You would sample vegetation growing on regolith profiles that are geochemically well-characterised. Plant tissues would be analysed for REE concentrations, and mass balances calculated to assess the significance of plant uptake on REE cycling in these systems. It will likely be necessary to measure other REE pools (such as regolith pore water) to complete the mass balance.

See also: Du, X., Rate, A.W. and Gee, M. 2011. Mineralogical Magazine 75 , 784 .

Project: What can we learn from geochemical soil surveys?


Environmental Science, Soil Science, Geology (environmental)


Description: A number of continental-scale soil-stream sediment-regolith geochemical datasets are available (e.g., the National Geochemical Survey of Australia, the FOREGS EuroGeoSurveys Geochemical Baseline Database, and the North American ‘Geochemical Landscapes’ project). While these surveys have yielded several published studies, the large amount of data collected has the potential to yield significant further findings. Your project would be a desktop-based project and use robust statistical and multivariate analyses to evaluate interesting and relevant hypotheses about soil and regolith geochemistry based on these large datasets.

Project: Understanding metal contamination of sediments in the Swan-Canning estuary


Environmental Science, Soil Science, Physical Geography


Description: Potentially toxic elements such as some trace metals may be naturally present in estuarine sediments, or may originate from external sources such as stormwater drains, marinas, or riparian wetlands drying and acidifying as a result of climate variability. In this project you will sample wetland and estuarine sediments to measure the concentrations and mode-of-occurrence of relevant trace elements and associated sediment properties (sulfides, organic matter, clays, etc.). You will use your data to deduce the fate and likely risk of metal contamination.

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https://events.ccm.com.au/ei/viewpdf.esp?id=126&file=E%3A%5Ceventwin%5Cdocs%5Cpdf%5Csoil2010Abstract01769.pdf





Project: Assessing contaminated urban environments




Description: Soils and sediments in urban environments are known to contain localised instances of contamination with metals, related to different sources. These sources include: emissions from industry, inputs from road traffic, stormwater, and other anthropogenic or natural sources . Your project would be based at a specific site in metropolitan Perth, and explore different ways of assessing inorganic contamination and contaminant fluxes in sediments, soils, or water. Depending on your interests, you could investigate aeolian transport of contaminants or uptake of contaminants by vegetation.

Project: Tracing the fate of rare-earth elements in soil sequences at the UWA Farm Ridgefield



Supervisor: Andrew Rate, [email protected], 6488 2500, Matthias Leopold

Description: The rare earth elements (REE) are increasingly becoming recognised as useful and important tracers for environmental processes in soils, sediments and Earth’s Critical Zone in general. The ultimate sources of REE are soil parent materials, which release elements during chemical weathering. We know something about the behaviour of REE in individual regolith profiles, and also in estuarine sediments. There’s a “missing link” however, in understanding the fate of REE as they move through stream and river catchments towards estuarine and marine environments. Your project would investigate the distribution and fluxes of selected REE in the (sub)catchments on the UWA Farm near Pingelly, by analysis of soil samples along transects crossing gradients in topography and soil types.

Project: Robust, absolute, measurement of nutrient additions and depletions at the UWA Future Farm


Soil Science, Environmental Science, Physical Geography

Supervisor: Andrew Rate, [email protected], 6488 2500, Matthias Leopold

Description: The concept of a “phosphorus bank” is often used in the context of fertilised agricultural soils, and other biologically essential elements are also likely to accumulate in agricultural soil. Conversely, subsoils may become depleted in elements such as potassium from decades of plant uptake from subsoils. In addition, additions or losses of elements are possible from changes to soil water balance, since catchment hydrology has been modified by land use change.

In this project you would take soil samples and perform analyses to allow calculation of absolute mass fluxes of elements such as phosphorus, potassium and sodium. This is becoming a standard technique in geochemistry and Critical Zone science, to understand some of the processes of soil formation. Absolute mass fluxes have seldom (if ever) been calculated for agricultural systems, or used to assess agricultural soil nutrient fluxes.

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Project: Coastal Planning and Management in Western Australia


Geography; Environmental Science

Supervisor: Julian Clifton, [email protected], 6488 2695

Description: The potential topics are:

Marine protected areas in Western Australia, focused on the current bio-regional planning process and an examination of the priorities and concerns of principal coastal resource users and stakeholders in order to evaluate the significance and impacts of this process for Western Australia;

Metal pollution in estuarine and coastal environments, including a systematic sampling of sediments in an estuarine or coastal habitat in order to determine current and historic levels of heavy metal contamination in these sediments. This would enable the determination of likely sources, trends over time and the potential environmental significance of these contaminants;

Marina developments in coastal Western Australia, focused on the current and future trends in marina developments, examining the process by which marinas are evaluated in environmental and economic terms as well as evaluating the planning process which considers these proposals and the potential impact of future expansion of marinas in Western Australia; and

Other topics related to marine and coastal planning and management, indigenous environmental management, community participation in management, pollution management.

Project: Hydro-Ecology and Aquatic System DynamicsFor majors including:

Environmental Science, Hydrology

Supervisor: Matthew Hipsey, [email protected], 6488 3186

Description: Projects that deal with dynamics of aquatic systems including wetlands, lakes and estuaries. Interests include

Hydrological and hydrodynamic interactions with biogeochemical and ecological processing of elements in lakes, rivers, wetlands and estuaries.

Assessing impacts of climate variability on wetland and estuarine biogeochemistry

Wetlands and lakes as 'barometers of change'

Microbial trophic interactions

Ecological modelling of aquatic systems.

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Project: Reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions from piggeries


Any

Supervisor: Sasha Jenkins, [email protected], 6488 8779

Description: The current technology for piggery wastewater treatment is anaerobic ponds and immediate strategies for mitigation and energy capture are covering of these ponds. There is a degree of uncertainty around optimal greenhouse gas management. While methane off ponds can be reliably estimated, nitrous oxide and other potential emission sources (sheds, stockpiles, and land application) are less well characterised. The aim of this project is to identify measure and develop mitigation strategies for GHG emissions from piggeries.

Project: Covered anaerobic ponds: Converting piggery waste into biogas and soil improvers


Any


Description: Currently, piggery waste is treated in effluent pond where the waste is gradually degraded by microorganisms and the treated wastewater is then either evaporated or used for irrigation. However, these effluent ponds generate a multitude of undesirable effects including green house gas (GHG) and odour emissions, heightening concerns over climate change. Consequently, more sustainable waste treatment systems and methane mitigation technologies are sought by the Pork Industry. One simple and affordable option gaining increasing attention is the possibility of covering effluent ponds with geosynthetic materials (such as high-density polyethylene or polypropelyene) to create a covered anaerobic pond (CAPs) digester that both treats the waste and captures the biogas. Biogas (methane and carbon dioxide) that accumulates under the cover is gradually removed and used either directly as a fuel or converted to electricity via a motor generator. However, the technology is still in its infancy and there is limited knowledge about how management practices can be altered to make the conditions more favourable for biogas capture. The aim of this project is to evaluate the best management practices for enhancing biogas capture and avoiding pond failure.

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Project: The effect of antimicrobials on the anaerobic digestion of piggery wasteFor majors including:

Any


Description: Antimicrobials are used within the pork industry to treat pig health problems and improve feed conversion efficiency. Some of these compounds are poorly absorbed during digestion and the bioactive compound or metabolites are excreted. The presence of antimicrobials in piggery waste may be inhibitory to biogas production in covered anaerobic pond digesters (CAPs) in piggeries. This project will use innovative techniques to determine the impact of antimicrobials on biogas yields during anaerobic digestion of piggery waste. The outcome of this project will be improved pond stability and bioenergy recovery, encouraging more producers to adopt the technology leading to reduced GHG emissions and increased on-farm profits through renewable energy and carbon credits. Ultimately this will enhance the competitiveness of the Australian pork industry.

Project: Quantifying the benefits and risks associated with applying manure to land


Any


Description: Manure applied to land using sustainable practices can lead to enhanced crop performance and soil quality but if applied inappropriately they can potentially cause adverse environmental impacts. However, the true extent of their benefits and risks has not been fully quantified. Perceived benefits and risks are qualitative in nature with no direct measurement but can be measured indirectly using indicators of soil quality and crop performance. This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of soil quality indicators to quantify the risks and benefits of applying manure to crops.

Project: Bioenergy: Converting waste into biogasFor majors including:

Any


Description: In Western Australia the preferred disposal method for municipal solid waste (MSW) is landfill. However, this is not necessarily the most effective means of disposing of such waste and there is growing interest in finding alternative uses that solve both waste excesses and energy shortages. Since, organic materials accounts for up to 70% of the MSW the development of anaerobic digestion technology to convert MSW into methane (biogas) and compost provides an attractive and effective alternative. Biogas can then be used to provide renewable energy by the generation of electricity. The aim of this project is to develop more efficient anaerobic digestion biotechnologies. Such innovative technologies would allow local authorities and commercial waste operators to reduce landfill disposal and mitigate the environmental impact of landfill sites, such as, greenhouse gas emissions and leachate production.

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Project: Reducing water pollution from using treated piggery effluent as a liquid fertiliser


Any


Description: There is an increasing need to ensure that recycling treated piggery effluent as a liquid fertiliser doesn’t lead to water pollution. One possible solution is to incorporate enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) into the waste treatment process but this biological process is poorly understood.

During the EBPR process, microorganisms called polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) accumulate large quantities of phosphorus within their cells. These enriched microorganisms can then be separated from the treated effluent wastewater before applying the liquid fertilizer to land. However, our current understanding of these organisms is limited due to methodological constraints making it difficult to fully optimise the process in piggeries. Being able to monitor these organisms at the single-cell-level using epifluorescence microscopy and cell sorting is one approach to overcome this stumbling block. This project aimed to develop a new microscopy technique to identify the organisms involved in EBPR and to determine the optimal conditions for their growth. This information will be used to help redesign the current piggery waste treatment process by incorporating EBPR to remove P from treated effluent.

Project: Spatial survival analysis of UWA Future Farm plant trials


Agriculture, Soil Science, Environmental Science, Geography

Supervisor: Bryan Boruff, [email protected], 6488 2700, Mike Perring, Matthias Leopold

Description: Currently a number of planting trials are occurring at the UWA Future Farm. One such trial has experienced an increasing die-off of several tree species with little indication as to the cause. This project would use GIS and other spatial analytic techniques to identify factors associated with the survival of York gum (Eucalyptus loxophleba) plantings within these trial plots.

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Project: Developing manures as alternative P fertilisersFor majors including:

Any


Description: Globally, phosphorus (P) is also recognised as a primary plant-growth limiting nutrient in both natural and agricultural systems. P is a finite resource and current demand for P is not sustainable. Thus, there is an urgent need for more sustainable P fertiliser use without compromising crop performance. Two major opportunities exist for conserving the world's phosphorus resources – recycling waste materials and more efficient use of inorganic P fertilisers in agriculture. Manure contains substantial amounts of phosphorus that currently need to be removed or managed on the farm. In fact, piggery related phosphorous has been estimated by us at 1% of the Australian nutrient market. As P pricing has moved towards $5/tonne, recovery of this nutrient offers the potential of new revenue opportunities for farmers. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of different manures types as alternative P fertilisers and developing best management practices for their sustainable re-use.

Project: Biodiversity & conservation patterns in the novel ecological systems of West Australian cities: studying socio-cultural contexts in Perth’s front gardens & public parks


Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Science

Supervisor: Clare Mouat, [email protected], 6488 2652

Description Urban planning must register that Perth and West Australian cities are ecologically distinctive urban developments within Australia. Within or around Perth, each project complements the programme by exploring and advancing the use of ecological information in urban planning addressing landuse, human-nature relations, and improving city life amidst urbanisation, rapid growth, and climate injustice. Thus a number of complementary projects are envisioned to examine the challenges and opportunities for advancing the use of ecological information.

This project addresses the planners need to understand whether and how communities are connected or disconnected from local biodiversity in an era of global change. In developing conservation strategies for cities, planners need to know how this can be or is this reflected in demographic and amenity characteristics of (sub)urban local government areas and particularly open public spaces and private gardens (for example, the native-ness / non-native-ness of public open spaces and garden species). In preparing for this project, development, comparative analysis and methodological guidance, students should read:

Head L & Muir P. (2006) Suburban life and the boundaries of nature: resilience and rupture in Australian backyard gardens. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 31(4): 505-524.

Kowarik, I. (2011). Novel urban ecosystems, biodiversity, and conservation. Environmental Pollution, (8), 1974-1983.

NOTE: This project is best suited to students interested in working in a complementary team environment.

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Project: Promoting healthy urban nightscapes in a climate of global change: the ecological and planning challenges of artificial lighting at night in Perth.


Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Science

Supervisor: Clare Mouat, [email protected], 6488 2652

Description Urban planning must register that Perth and West Australian cities are ecologically distinctive urban developments within Australia. Within or around Perth, each project complements the programme by exploring and advancing the use of ecological information in urban planning addressing landuse, human-nature relations, and improving city life amidst urbanisation, rapid growth, and climate injustice. Thus a number of complementary projects are envisioned to examine the challenges and opportunities for advancing the use of ecological information.

This project addresses how, in an era of climate change and globalisation, artificial lighting at night poses unsustainable financial and ecological costs for cities. Hence local government plans and policy must consider mitigating carbon and ecological costs in planning decisions and impact assessments.

Your project might address any combination of the following: urban design, healthy nightscapes, technological opportunities and challenges of streetlighting, best practice examples from overseas, lighting and building standards, landscape design, public health, crime prevention through environmental design, energy practices of households and institutions, public and planning policy, for example.

In preparing for this project, comparative analysis and methodological guidance, students should read:

Longcore T & Rich C. (2006) Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting, Washington, DC: Island Press.

Grose M & Mouat CM. (2011) Unsustainable streetlights: harbingers of future directions for policy and practice. World Schools of Planning Congress. Perth, Australia.

NOTE: This project is best suited to students interested in working in a complementary team environment.

Project: Australo-Antarctic Geology and the East Antarctic Ice Sheet


Any geoscience related degree including Environmental Geoscience

Supervisor: Alan Aitken, [email protected], 6488 7147

Description: The vulnerability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) to climate change is a topic of much recent interest, with several studies showing that it may be more vulnerable to change than is commonly supposed. The EAIS is the biggest uncertainty in projections of future sea-level rise. Geology provides crucial controls on the conditions of the ice sheet bed (e.g. crystalline rock versus sedimentary rock) and its macro-scale structure, dictated by major tectonic elements.

Antarctica’s hot new geophysical datasets from the US-UK-AUS ICECAP program have revealed for the first time the geology of Wilkes Land – the conjugate margin to the western 2/3rds of Australia. Several projects are available that will utilise these brand new data to reconstruct and understand subglacial geology, including key controls on EAIS flow organisation.

These projects are best suited towards students with an academic focus as the results are highly publishable and likely to be of high impact if well executed. Some familiarity with geophysical data interpretation, including gravity, magnetic and radar data, and a willingness to understand cross-disciplinary concepts are essential.

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Project: Phosphate - lime interactions and soil biology




Louise Barton, [email protected], 6488 2534

with James Easton, CSBP (Wesfarmers Group) [email protected]

Description: Industry investigation of long term field trial (at Bindoon) Interactions between lime and phosphorus on soil biology To include microbial biomass, mycorrhizas, enzyme activity, fungal: bacterial

ratios etc Relationships to root growth as well shoot growth and crop yield

Project: Impact of herbicides on soil microbial diversity and functions



Supervisor: Zakaria Solaiman, [email protected], 6488 7463; Andy Whiteley, [email protected], 6488 8103; Abul Hashem, [email protected], 9690 2136

Description: Investigation of long term herbicides field trial (at Merredin) Interactions between mineral fertilisers and herbicides on soil biology Analyse microbial biomass, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, fungal: bacterial

ratios, DNA sequencing etc Relationships between weeds diversity and microbial diversity

Project: Improving Truffle growth in south western Australia



Supervisor: Jeremy Bougoure, [email protected], 6488 1937;Dan Murphy, [email protected], 6488 7083

Description: Worldwide demand for truffles is 16 times greater than current production. As traditional European production declines, Australia’s share of the market is rapidly increasing. Conditions in south western Australia are ideal for truffle production and the past ten years has seen exceptional yields. However, truffle culture is a tricky business and there is very little known about the specifics of truffle biology. For example, what nutrient sources they prefer, how they compete with other soil microorganisms for nutrients, how do we prevent truffle rotting? We have access to a range of truffle orchards and a suite of scientific expertise and methodology (particularly isotope tracing and molecular biology) to provide practical outcomes for the advancement of the Australian truffle industry.

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Project: Future proofing drinking water against the global expansion of harmful algae due to climate change.


Environmental Science, Hydrology, Land and Water Management

Supervisor: Louise Bruce, [email protected], 6488 1593; Matthew Hipsey, [email protected], 6488 3186

Description: Anthropogenically induced nutrient enrichment and climate change have led to an increase in the dominance of harmful algae blooms in lakes and reservoirs worldwide. This proposes a significant challenge to water quality managers seeking to protect future supplies of fresh drinking water. In this project you will explore alternative options of hydrological control in order to minimise the impact of algal blooms in future climate scenarios. A combination of coupled water quality - hydrodynamic modelling tools and uncertainty analysis will be applied to a global network of lake systems.

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· Web viewBiology and chemistry of rhizosphere 9 Climate change impacts on wetland ecosystems 9...

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Transcript of · Web viewBiology and chemistry of rhizosphere 9 Climate change impacts on wetland ecosystems 9...