Understanding marine biodiversity has received much attention from an ecological and conservation management perspective. For this purpose, scientific marine surveys are necessary and often conducted by a multidisciplinary team. In particular, the data collected can come from multiple sources inheriting a particular aspect of each discipline that requires reasonable integration for the purpose of modelling biodiversity. This talk gives an overview of some strategies investigated in the Marine Biodiversity Research Hub project funded by the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities Program to reconcile these differences.

Archive only - various islands and reefs

Increases in natural disasters worldwide are presenting new challenges for natural hazard risk research. Natural disasters are more likely than ever to have global impact in a world where catastrophic risk is shared across national and international boundaries and between the public and private sector. Climate change is the popular scapegoat for the increase in disasters; but exponential growth in human population and assets as well as increased exposure of populations in coastal areas and megacities are equally to blame. Interest in natural hazard risk is widespread among the public, in all levels of government, in international relations and across the private sector. This presentation explores how these issues and interests are manifest in the evolution of natural hazards risk research, including the role of geoscientists in this process. 30 years ago, natural hazard research was narrowly confined to the development of hazard maps, which were used primarily for input to building codes and the design of major infrastructure or critical facilities. Today, solutions require multi-hazard information and the development of a wide range of analyses about the exposure and vulnerability of communities. Further, it is not enough to just quantify the problem; results also require solutions in the form of options for mitigating the risk. These new demands require inter-disciplinary teams of hazard scientists, engineers, economists, social scientists, mathematicians, geographers and more. The development of solutions also requires the involvement of a wider range of stakeholders and clients in order to ensure that products are fit for purpose. The drivers for better natural hazard risk information are now evident in Australia in the form of significant new national policies. The new National Security policy issued in 2008 recognises that natural hazards can pose catastrophic risk for Australia. In 2009, the Australian Agency for International Development issued a Disaster Reduction Policy as a foundation of its capacity building programs overseas; natural hazards are a key element of this policy, which has resulted in significant investments in natural hazard risk research in the region. Geoscientists have a major role to play in meeting the demand for information on natural disasters and in assessing natural hazard risk. First of all, there is greater demand for information to describe the processes that lead to natural hazard events. This includes better understanding of the causes and probabilities of these events, as well as descriptions of events in a physical and spatial context. Hazard or risk models based solely on statistical methods are no longer sufficient. Natural hazard science is moving to physically-based models which are driven by an understanding of Earth dynamics, with increased computing power and improved simulation tools critical to this evolution. In terms of climate change hazards, there is an increasing demand for earth scientists to contribute to our understanding of the potential increases in coastal erosion, storm surge, riverine flooding, and sea-level rise, all of which require fundamental geological and geophysical input.

Displays the coverage of publicly available digital aeromagnetic data. The map legend is coloured according to the line spacing of the survey with broader line spacings (lower resolution surveys) displayed in shades of blue. Closer line spacings (higher resolution surveys are displayed in red, purple and coral.

Tropical cyclones, thunderstorms and sub-tropical storms can generate extreme winds that can cause significant economic loss. Severe wind is one of the major natural hazards in Australia. In this study, regional return period wind gust hazard (10 metre height over open terrain) is determined using a new methodology developed by Geoscience Australia over the past 3 years. The methodology developed for severe wind hazard (3-second peak gust) involves a combination of 3 models: - A Statistical Model (ie. data-based model) to quantify wind hazard using extreme value distributions. - A Monte Carlo method to calculate severe wind hazard produced by gust wind speeds using results from the Statistical Model. The method generates synthetic wind gust speeds by doing a numerical convolution of mean wind speeds and gust factors. - A high-resolution regional climate model (RCM) which produces gridded hourly 'maximum time-step mean- wind speed and direction fields. Area-averaged measurements from the RCM are 'corrected' for point measurement exposure by calibration with existing measurements. To assess model accuracy severe wind hazard return period levels (50, 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 years) were determined for a number of locations where a long observation record is available. Comparisons are made between observational and RCM-generated return period of gust speeds; and also with the Australian/New Zealand wind loading standards (AS/NZS 1170.2, 2002).

Beginning in the Archean, the continent of Australia evolved to its present configuration through the accretion and assembly of several smaller continental blocks and terranes at its margins. Australia usually grew by convergent plate margin processes, such as arc-continent collision, continent-continent collision or through accretionary processes at subduction zones. The accretion of several island arcs to the Australian continent, through arc-continent collisions, played an important role in this process, and the geodynamic implications of some Archean and Proterozoic island arcs recognised in Australia will be discussed here.

A contoured (interval 10m) general reference map of Christmas Island showing settlement, mining areas, railways, roads and tracks.

Cyclone Tracy is the only tropical cyclone to have devastated a major Australian population centre. Following the disaster (December 1974), the Australian Government implemented significantly improved building standards aimed at reducing the impact of a similar event in future. Geoscience Australia has developed models of severe wind risk for the Australian continent which utilise impact modelling, where we separately assess hazard, exposure and vulnerability in order to evaluate impact/damage. As often occurs in extreme natural disasters, meteorological instrumentation failed prior to the maximum wind gusts being recorded, so the spatial extent of the peak wind gusts were inferred from models constrained by estimates of the observed maximum peak wind gust. For this study, we utilise the wind vulnerability relationships determined in recent years for similar circa 1974 structures, and our knowledge of the type and specific location of structures at the time, to make the link between hazard and impact/damage. This spatial damage estimation (site specific values) is compared with the observed 1974 post-event survey damage in an effort to validate the model. As a result of Cyclone Tracy and the subsequent evacuation of 75% of the population, much more attention was given to building codes and other social aspects of disaster planning (i.e. tree planting). The likelihood of another severe cyclone impacting Darwin is real and on past experience likely within the next few decades. The study utilises both the exposure and vulnerability for 1974 and present-day residential building inventories, to evaluate the resulting effectiveness of the improved building codes. This provides a comparative impact assessment of the scenario were Cyclone Tracy to occur in the current cyclone season and evaluates the reduced vulnerability of the present building stock (compared to 1974). The study also assesses the effect that improved building standards have had on the Darwin community.

This map shows the boundary of the security regulated port for the purpose of the Maritime Transport & Office Security Act 2003. 1 sheet (Colour) May 2010 Not for sale or public distribution Contract Manager LOSAMBA project, PMD

Discusses reasons to use the Australian Stratigraphic Units Database (ASUD), and new features of the web query page and reports