[Aqualist] ARC success

[Simon Haberle]

Dear All,

Below is an outline of the recent successful grants in the latest ARC 
Discovery and Linkage round. Congratulations to all those who were 
successful...these included four APD/QEII fellowships so this is excellent 
for early career researchers. The 22 successful grants included are from 
the Quaternary Sciences (including Archaeology; 19 Discovery + 2 Linkage + 
1 Linkage Infrastructure).

I've compared the results of this years round with previous 3 years and 
there are encouraging signs of continued ARC support for this area of 
research. I'll publish a fuller account in the next QA, but in general the 
trends are (i) total number of grants is similar to the last 2 years, (ii) 
funding level of around $6Mill for Discovery grants in Quaternary Sciences 
has been maintained for this years grant round, (iii) there is a slight 
drop in the number of institutions receiving funding (~13 in 2003-2004 and 
10 in 2005)....significant??, (iv) components of archaeology continues to 
feature strongly in Quaternary Science applications, (v) of the 9 
successful archaeology grants only 2 were for Australian based research 
(~similar to other years), (vi) with the recent change of personnel in the 
ARC College of Experts occurring in 2006 (including in areas significant to 
Quaternary research), it will be interesting to see how this impacts on the 
success of next years Quaternary Science proposals......

Cheers, Simon



DISCOVERY GRANTS


ARCHAEOLOGY AND PREHISTORY / ANTHROPOLOGY

CI’s: Prof AJ Anderson; Dr K Szabo; Dr E CONTE
The origins of human colonization in East Polynesia and their relevance to 
maritime migration
The Australian National University 2006: $65,000; 2007: $65,000; 2008: $65,000
Project Summary
The IndoPacific is a world of islands, including Australia, which was 
colonized during prehistory in several phases of migration, the last and 
longest of which was in East Polynesia. Extensive excavation of a large, 
waterlogged archaeological site of this era in French Polynesia will 
provide a better understanding of the period, society and external 
relationships of the early migrants, and of the processes of prehistoric 
maritime migration which link Australian peoples to those of our neighbours 
across the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

CI’s: Dr FD Bulbeck; Dr MF Oxenham
The Flores hobbit Homo floresiensis or microcephalic eastern Indonesian?
The Australian National University 2006: $40,000
Project Summary
The hobbit is so controversial as it implies that a tiny hominin with a 
miniature brain coexisted for 30,000 years with modern humans in our 
region. This would have immense, fundamental implications for understanding 
the human colonisation of our region and the role of brain size in human 
evolution. Our research will determine whether the alternative explanation 
of microcephalic pathology is viable. If so the hobbit would still be of 
unique signficance as the only known microcephalic huntergatherer who had 
survived to adulthood. The role of Australian scientists in spearheading 
the hobbit discovery places a high priority on resolving the debate 
objectively.

CI’s: Dr RF Cosgrove; Dr C Shen; Dr H Lu; Dr S Wang (APD)
Chinese Middle to Late Pleistocene hominid behaviour: exploring cultural 
variability through time and space
La Trobe University 2006: $156,000; 2007: $82,000; 2008: $125,000
Project Summary
This research will contribute to the understanding of the spread of our 
species out of Africa 2 million years ago into East Asia. It examines the 
range of hominid behaviours and ecological circumstances that led to the 
successful colonisation of China by Homo erectus. It also addresses the 
vexed question of the relationship between H. erectus and H. sapiens. Did 
the latter evolve in situ from their antecedents as some suggest, or did H. 
sapiens replace H. erectus, in the great diaspora from Africa 120,000 years 
ago?

APD: Dr K da Costa
Drawing the line: the archaeology of Roman provincial borders in Late 
Antique Palaestina and Arabia (AD250 650)
The University of Sydney 2006: $109,000; 2007: $74,000; 2008: $84,000; 
2009: $66,000
Project Summary
This project, using archaeological evidence from Jordan, will for the first 
time accurately establish the boundaries of provinces in the Roman Empire. 
By linking Australia and the Middle East in international scholarly 
research dealing with our common cultural heritage, it will increase our 
mutual understanding. The examination of very longterm trends in an ancient 
system which dealt with a complex, multicultural population will provide 
much needed comparative illustrations for the current national debate on 
the nature and security of Australian borders. It will also provide 
evidence of longterm economic change and its political consequences.

APD: Dr TP Denham
Unearthing the roots of agriculture: multidisciplinary investigations of 
Pleistocene and Holocene plant exploitation in Eastern Highlands Province, 
Papua New Guinea
Monash University 2006: $140,000; 2007: $145,000; 2008: $145,000
Project Summary
The Project will foster greater communication, public understanding and 
research links between Australia and Papua New Guinea. The Project will 
also provide archaeological training for students at Australian 
universities and students and practitioners in Papua New Guinea. The 
research seeks to understand the development of societies and subsistence 
practices, particularly plant exploitation and agriculture, in New Guinea 
from the Pleistocene to the present. The research will chart longterm 
humanenvironment relations in New Guinea, which are central to 
understanding the sustainability of food production and the maintenance of 
biodiversity in the Australasian region.

CI: Dr AS Fairbairn
Plant use at the dawn of agriculture in central Anatolia
The Australian National University 2006: $20,000; 2007: $20,000
Project Summary
The project will increase collaboration with researchers in the UK, and 
Turkish archaeological authorities. It will refine our understanding of the 
process, rate and direction of agricultural origins in Western Asia and 
improve Australia's profile in origins of agriculture research. It will 
increase Australia's knowledge base about other regions and help to 
consolidate and promote archaeobotany/archaeological science in Australia's 
research community.

CI’s: A/Prof PC Memmott; Dr SG Ulm; A/Prof IA Lilley; A/Prof ND Evans; Dr 
EC Stock; A/Prof NG White; Dr SM van Holst Pellekaan; Prof DS Trigger; Dr 
RP Robins
Isolation, Insularity and Change in Island Populations an Interdisciplinary 
Study of Aboriginal Cultural Patterns in the Gulf of Carpentaria
The University of Queensland 2006: $90,000; 2007: $90,000; 2008: $90,000; 
2009: $55,000; 2010: $40,000
Project Summary
The project's national benefits centre on its contribution to safeguarding 
Australia and to an environmentally sustainable Australia. The 
participation of northern Indigenous people is critical to border 
protection policies and procedures. This project will help revitalise the 
Carpentaria Land Council's Aboriginal Rangers scheme, which has a potential 
role in safeguarding the nation's northern approaches, including combating 
feral plant and animal importation, Coastwatch surveillance and marine 
habitat protection. The geological research on sea level and climatic 
history in the Gulf of Carpentaria and associated coastal geomorphological 
impacts will contribute to predictive models on global warming and its 
consequences (sealevel rise).

APD: Mr M Moore
How Do Stone Tools Reflect Cognition Among the First Australians and their 
Precursors?
The University of New England 2006: $85,000; 2007: $78,000; 2008: $78,000
Project Summary
The popularity of the Indonesian 'hobbit' (Homo floresiensis) discovery 
provides an ideal platform for interpreting Australasian prehistory to a 
wider community. This project explores the arrival of modern humans in 
Indonesia, their interaction with 'hobbits', and the colonisation of 
Australia by comparing the different ways these hominins made stone tools. 
Although research indicates a significant level of behavioural unity in our 
genus, 'hobbits' were not like us. 'Us' refers, of course, to modern 
humans, and hence this research is of global relevance. By applying a 
'design space' model to toolmaking in the past, this project will 
demonstrate that the earliest trends in technology apply equally to human 
groups throughout the world.

CI’s: Prof FB Sear; Mr AE Hutson; Dr HM Goldsworthy
Technological Advances in Largescale Roman Concrete Buildings during the 
2nd and 1st centuries BC
The University of Melbourne 2006: $70,000; 2007: $30,000; 2008: $40,000
Project Summary
How were the Romans able to build monuments which are still standing after 
2,000 years? Skills to achieve this were clearly not developed overnight. A 
multidisciplinary team from the University of Melbourne has identified the 
1st century BC as a time of tremendous technological change in Roman 
architecture. Was it that the Romans used a technologically advanced type 
of concrete? Was it that they had perfected the structural design of vaults 
and domes? Was it simply their organisational ability or the enormous 
wealth which flowed from their vast Empire? A team of experienced 
archaeologists, architects and engineers seeks to answer these questions by 
survey and material analysis of a number of key Roman monuments.


ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES

CI’s: Dr MK Gagan; Dr WS Hantoro; Dr DH Natawidjaja; Dr JM Lough; Dr G 
Meyers; Prof Z Liu; Prof K Sieh
The Indian Ocean Dipole, Australasian drought, and the greatearthquake 
cycle: Longterm perspectives for improved prediction
The Australian National University 2006: $260,000; 2007: $190,000; 
2008:$180,000; 2009: $183,000; 2010: $203,000
Project Summary
The protracted drought across Australia and Boxing Day 2004 earthquake in 
Sumatra defied prediction, and are causing incalculable environmental, 
economic, and social harm. Knowledge of past climate extremes will enhance 
our ability to predict climate change, and alleviate adverse affects for 
Australasian nations who missout in the future redistribution of lifegiving 
moisture. Insights into the greatearthquake cycle will help fulfil 
Australia's responsibility to predict tsunamis, for the benefit of nations 
fringing Australasian seismotectonic zones. Development of improved 
techniques in palaeoclimatology, palaeoclimate modelling, and 
palaeoseismology will provide new collaborations and opportunities for 
research, training, and education.

CI’s: Dr MK Gagan; Dr J Zhao; Dr RN Drysdale; Dr WS Hantoro; Dr GA Schmidt
Monsoon extremes, environmental shifts, and catastrophic volcanic 
eruptions: quantifying impacts on the early human history of southern 
Australasia
The Australian National University 2006: $245,000; 2007: $100,000; 2008: 
$100,000
Project Summary
The coincidence of a long, diverse Australasian human history with Earth's 
greatest climate systems presents the Australian and Indonesian communities 
with unrivalled opportunities for scientific discovery. Our study will 
improve understanding of global climate change, environmental shifts, 
volcanic catastrophes, and their role in early human dispersal, and 
extinction, in Australasia. The significance of the results will extend to 
the modern world, where human behaviour modifies, and is modified by, 
climate and environment. Integration of research strengths in Australia and 
Indonesia will contribute to an improved bilateral relationship in science, 
education, and training, and engage the public in the excitement of 
scientific discovery.

CI’s: Dr CS Turney; Dr SG Haberle
Testing the hypothesis of synchronous interhemispheric climatic change 
during the Last Termination (20,00010,000 years ago)
University of Wollongong 2006: $169,000; 2007: $110,000; 2008: $100,000
Project Summary
The results generated in this project will provide a greater understanding 
of the sensitivity of the Australasian region to a range of different 
climatic conditions (far beyond that recorded in historical datasets). 
Focussing on climate at the end of the last ice age (20,00010,000 years 
ago) we will investigate the timing, rate and magnitude of change in the 
Australasian region and test whether the variability was in phase with 
other records from the mid and highlatitudes of the Southern and Northern 
Hemisphere. The results will provide a considerably improved context for 
understanding present and future climate change in Australia.

CI: A/Prof CD Woodroffe
Variability in El Niño frequency and intensity over the past 4000 years
University of Wollongong 2006: $45,000; 2007: $35,000; 2008: $35,000
Project Summary
Fossil corals contain a rich archive of past climate variability for 
tropical oceans which can extend the limited instrumental data and increase 
our understanding of climate sensitivity. El Niño variations in the Pacific 
have farreaching impacts on Australian climate, and this project will 
reconstruct variations in the past in order to better forecast climate 
sensitivity in the future. It focuses on Christmas Island which is the 
optimal site to capture El Niño variability at several different time 
scales, and will lead to a better understanding of atmospheric and oceanic 
factors that have caused climate variability.


ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

CI’s: Prof A Cooper; Prof TF Flannery
Using ancient DNA to investigate the environmental impacts of climate 
change and humans through time
The University of Adelaide 2006: $160,000; 2007: $155,000; 2008: $155,000
Project Summary
This project will provide important information about how climate change 
and human impact have effected our environment over the past 50,000 years, 
removing many of the large mammals and altering the landscape. It is 
critical that the background to our current environment is properly 
understood if we are to predict the effects of ongoing changes such as 
global warming. The research will concentrate on the effects of climate 
change on large mammals in North and South America, New Zealand, Australia 
and Africa over this time period, and will examine the additional impact of 
humans in each location.


GEOCHEMISTRY

CI’s: Prof Dr R Grun; Prof MJ Spriggs; Dr IS Williams
Microanalysis of human fossils: new insights into age, diet and migration
The Australian National University 2006: $105,000; 2007: $90,000; 2008: $90,000
Project Summary
Human occupation of Australia and the Pacific dates back tens of thousands 
of years. New microanalytical techniques now make it possible to learn 
about the life histories of these ancient peoples: their diet, migration 
paths and the climate in which they lived. This project will benefit the 
Indigenous populations and researchers of neighbouring countries through 
collaboration and increased knowledge of their ancestors, thus enhancing 
Australia's links and status as a good neighbour in the region. This falls 
squarely into the Research Priority 'Safeguarding Australia Understanding 
our Region and the World'. In the future, our analytical approach will give 
important insights into the complex and rich archaeological heritage of 
Australia.

CI’s: Prof RG Roberts; Prof Dr R Grun; Dr Z Jacobs; Dr GA Duller
Out of Africa and into Australia: robust chronologies for turning points in 
modern human evolution and dispersal
University of Wollongong 2006: $86,000; 2007: $30,000; 2008: $60,000; 2009: 
$70,000; 2010: $70,000
Project Summary
This project will yield important new data on the timing of major turning 
points in human evolution and the human colonisation of Australia. This 
will improve our knowledge of Aboriginal cultural heritage and provide a 
longterm perspective on human/environment interactions to help forecast 
future impacts of human disruption of the Australian ecosystem 
(Environmentally Sustainable Australia NRP). Modern dating techniques 
underpin many archaeological and environmental projects, so the advances 
made in this study will benefit researchers worldwide, increase capacity 
for commercial services, and enhance Australia's international standing in 
geochronology. We will also generate highquality research students and new 
collaborative initiatives.


GEOLOGY

CI’s: Prof GC Nanson; A/Prof BG Jones
Palaeoclimatic and environmental significance of major Late Quaternary 
drainage contributions and disruptions in the Lake Eyre basin.
University of Wollongong 2006: $110,000; 2007: $80,000; 2008: $80,000
Project Summary
This study will advance our knowledge of the most remarkable floods ever 
known to have occurred in Australia. They were associated with a vast 
aquatic ecosystem in what today is the barren northern end of the Flinders 
Ranges, a region of desert dunes and salt lakes. Remarkably, such wet 
conditions appear to have coincided with episodes of megafaunal extinction 
and with the human occupation of Australia. The results will provide 
valuable information with which to better understand the the main global 
drivers of episodes of profound wetness and dryness in Australian climate.

CI’s: Dr JD Woodhead; Prof PW Williams; Dr F McDermott
Of caves, bones, and climate change: new insights from old speleothems
The University of Melbourne 2006: $80,000; 2007: $80,000; 2008: $80,000
Project Summary
Australia has an enviable reputation as a leading innovator in 
geochronological studies and this research will reinforce that standing. 
The outcomes will have an immediate and significant impact on studies of 
global climate change, and provide new insights into the evolution of 
Australia's unique fossil mammal fauna. In these ways, and as described in 
more detail elsewhere in the application, this project addresses directly 
our current national research priorities 'responding to climate change and 
variability' and 'the sustainable use of Australia's biodiversity'.

QEII: Dr SW Wroe
Australia's mammalian carnivore diversity in space and time
The University of New South Wales 2006: $200,000; 2007: $150,000; 2008: 
$150,000; 2009:$125,000; 2010: $125,000
Project Summary
To more effectively address the current extinction crisis we need to 
understand past diversity. This research program will comprehensively 
investigate the diversity of mammalian carnivores on three continents over 
geological time. Results will provide insight into whether the evolution of 
Australia's mammal carnivores differs fundamentally from those of other 
continents, as has often been suggested but not quantitatively 
demonstrated. Studies focused in the present are important, but often miss 
critical factors that can only be clarified through analyses with deep time 
perspectives. The findings will translate into an improved understanding of 
what makes Australia unique and better informed decisions regarding 
wildlife management.



LINKAGE GRANTS

ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION

CI’s: Dr PA Gell; A/Prof DM McKirdy; Dr J Tibby
Retrospective ecological character assessment for a review of Ramsar status 
of The Coorong, SA.
The University of Adelaide 2006: $100,000; 2007: $49,220
Partner Organisation(s)
Department of Water, Land and Biodiversity Conservation (DWLBC) I & B 
Division Upper South East Prog
Department for Environment and Heritage SE Region
Project Summary
Integrated analyses of the chemical and biological remains contained in the 
sediments of the Coorong will provide for a reconstruction of ecological 
change and variability over the last several thousand years. Detailed 
analyses of the recent sediments will measure how the condition of the 
Coorong has departed from this natural background and so provide an audit 
of human impact on the last wetland in the Murray darling Basin. This 
evidence will directly inform the determination of the ecological character 
of this Ramsar listed, national ecological asset and steer its management 
for a sustainable future.

CI’s: Dr J Tibby; Dr PA Gell; Mr PJ Leahy
New approaches for protecting stream health in temperate Australia: 
Devising nutrient and salinity guidelines using diatoms
The University of Adelaide 2006: $24,650; 2007: $24,650; 2008: $24,650
Partner Organisation(s)
Environment Protection Authority (South Australia)
Environment Protection Authority (Victoria)
Project Summary
Salinity and nutrient enrichment are the most significant forms of water 
quality degradation in Australian lowland rivers. This project will 
identify the biological effect of the water quality pollution and develop 
new methods for its assessment. Most importantly, through the 
identification of water quality "thresholds" which result in reduced 
biodiversity, better guidelines for maintaining stream health will be 
developed.


LINKAGE INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS

SOIL AND WATER SCIENCES

CI’s: Dr RN Drysdale; Dr ID Goodwin; Dr SW Franks; Dr JD Woodhead; Dr J Zhao

A highthroughput stable isotope ratio mass spectrometer for water resource 
management and climate change studies
The University of Newcastle 2006: $100,000
Partner Organisation(s)
The University of Newcastle
The University of Melbourne
The University of Queensland
Project Summary
Cave speleothems are highly sensitive to climate and are widely used to 
investigate past climate variability. Many researchers in Australia are now 
employing speleothems to find out more about the longterm behaviour of the 
Australian climate system, especially regarding ENSO. However, progress is 
inhibited by a lack of appropriate instrumentation capable of meeting the 
unique demands of speleothem research. Our new mass spectrometer will 
provide precise, rapid and lowcost isotope analyses of speleothem samples, 
and in doing so generate exciting and important palaeoclimate data, 
particularly in the area of preinstrumental rainfall histories.


GENETICS

CI’s: Prof A Cooper; A/Prof MP Schwarz; Prof SC Donnellan
Expansion and enhancement of the South Australian Regional Facility for 
Molecular Ecology and Evolution and the Australian Centre Ancient DNA
The University of Adelaide 2006: $115,000
Partner Organisation(s)
The University of Adelaide
The Flinders University of South Australia
South Australian Museum
Project Summary
Provision of dedicated instruments for contemporary and ancient/fragmentary 
DNA analyses will provide numerous opportunities for innovative research 
solutions in basic biology, archaeological, agricultural, biomedical, 
forensic and environmental sciences. No similar combination of facilities 
currently exists in the Australian region severely curtailing and 
jeopardising the quality of current and proposed research programs. The 
facilities will underlie innovative approaches to research in National 
Research Priorities 1 and 4 An Environmentally Sustainable Australia and 
Safeguarding Australia.

_________________________________________________________________
Dr Simon Haberle

Fellow and Assoc. Director of the Centre for Archaeological Research

Department of Archaeology & Natural History
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
Australian National University
Canberra, ACT 0200
Australia

tel: +61 2 6125 3373
fax: +61 2 6125 1635
web page: http://palaeoworks.anu.edu.au/
http://car.anu.edu.au/
__________________________________________________________________