|
[Print-friendly version]
 Lin Chaofeng
Faculty of Science, Biotechnology Cluster
Thesis Title: Iron Biogeochemistry and Greenhouse Gas Evolution in a Forested Coastal Catchmment of Poona Creek, Souteast Queensland, Australia.
Research Summary: Iron (Fe) is the forth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, and makes up by mass about 5.1%. Being required by all organisms, Fe is an important trace element biologically and geochemically, but excess Fe is of environmental concerns in estuary ecosystems due to its common involvement in certain biogeochemical processes.
The current PhD study is conducted within the small catchment of Poona Creek, Fraser Coast, southeast Queensland, Australia. It is a representative plantation-forested coastal catchment, which drains into the Great Sandy Strait, an environmentally sensitive estuarine habitat of national significance. In conjunction with concurrent hydrological, geochemical and chemical studies of the same area, this study aims to investigate the microbial potential of forested coastal ecosystem (catchment area) for transport of Fe loads to environmentally sensitive marine waterways, as well as for the greenhouse gas productions. Causative factors of Fe (and S, Mn) mobilization and greenhouse gas emissions in relation with different forestry practices will be identified, and evaluation of the integrated research methods employed will be performed.
The expected outcomes will strongly support the improvement of forest management, and be applicable and transportable to similar coastal catchment, both forested and with other land use, in subtropical Australia and overseas.
|
