physical science
Physical science topics: Oceans
A sense of things to come – smart sensors and the environment
Sounding out the secrets of the sea
Getting into hot water – global warming and rising sea levels
Calculating the threat of tsunami
Looking for clues to our mineral wealth
The Southern Ocean and global climate
A sense of things to come – smart sensors and the environment
Monitoring reef systems or catchments for environmental change can be a big job; sometimes too big for humans to handle without a bit of technological assistance. Now that assistance is increasingly available in the form of smart sensors.
Sponsored by:
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ARC Research Network on Intelligent Sensors, Sensor Networks and Information Processing |
Sounding out the secrets of the sea
The increasing use of sound by humans to explore the seas has raised questions about its potential impact on marine life.
Sponsored by:
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The Australian Acoustical Society |
Getting into hot water – global warming and rising sea levels
The 20th century saw the greatest increase in temperature of any century during the last thousand years, and the last decade was the warmest since records began. As the temperature rises, so does the sea level – with profound consequences for us all.
Sponsored by:
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The Australian Greenhouse Office is the lead Commonwealth agency on greenhouse matters |
Calculating the threat of tsunami
On 26 December 2004, an earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale created a tsunami that led to the deaths of over 289,000 people living in coastal villages in Asia and Africa. Scientists have made important advances towards predicting tsunami by combining mathematics, geology and physics.
Sponsored by:
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the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy |
Looking for clues to our mineral wealth
In late 1997, Australian scientists announced the discovery of what they believe to be the richest gold deposit ever found. The gold is contained in 'black smokers' – volcanic chimneys found on the ocean floor.
Sponsored by:
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Australian Geodynamics Cooperative Research Centre | the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy |
The Southern Ocean and global climate
Research shows that the Southern Ocean is crucial to the world's climate system.
Sponsored by:
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Cooperative Research Centre for Antarctica and the Southern Ocean | |
the Australian Government's National Innovation Awareness Strategy |