{"links":{"self":"http://dataportal.arc.gov.au/NCGP/API/grants/FT250100881"},"data":{"type":"grant-details","id":"FT250100881","attributes":{"code":"FT250100881","administering-organisation":"Monash University","announcement-administering-organisation":"Monash University","scheme-name":"ARC Future Fellowships","grant-status":"Active","funding-commencement-year":2025,"years-funded":4,"project-start-date":"2026-11-01","anticipated-end-date":"2030-10-31","grant-summary":"Aridification of the Australian dryland margins. This project aims to investigate how Australia evolved to become a fossil desert, and to identify what climatic conditions might cause these landscapes to become active again in future. Insights into the rates and timing of desert margin expansion will be gained using novel generation of large spatial and temporal datasets, and innovative integration of these data with climatic and hydrological models. Expected outcomes include clarifying how, and at what rate, aridification developed over time; the impact of land-use following European settlement; and recent triggers for dryland activity. The knowledge generated will improve our resilience to future climate change and enhance Australia’s reputation as a world leader in dryland research.","funding-current":1308014.00,"funding-at-announcement":1280213,"investigators-current":[{"title":"A/Prof","firstName":"Kathryn","familyName":"Fitzsimmons","roleName":"Future Fellowship","roleCode":"FT","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0002-9337-0793 "}],"investigators-at-announcement":[{"title":"A/Prof","firstName":"Kathryn","familyName":"Fitzsimmons","roleName":"Future Fellowship","roleCode":"FT","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0002-9337-0793 "}],"organisations-current":[{"organisationName":"Monash University","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"VIC"}],"organisations-at-announcement":[{"organisationName":"Monash University","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"VIC"}],"field-of-research":[{"isPrimary":false,"code":"370502","name":"Geochronology","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":true,"code":"3709","name":"Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"370901","name":"Geomorphology and Earth Surface Processes","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"370905","name":"Quaternary Environments","type":"FOR20"}],"socio-economic-objective":[{"code":"130703","name":"Understanding Australia’s Past","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"180699","name":"Terrestrial Systems and Management Not Elsewhere Classified","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"190504","name":"Effects of Climate Change on Australia (Excl. Social Impacts)","type":"SEO20"}],"international-collaboration":["Brazil","France","Germany","Ireland"],"lief-register":[],"achievement-summary":null,"national-interest-test-statement":"The world’s deserts are predicted to expand in the face of future climate change. Australia, as the driest inhabited continent, is therefore vulnerable to increasing aridity and more intense droughts, resulting in dune erosion, dust storms, and water scarcity as lakes dry out. These scenarios are likely because the semi-arid desert margins – one-third of the mainland - are essentially fossil deserts, set to become active again once certain conditions are breached. This fellowship will address the knowledge gap in our understanding of the long-term history of Australia’s dryland margins, and will identify the climate scenarios under which these landscapes become active, and how they stabilise. The project will generate a significantly better understanding of the long-term evolution and processes of dryland surface instability. This fundamental knowledge provides the basis for more informed land management and improves our ability to meet, and mitigate, the effects of climate change. Engagement with local indigenous and other community groups in the field areas provides scope to explore improvements to managing Country by integrating the project findings with existing knowledge and practice. Research outcomes will be promoted through (social) media, short films of fieldwork posted on my YouTube channel, annual “field walks” for community, and public workshops to increase awareness of the legacy, vulnerability, and opportunities for sustainable management of these landscapes."}}}