Making precise measurement of Earth’s gravitational field and how it changes over time can give us crucial information for earth observation, climate change, and navigation.

Climate change is one of the most urgent issues of the next decade. As we’ve learned from recent droughts and floods, water management is critical in Australia and globally. Measuring the changes in Earth’s gravity over time allows us to map Earth’s water movement to measure climate change effects such as variations in sea level, ice-cap melt, and monitoring of water basins such as the Murray-Darling. We will be able to better predict and mitigate floods, provide support to the agricultural industry as it adapts to climate change, and the planning of new cities will be possible with precision data to support water management. 

We are bringing together capabilities in developing new laser systems for precision measurement along with expertise in Earth observation data analysis and utilisation to provide key information on water resources in the different components of the hydrological cycle.

The team is also developing new quantum sensors for measuring gravitational fields and magnetic fields, with applications in underground structure mapping and navigation on Earth and in space.