Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Research
My research focusses on biogeochemistry, or how nutrients such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and iron are moved through, and interact with the environment. This is a highly inderisciplanary field of research, with aspects of environmental science, chemistry, biology, engineering and computational modelling. In particular, I have three major interests:
1. Fermentation in coastal sands
We have recently discovered that when oxygen is not available, microbial communities in coastal sands tend to use fermentation as their major metabolism. Here we are investigation the implications of this effect, such as reducing the ability of coral reefs to withstand ocean acidifcation.
2. The balance between nitrogen removal and nitrogen recycling
In this project we are investigating what chemical, biological and physical factors control the fate of nitrogen, especially in estuaries.
3. Response of irrigating fauna to hypoxia
Both the behaviour of burrowing animals (e.g. worms) and the chemical reactions that happen in sediments are to a large part controlled by oxygen availability, and burrowing in itself affects the transport of oxygen into the sediment. This project is investigating the interplay between these factors.
Teaching
I am currently teaching in the following units in the School of Earth, Atmosphere & Environment.
Research area keywords
- Biogeochemistry
- Environmental Geochemistry
- Water Quality
- Nitrogen Cycling
- Estuaries
- Sandy sediments
Network
Projects
- 10 Finished
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Variability of nitrate reduction in Victorian estuaries
Kessler, A., Cook, P., Warry, F. & Reich, P.
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) (Victoria)
18/05/20 → 29/01/21
Project: Research
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Identifying the history of antimicrobial resistance genes in the environment using DNA archived in sediment cores
Lintern, A., Cook, P., Kessler, A., Wong, W. W., Weyrich, L., Zawadzki, A., Child, D., Hotchkiss, M. & Jacobsen, G.
1/01/20 → 30/06/20
Project: Research
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Regional cities of the future: A “deep dive” towards a novel integrated approach to futureproofing small towns
Lintern, A., Gadd, P., Kessler, A., Bach, P., Zawadzki, A., Jacobsen, G. & Farrelly, M.
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)
1/01/19 → 30/06/19
Project: Research
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Effects of drift algae accumulation and nitrate loading on nitrogen cycling in a eutrophic coastal sediment
Wong, W. W., Greening, C., Shelley, G., Lappan, R., Leung, P. M., Kessler, A., Winfrey, B., Poh, S. C. & Cook, P., 10 Oct 2021, In: Science of the Total Environment. 790, 8 p., 147749.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Hydrodynamic disturbance controls microbial community assembly and biogeochemical processes in coastal sediments
Chen, Y-J., Leung, P. M., Cook, P. L. M., Wong, W. W., Hutchinson, T., Eate, V., Kessler, A. J. & Greening, C., Sep 2021, (Accepted/In press) In: The ISME Journal. 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access3 Citations (Scopus) -
Metabolic flexibility allows bacterial habitat generalists to become dominant in a frequently disturbed ecosystem
Chen, Y. J., Leung, P. M., Wood, J. L., Bay, S. K., Hugenholtz, P., Kessler, A. J., Shelley, G., Waite, D. W., Franks, A. E., Cook, P. L. M. & Greening, C., Oct 2021, In: The ISME Journal. 15, 10, p. 2986-3004 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access14 Citations (Scopus) -
Can We Use Functional Genetics to Predict the Fate of Nitrogen in Estuaries?
Raes, E. J., Karsh, K., Kessler, A. J., Cook, P. L. M., Holmes, B. H., van de Kamp, J., Bodrossy, L. & Bissett, A., 11 Jun 2020, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 11, 13 p., 1261.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access4 Citations (Scopus) -
Pore water conditions driving calcium carbonate dissolution in reef sands
Kessler, A. J., Rogers, A., Cyronak, T., Bourke, M. F., Hasler-Sheetal, H., Glud, R. N., Greening, C., Meysman, F. J. R., Eyre, B. D. & Cook, P. L. M., 15 Jun 2020, In: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 279, p. 16-28 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
5 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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Interdisciplinary Seed Fund 2018, Faculty of Engineering-IT-Science, Monash University
Adyel, T. (Recipient), Kessler, Adam (Recipient) & Abdallah, Z. S. E. A. (Recipient), 2018
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)