The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) is a tropical marine research agency located in Townsville. We occasionally help the Institute communicate its work.
On June 26 we helped AIMS announce a paper they collaborated on, published in Science: corals have the genes to adapt to warmer oceans. Press kit below. For more, contact Niall on 0417-131-977 or niall@scienceinpublic.com.au
Scarring and major lacerations due to vessel collisions
becoming more common, study finds.
The tail of a whale shark (Rhincodon typus), showing massive scarring. Image: Jess Hadden.
Almost one-fifth of the whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) in Western Australia’s Ningaloo
Reef Marine Park show major scarring or fin amputations, with the number of
injured animals increasing in recent years, new research reveals.
Distinctive scar patterns strongly suggest many of the injuries are caused by boat collisions, says whale shark scientist Emily Lester from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS).
Researchers find familiar species pave the way for coral regrowth
Parrotfish numbers rise as reef quality decreases. Credit: Kendall Clements
In
contrast to most other species, reef-dwelling parrotfish populations boom in
the wake of severe coral bleaching.
The
surprise finding came when researchers led by Perth-based Dr Brett Taylor of
the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) looked at fish populations in
severely bleached areas of two reefs – the Great Barrier Reef in the western
Pacific and the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
Working journalists can request copies of the embargoed Science paper from the AAAS Office of Public Programs, on +1-202-326-6440 or scipak@aaas.org. Others seeking copies of the paper may order them from www.sciencemag.org
And read The University of Texas at Austin’s media release here.
A team of Australian and US scientists have discovered that corals already have the genes to tolerate global warming. It may only be a matter of shuffling them to where they are most needed.
Working journalists can request copies of the embargoed Science paper from the AAAS Office of Public Programs, on +1-202-326-6440 or scipak@aaas.org. Others seeking copies of the paper may order them from www.sciencemag.org
Please click on an image to access the high resolution version.
Far Northern Great Barrier Reef. Reefs around the world are threatened by climate change. A new study shows that some corals have the genes to adapt to warmer oceans. Credit: Line K Bay, AIMS
Corals are already adapting to global warming, scientists say
AUSTIN, Texas — Some coral populations already have genetic variants necessary to tolerate warm ocean waters, and humans can help to spread these genes, a team of scientists from The University of Texas at Austin, the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Oregon State University have found. The discovery has implications for many reefs now threatened by global warming and shows for the first time that mixing and matching corals from different latitudes may boost reef survival.
The findings were published this week in the journal Science.
Coral trout in protected ‘green zones’ are not only bigger and more abundant than those in fished ‘blue zones’ of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, but they are also better able to cope with cyclone damage, according to a long-term study published today in Current Biology.
Coral trout biomass has more than doubled since the 1980s in the green zones with most of the growth occurring since the 2004 rezoning. These and other changes identified by the study show that the green zones are contributing to the health of the Great Barrier Reef and that similar approaches may be beneficial for coral reefs around the world. [continue reading…]
EMBARGO LIFTED: 4am AEDT, Thursday 24 October 2013
Nature paper reveals coral animals produce the ‘smell of the ocean’ – influencing cloud formation and protecting themselves against rising seawater temperatures.
Australian marine scientists have found the first evidence that coral itself may play an important role in regulating local climate.
They have discovered that the coral animal—not just its algal symbiont—makes an important sulphur-based molecule with properties to assist it in many ways, ranging from cellular protection in times of heat stress to local climate cooling by encouraging clouds to form.
These findings have been published in the prestigious weekly science journal Nature.
Media release from Senator the Hon Kim Carr and Senator the Hon Jan McLucas.
A new, $37 million experimental sea simulator will enable Australian scientists to recreate ocean conditions and study how both human activities and natural events will affect our marine environment in the future.
Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Senator Kim Carr and Senator for Queensland Jan McLucas opened the National Sea Simulator (SeaSim), at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in Townsville today.
$5.6 million upgrade to Arafura Timor Research Facility
Launched by Federal Science and Research Minister Don Farrell
Media call 9.30 am, Friday 24 May 2013, 23 Ellengowan Drive, Brinkin
Darwin Harbour has extreme tidal rises and falls of up to eight-metres. So the ebbing and flowing currents in the channels are strong and fast, all of which makes it difficult for pilots to berth bulk carriers or manoeuvre dredges. [continue reading…]
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