Research finds current models underestimate the impact of hurricanes and typhoons on coral reef communities Full paper and images available. Details below. Big and strong cyclones can harm coral reefs as far as 1000 kilometres away from their paths, new research shows. A study led by Dr Marji Puotinen from the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)…
Great Barrier Reef research finds the destructive starfish is eaten more often than thought. Full paper, video, gifs and still images available. Details below. Crown-of-thorns starfish are on the menu for many more fish species than previously suspected, an investigation using fish poo and gut goo reveals. The finding suggests that some fish, including popular…
Remotely operated vehicles used by the oil and gas sector can be enhanced to gather more scientific data, researchers say. Underwater robots are regularly used by the oil and gas industry to inspect and maintain offshore structures. The same machines could be adapted to gather extra scientific information, thus boosting environmental and resource management capabilities,…
The radioactive legacy of the arms race solves a mystery about the world’s largest fish. Atomic bomb tests conducted during the Cold War have helped scientists for the first time correctly determine the age of whale sharks. The discovery, published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, will help ensure the survival of the species…
Scarring and major lacerations due to vessel collisions becoming more common, study finds. 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…
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…
$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…
Can we save the Reef by controlling crown of thorns starfish? The Great Barrier Reef has lost half its coral cover in the last 27 years. The loss was due to storm damage (48%), crown of thorns starfish (42%), and bleaching (10%) according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy…
Footage is available online at http://www.aims.gov.au/docs/research/biodiversity-ecology/threats/cots.html And high res footage for this story is available for download until 7 October here – this is a 200 Mb .mov file available to download via YouSENDit. To download a high-resolution version of any of the images below, click on the image to enlarge it then save the…
The official PNAS paper is online here Read about the crown-of-thorns starfish here Read about the Great Barrier Reef here Read about the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) here