Tropical Water & Ecosystems

Scott Morrissey

Scott Morrissey

Tim Smith

Tim Smith

Alejandro Navarro Otero

Alejandro Navarro Otero

Jack Koci

Jack Koci

Sarah McDonald

Sarah McDonald

Emily Webster

Emily Webster

Abbi Scott

Abbi Scott

Catherine Collier

Catherine Collier

Rob Coles

Rob Coles

Aaron Davis

Aaron Davis

Mapping of Hervey Bay and Great Sandy Straits seagrass meadows post floods (Old ID 27628)
Paul York
29 Apr 2022 - 29 May 2026
This project will map seagrass meadows across Hervey Bay and collect data on intertidal seagrass habitats in Great Sandy Straits to provide post flood update on the state of seagrass meadows in the region.
Investigating the behavioural ecology of diving and feeding in a cryptic marine mammal: the Dugong (Old ID 27881)
Christophe Cleguer
01 Sep 2022 - 30 Jun 2026
As air-breathing, bottom-feeding marine mammals, dugongs must dive to survive and thrive. Quantifying the diving and feeding behaviours of dugongs in three dimensions is a missing link in the science basis for the conservation of this Vulnerable species. This project will use advanced sensing technology to understand how seagrass biomass and dugong activity and energetics influence their diving and feeding behaviors. The resultant improved fine-scale understanding of these behaviors will provide important new information about their risk from vessel strike and the potential energetic consequences of habitat loss associated with extreme weather events and human disturbance.
Benthic Mapping with Traditional Owners and Wellesley Islands Rangers in the Gulf of Carpentaria Marine Park
Alexandra Carter
07 Jun 2024 - 28 Oct 2026
There is little recent information on benthic habitats in the Gulf of Carpentaria Marine Park (GOCMP) and adjacent Thuwathu/Bujimulla Indigenous Protected Area (TBIPA), which is needed to make management decisions around zoning, habitat protection, assisted recovery, and species conservation. Marine habitats of the southern Gulf of Carpentaria have long been identified as ecologically and culturally significant, with large areas of seagrass supporting high densities of dugongs and turtles, and traditional, commercial and recreational fisheries. Wellesley Islands Rangers and scientists from JCU and CDU will conduct mapping at a scale that can comprehensively inform marine park management and the Lardil, Yangkaal, Kaiadilt and Gangalida peoples’ sustainable management of Sea Country.
Using a two-way knowledge exchange to illuminate the population dynamics of the dugong in the Gulf of Carpentaria
Christophe Cleguer
01 Jul 2024 - 11 Nov 2027
Dugongs are marine mammals with immense ecological and cultural significance, occurring in 40 countries in the Indo-Pacific. They are gardeners of seagrass beds and a major component of Indigenous culture. Their reliance on shallow seagrass beds exposes them to anthropogenic threats, e.g. pollution and boat disturbance. Dugongs are in decline in most of their range and are classified as vulnerable to extinction, with the populations in Australia representing a stronghold with an estimated 165,000 animals. My PhD project will use next-generation sequencing methods to assess genetic diversity, connectivity and health of dugongs in Australia, with a special focus on the remote and little-studied dugong populations in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Indigenous Traditional Owners in remote northern Australia, such as the Kimberley region, have recently listed the genetic health and connectivity of dugongs as a top priority in their wildlife management plans. Within the next year, I am planning to actively travel to remote locations to give in-person workshops on tissue sampling of dugongs, starting a collaboration with Indigenous communities and rangers. I will then return to the same communities with my results, fostering a two-way knowledge exchange that encourages effective dugong conservation management and collaboration between different sea countries in Australia. As my PhD projects rely heavily on the retrieval of high-quality DNA, this hands-on approach is necessary to ensure proper handling of samples. During the first year, I will focus on collecting as many dugong samples as possible to ensure that all populations are well-represented and we can determine fine-scale population structure in Australian dugongs. At the end of my PhD, I will be able to assess important conservation parameters such as level of inbreeding, population fragmentation and migration along the entire Australian coast.
NQBP and JCU Research and Monitoring Partnership – Seagrass and Coral Studies. (Old ID 27001)
Skye McKenna
11 Sep 2020 - 31 Dec 2027
This project conducts the long term annual monitoring of seagrasses and corals in Mackay, Hay Point Abbot Point/Bowen and Weipa. The work forms part of a research and monitoring partnership between JCU and NQBP to monitor and assess marine environmental health within ports as well as support related research and education opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate students in seagrass and coral ecology and applied management in the ports industry.
Operation Lumut (seagrass) Rescue: taking action to restore and monitor seagrass in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park (Old ID 29027)
Paul York
01 Apr 2023 - 30 Jun 2025
This project brings together local knowledge and ecological expertise to develop a robust, restoration program for seagrass habitats at the Cocos Keeling Island’s southern atoll. Specifically, this project will work to improve our understanding of the natural dynamics and resilience of local seagrass habitats and the pressures acting on them to limit natural recovery, and use this information to identify, trial and evaluate restoration activities to drive seagrass recovery.
Abbot Point Marine Water Quality Monitoring (Old ID 23147)
Caroline Petus
01 Apr 2017 - 30 Jun 2017
This project will provide near-surface concentrations of non-algal particulates (NAP or sediments) derived from MODIS imagery and the CSIRO bio-optical algorithms developed for the Great Barrier Reef (pixel resolution of 1km) as part of a dredging campaign at Abbot Point. These data will be used by the North Queensland Bulk Ports Cop to report against compliance conditions of approval for this activity. The MODIS imagery will be assessed for the entire dredging activities.
Deriving ecologically relevant targets to meet desired ecosystem condition for the Great Barrier Reef: a case study for seagrass meadows in the Burdekin region (Old ID 26473)
Alexandra Carter
01 Jan 2019 - 10 Dec 2020
This project will derive ecologically relevant targets (ERTs) for water quality and sediment loads for the Burdekin basin and provide the ecological targets required to revise ERTs across the GBR by: 1) defining seagrass desired state targets for the GBR: 2) calculating water quality guidelines (light); and 3) calculating ERTs for te3rrestrially sourced sediment loads, using Cleveland Bay as a case study. Historical and new data collections will be compiled and used to derive ERTs via statistical models and eReefs (RECOM), and the seagrass sub-model in eReefs will be used to test ERTs.
Characterising Mary River flood sediment deposited in Hervey Bay. (Old ID 27627)
Stephen Lewis
29 Apr 2022 - 30 Jun 2022
Analysis of recently deposited sediments in seagrass meadows offshore from the Mary River.
Wetland Restoration Surveys Burdekin Catchment (Old ID 22221)
Aaron Davis
03 Jul 2015 - 31 Mar 2016
This project will complete freshwater wetland surveys throughout the Burdekin catchment to examine the success of wetland system repair. Field work will include fish, water quality, vegetation, habitat, and macroinvertebrate sampling. A component of this program will include community training, education and workshops. Data generated will be sued in the preparation of promotional material, reports and social media releases.

Coral decline threatens fish biodiversity in marine reserves

Mid-late Holocene sea-level variability in eastern Australia

Recruitment in time and space: the dynamics and distributions of reef fish populations on a low latitude coral reef

  • 2006
  • Researchers:Maya Srinivasan

Patterns in tropical seagrass photosynthesis in relation to light, depth and habitat

Niche shifts and local competition between two coral reef fishes at their geographic boundary

A multi-trace element coral record of land-use changes in the Burdekin River catchment, NE Australia

Assessment of the water quality and ecosystem health of the Great Barrier Reef (Australia): conceptual models

Chlorophyll fluorescence measures of seagrasses Halophila ovalis and Zostera capricorni reveal differences in response to experimental shading

Sediment and nutrient exports for the Burdekin River catchment, north Queensland: a comparison of monitoring and modelling data

A review of load tools available for calculating pollutant exports to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon: a case study of varying catchment areas

Title: Marine Conservation Project Manager, World Wide Fund for Nature - Australia
Reseracher: Caitlin Smith (Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2019
End Date: 01 Jan 2022
Title: Lecturer, James Cook University
Reseracher: Jack Koci (Principal Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2020
End Date: 01 Jan 2023
Title: Global Seagrass Nursery Network
Reseracher: Tim Smith (Senior Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2023
Title: Japanese
Reseracher: Sarah McDonald (Senior Research Officer)
Title: Academic Medal for Bachelor Coursework
Reseracher: Scott Morrissey (Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2018
Title: Best Presentation
Reseracher: Scott Morrissey (Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2023
Title: Australian Marine Sciences Association (AMSA)
Reseracher: Paula Cartwright (Senior Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2026
Title: Ports North, Ports North and JCU have been engaged in a partnership since 2003 to assess and monitor seagrass in Cairns Harbour and Trinity Inlet, as well as Karumba, Mourilyan and Thursday Island. The Long-Term Seagrass Monitoring Program (LTSMP) is a collaboration that provides a regular assessment of seagrass condition in the area to inform Port management and other stakeholders. Information from the LTSMP provides key input into the condition and trend of habitats for the Wet Tropics Waterways reporting (https://wettropicswaterways.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Wet-Tropics-Report-Card-2024-web-view-040724.pdf). The program integrates analysis with water quality data, and generates supplementary research through student opportunities.
Reseracher: Skye McKenna (Principal Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2003
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: North Queensland Bulk Ports, NQBPs has a long-standing marine monitoring partnership with JCU, with scientists undertaking extensive ambient marine environmental monitoring of water quality, coral and seagrass for more than two decades. The Long-Term Seagrass Monitoring Program (LTSMP) is used to assist NQBP ensure risks to the environment are managed and ships continue to trade in and out of its ports. Our partnership is also about the robust science data and information we obtain from the program to help NQBP as a port authority. The east coast ports of Hay Point, Mackay and Abbot Point are in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, and NQBP's other port is in Weipa, in Cape York Peninsula in western far northern Queensland. The LTSMP integrates analysis with water quality monitoring program data, and generates supplementary research through student opportunities. Data arising from the LTSMP feeds into the Mackay-Whitsunday-Isaac region Healthy Rivers to Reef report card scores for marine habitat.
Reseracher: Skye McKenna (Principal Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2004
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: Port of Townsville, The Port of Townsville and JCU's TropWater team have been engaged in a partnership since 2007 to assess and monitor seagrass in Cleveland Bay. The Long-Term Seagrass Monitoring Program (LTSMP) is a collaboration that provides a regular assessment of seagrass condition in the area to inform Port management and other stakeholders. Information from the LTSMP provides key input into the condition and trend of habitats for the Dry Tropics Partnership for Healthy Water reporting (https://drytropicshealthywaters.org/). The program integrates analysis with water quality data, and generates supplementary research through student opportunities.
Reseracher: Skye McKenna (Principal Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2008
End Date: 01 Jan 2025