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

IMR Integrated Reef Fish Monitoring Program (Old ID 27813)
Alexandra Carter
07 Sep 2022 - 30 Dec 2024
While critical knowledge of the abundance, diversity, and assemblage composition of Great Barrier Reef reef fishes has been delivered by comprehensive and systematic monitoring programs across various spatial and temporal scales to date, significant knowledge gaps remain. The Integrated Reef Fish Monitoring Program will address these critical knowledge gaps by establishing monitoring in nursery seascapes, deep-water inter-reef habitat, inshore fringing reefs, and developing indicators of reef fish status and trend.
Reducing nitrogen runoff without reducing industry productivity (Old ID 26960)
Aaron Davis
01 Jan 2020 - 10 Dec 2020
Many NESP TWQ Hub projects have contributed to an improved understanding of nitrogen (N) management in sugarcane farming leading to reduced dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) losses via improved management advice and practical solutions. The synthesis project will bring together a range of approaches that are addressing mechanisms for reducing N-losses, with a particular focus on real-time water quality monitoring, detection of N- loss hot-spots, on-farm N management, reef credit trading and other economic levers that incentivise improved farm management practices.
Review of Glencore Water Quality Monitoring (Old ID 24938)
Shelley Templeman
01 Feb 2018 - 31 Dec 2018
The quality of water discharges from the Glencore Bulk Storage and Handling Facility at the Port of Townsville is managed through an on-site treatment system comprising gravity stormwater filters and a centralised first-flush treatment facility. The specific objective of the review is to assess current water quality monitoring arrangements and provide advice on monitoring infrastructure/practices and data evaluation to ensure Environmental Authority compliance. However it also advances wider research aims concerned with the development of more targeted water quality guidelines and compliance assessment processes for tropical systems subject to extremely variable patterns of rainfall and runoff.
Carbon sequestration value of mangroves (Old ID 25014)
Norm Duke
01 Apr 2018 - 31 Dec 2018
This project involves a field and laboratory investigation by Mackay Christian College Grade 11 students of the carbon storage potential of mangrove environments in the Pioneer River and Mackay region. Based on field sites established by Dr Duke around 15 years ago associated with an incident of severe mangrove dieback, the Senior Biology class students will collect and assess data from water sampling, field quadrates and laboratory samples. The sampling design will focus on carbon acquisition and changes over time. Some focus will also include a review of the current status of previously damaged mangrove strands. During the project, community stakeholders from local and state government plus educational and environmental conservation groups will be involved and informed as the project develops.
The Daintree's Hidden Coastline (Old ID 25049)
Norm Duke
01 May 2018 - 15 Dec 2018
This project involves community engagement in the monitoring and assessments of shoreline condition in the Daintree River estuary in North Queensland. The participants will work with JCU scientists to conduct shoreline evaluations and field surveys of forest mangrove forest biomass. These measures will identify the condition of tidal wetland habitat, the factors causing change, and the health of this major Wet Tropics river.
Baseline monitoring and evaluation of long-term impacts on fish stocks from coral restoration (Old ID 25137)
Ian McLeod
27 Aug 2018 - 30 Jun 2021
Most coral reefs in the Philippines and elsewhere in SE Asia are degraded or highly threatened by human activities, which jeopardises food security. Previous ACIAR funded projects have successfully re-established multiple breeding coral populations on highly degraded reefs. This project will assess the impact of these and scaled-up coral restoration projects on local fish populations.
Effectiveness of gully remediation in catchments draining to the Great Barrier Reef (Old ID 27084)
Jack Koci
23 Oct 2020 - 30 Jun 2021
Gully erosion is a globally significant land degradation problem and major contributor to poor water quality in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) World Heritage Area. Gully rehabilitation can stabilise erosion and reduce downstream sediment yields, but the globally observed responses to rehabilitation are variable. This project will evaluate sediment yield and vegetation responses to several gully rehabilitation measures implemented in the Burdekin River catchment. The project will provide valuable new knowledge and understanding of the effectiveness of gully rehabilitation in savannah rangeland landscapes tributary to the GBR, and elsewhere in the world.
Desk-based feasibility assessment of using satellite images to detect and track the large dugong groups (> 100 dugongs) around Hawar Islands
Christophe Cleguer
01 Feb 2024 - 01 Jul 2024
The services will be primarily focused on conducting desk-based feasibility assessment of using satellite images to detect and track the large dugong groups (> 100 dugongs) around Hawar Islands through performing the following tasks in close coordination with the local specialists designated by the Centre: (1) • Review and considerations for the use of satellite imagery to detect marine mammals: challenges in detecting small-bodied marine mammals using satellite images (2) Case study: using drone aerial footage of dugong herds from Exmouth Gulf (Australia) and drone and satellite imagery (readily available and free) from Bahrain to assess the feasibility of detecting dugong herds in satellite imagery. (1) Case study: using aerial footage of dugong herds from Exmouth Gulf (Australia) and Bahrain to assess the feasibility of detecting dugong herds in satellite imagery.Evaluate available and accessible large dugong group aerial footage across their range (e.g., Arabian Gulf and Australia) to calibrate with satellite imagery. Performance of the services outlined in (2) by the Second Party is subject to the First Party providing the Second Party with all required drone and aerial imagery from Bahrain at least one calendar month before the due date for the final report
Gunggandji-Mandingalbay Yidinji Prescribed Body Corporate – L&S GBR Grant Program: GMY Sea Country Project: Creating healthy sea country through building partnerships, connections, and capacity
Skye McKenna
23 Jan 2024 - 31 Jul 2025
This project will continue to build Gunggandji and Mandingalbay Yidinji Rangers capacity, skills and leadership to empower them to connect, care for, enhance and implement on-ground activities in our Sea Country and the GBR that specifically contribute to monitoring, improving and protecting the health and resilience of important habitats and culturally and environmentally significant threatened species, and guide future management of environmental cultural heritage associated with the GBR.
Best practice coral restoration for the Great Barrier Reef (Old ID 24990)
Ian McLeod
01 Jan 2018 - 10 Dec 2020
Great Barrier Reef (GBR) continues to degrade, pressure is growing for direct interventions to assist the recovery of corals at important sites. This project will (1) summarise and evaluate the success of coral restoration and assisted recovery techniques worldwide (2) identify the techniques most likely to help the GBR and experimentally test the most promising techniques, (3) come up with best practices for post-impact coral reattachment and reorientation and (4) explore options for training courses, offset models and Indigenous employment.

Port of Abbot Point Long-Term Seagrass Monitoring Program - 2020. A Report for North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP)

Port of Townsville Seagrass Monitoring Program, Interim Report: October 2021

Seagrasses in Port Curtis and Rodds Bay 2021 Annual long‐term monitoring. A Report for Gladstone Ports Corporation

Port of Townsville Seagrass Monitoring Program: 2021, TropWATER Report 22/05

Bruguiera × rhynchopetala (Rhizophoraceae) newly reported in India, far west of south-east Asian, east Asian and western Pacific regions

Using Optical Water-Type Classification in Data-Poor Water Quality Assessment: A Case Study in the Torres Strait

  • 2022
  • MDPI
  • Researchers:Caroline PetusEric Wolanski

Can Forel–Ule Index Act as a Proxy of Water Quality in Temperate Waters? Application of Plume Mapping in Liverpool Bay, UK

The role of context in elucidating drivers of animal movement

Life-history constraints, short adult life span and reproductive strategies in coral reef gobies of the genus Trimma

ENSO-driven extreme oscillations in mean sea level destabilise critical shoreline mangroves—An emerging threat

Title: Ports North, Ports North supports an annual monitoring program conducted by James Cook University (JCU) in Cairns Harbour and Trinity Inlet, as well as at our other ports, such as Karumba, Mourilyan and Thursday Island. By using helicopters and underwater cameras on boats, the seagrass meadows are mapped and assessed for any changes.
Reseracher: Carissa Reason (Senior Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2009
End Date: 01 Jan 2026
Title: Gladstone Ports Corporation, The purpose of the Long-term Maintenance Dredging Management Plan (LMDMP) is to address operational needs, environmental risks, monitoring and adaptive management actions specific to the Port of Gladstone whilst ensuring the ongoing sustainability of maintenance dredging within the port.
Reseracher: Carissa Reason (Senior Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2009
End Date: 01 Jan 2030
Title: North Queensland Bulk Ports, Partnering with scientists at James Cook University (JCU), NQBP has been collecting data on seagrass growth around our port sites for more than 20 years. In addition to informing our own environmental activities and port operations, our data has contributed to advances in an international body of seagrass knowledge through JCU's academic research and regional report cards developed to help monitor the health of our waterways.
Reseracher: Carissa Reason (Senior Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2014
End Date: 01 Jan 2030
Title: Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service contracted James Cook University to conduct surveys and research on the impacts to and resilience of seagrass in Great Sandy Marine Park. This important surveying and research help government understand the impacts to seagrass from the 2022 flooding events and its ability to recovery.
Reseracher: Carissa Reason (Senior Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2021
End Date: 01 Jan 2025
Title: Master of Science - Botany, James Cook University
Reseracher: Norm Duke (Senior Research Scientist)
Start Date: 01 Jan 1981
End Date: 01 Jan 1984
Title: Doctor of Philosophy, James Cook University
Reseracher: Norm Duke (Senior Research Scientist)
Start Date: 01 Jan 1986
End Date: 01 Jan 1988
Title: Bachelor of Science with Honours, James Cook University
Reseracher: Norm Duke (Senior Research Scientist)
Start Date: 01 Jan 1973
End Date: 01 Jan 1973
Title: Editor of the SeDNAS PeerJ Hub
Reseracher: Cecilia Villacorta Rath (Senior Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2024
Title: Higher Degree By Research Committee
Reseracher: Jack Koci (Principal Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2022
End Date: 01 Jan 2023
Title: Conference co-chair
Reseracher: Sarah McDonald (Senior Research Officer)
Start Date: 01 Jan 2023
End Date: 01 Jan 2023