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

Port of Bundaberg Spoil Ground Studies (Old ID 27015)
Tim Smith
12 Aug 2020 - 30 Apr 2022
Seagrass and Benthic habitat assessments of the Bundaberg spoil ground areas.
Port of Bundaberg Spoil Ground Studies (Old ID 27015)
Skye McKenna
12 Aug 2020 - 30 Apr 2022
Seagrass and Benthic habitat assessments of the Bundaberg spoil ground areas.
NESP 4.1: Coastal seagrass of the Gulf of Carpentaria: building knowledge and capacity as a foundation for long-term monitoring
Alexandra Carter
01 Feb 2024 - 11 Dec 2026
The Gulf of Carpentaria has globally significant seagrass habitat, supporting dugong, green turtle, and commercially important fish and prawns. Key to managing impacts to species in these habitats, including indirect impacts through land use within southern Gulf catchments, is reliable data on seagrass distribution and how it changes over time. Achieving this requires large-scale mapping and a ranger-led seagrass monitoring program. This project will map intertidal seagrass habitats from the western boundary of the Nijinda Durlga (Gangalidda) and Thuwathu/Bujimulla Indigenous Protected Areas to the Bynoe River near Karumba. This mapping focuses on data-deficient regions along the mainland coastline of the southern Gulf. New technologies for monitoring using drones will be collaboratively tested in key locations for ongoing monitoring of coastal habitats by rangers. This will contribute towards the development of a regional baseline of seagrass for the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Southern Expansion of Mackay-Whitsunday Ambient Marine Monitoring Program. (Old ID 23603)
Paula Cartwright
03 Jul 2017 - 31 Jul 2027
TropWATER will provide seagrass assessment and water quality logging/chemistry services to assist regional marine ambient monitoring program administered by Mackay Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership. These data will assist Mackay Whitsunday Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership with the preparation of a regional report card.
Green turtle satellite tracking data analysis and reporting (Old ID 26766)
Emily Webster
21 Feb 2020 - 01 Oct 2021
The project aims to understand (2) the patterns of habitat use and home range of foraging green turtles in Port Curtis? (2) How green turtles use habitats located within and immediately adjacent to port infrastructure in the western and southern sections of the Port, such as jetties and navigation channels? And (3) What are the patterns of movement and foraging behaviour of green turtles that shift between inside and outside the Inner Port habitats (i.e. from Pelican Banks to offshore of Curtis Is)?
Mapping Yanyuwa Sea Country - Intertidal (Old ID 27848)
Catherine Collier
25 Sep 2022 - 05 Dec 2022
This sub-project is a collaboration of specialists from James Cook University and Charles Darwin University. The team will survey the intertidal marine benthic habitats within Yanyuwa sea country. A baseline seagrass survey and ongoing monitoring will provide an opportunity for Traditional Owners to engage in the developing blue carbon economy and empower Yanyuwa people in decision-making in local resource use.
Providing Analytical and Technical Support To The HWQMP And Related Projects (Old ID 22190)
Aaron Davis
01 Jul 2015 - 31 Oct 2016
This project is the continuation of the Herbert Water Quality Monitoring Program on a reduced scale (only in the lower catchment). The aims of the project are revised to: *Assess the effects sugarcane land use practices on water quality within the Herbert River and on End of Catchment Loads *Provide estimates of annual and daily loads for the Paddock to Reef modellers to help validate Source Catchments Model. *Inform and guide future extension and research activities in the Herbert Catchment to meet Water Quality (WQ) objectives under Reef Plan 2014. * Identify remedial actions that will reduce the effects of degraded WQ and the subsequent impact on Great Barrier Reef Lagoon.
Boosting coral abundance on the Great Barrier Reef - Scaling up coral restoration using innovative Symbiodinium co-culture and mass larval supply on reefs (Old ID 25134)
Alexandra Carter
05 Jul 2018 - 28 Feb 2019
This project will supply millions of coral larvae and significantly increase the settlement and recruitment success of juvenile corals. This will rapidly replenish damaged GBR coral sites, restoring ecological functions and resilience of coral communities. Our concept will significantly increase the supply of high quality larvae of foundation corals and provide the world’s first mass production of larvae containing Symbiodinium microalgae, which will increase larval energy and settlement success and survival of newly settled corals. Innovations include coral larval restoration at larger scales (hundreds of square metres) than previous studies and pioneering front-line diagnostics to confer thermal tolerance in coral recruits. Our team includes world-leading researchers with decades of relevant experience collaborating directly with tourism and other Queensland businesses to provide cost-effective outcomes that can be commercially scaled to restore large reef areas in future.
Mapping Yanyuwa Sea Country - Boat. (Old ID 27872)
Alexandra Carter
25 Sep 2022 - 15 Dec 2024
This project is a collaboration of specialists including the Yanyuwa Traditional Owners and li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Rangers, scientists from James Cook University, Charles Darwin University and the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and Northern Territory Parks. The team will survey the subtidal marine benthic habitats within Yanyuwa sea country. Using data from the survey and other available information, rangers and scientists will work together to determine priority management areas and identify opportunities for broader community engagement in the management of sea country.
Synthesizing Three Decades of Seagrass Spatial Data from Torres Strait and Gulf of Carpentaria (Old ID 27428)
Michael Rasheed
01 Sep 2021 - 10 Jun 2022
The Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait have globally significant seagrass habitat that provide food for threatened dugong and turtle, and habitat for commercially important fish and prawns. Key to understanding, managing, mitigating risk, and monitoring seagrass in this remote region is reliable data on seagrass distribution and species composition and how these changes through time. Data on seagrass has been collected in these areas since the 1980s, but data location and storage from these efforts remains disparate, in many cases not publicly available, and in some cases has already been lost. Our study will compile, validate and synthesize historical seagrass spatial data to create a publicly available database accessible on eAtlas. This product will provide end-users with a valuable spatial resource to assist management and monitoring of seagrass in the region.

Deepwater seagrass dynamics: light requirements, seasonal change and mechanisms of recruitment for deepwater seagrasses: interim report

Tropical dairy pasture yield and nitrogen cycling: effect of urea application rate and a nitrification inhibitor, DMPP

Effects of Shading on Zostera capricorni in the Gladstone Western Basin During the Senescent Season: April - July 2012

Gladstone Permanent Transect Seagrass Monitoring: April 2011 update

The influence of sea level and cyclones on Holocene reef flat development: Middle Island, central Great Barrier Reef

Spatio-temporal assimilation of modelled catchment loads with monitoring data in the Great Barrier Reef

The state of legislation and policy protecting Australia's mangrove and salt marsh and their ecosystem services

Comparative analysis of the pattern of population genetic diversity in three Indo-West Pacific Rhizophora mangrove species

Re-evaluation of phylogenetic relationships among species of the mangrove genus Avicennia from Indo-West Pacific based on multilocus analyses

Spatial patterns of seagrass dispersal and settlement

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