Tropical Water & Ecosystems
Scott Morrissey
- Research Officer
- scott.morrissey@jcu.edu.au
Tim Smith
- Senior Research Officer
- tim.smith2@jcu.edu.au
Alejandro Navarro Otero
- Casual Research Worker
- alejandro.navarrootero@jcu.edu.au
Jack Koci
- Principal Research Officer
- jack.koci1@jcu.edu.au
Sarah McDonald
- Senior Research Officer
- sarah.mcdonald@jcu.edu.au
Emily Webster
- Research Officer
- emily.webster1@jcu.edu.au
Abbi Scott
- Senior Research Officer
- abbi.scott1@jcu.edu.au
Catherine Collier
- Principal Research Officer
- catherine.collier@jcu.edu.au
Rob Coles
- Principal Research Scientist
- rob.coles@jcu.edu.au
Aaron Davis
- Principal Research Officer
- aaron.davis@jcu.edu.au
Assessing natural capital in North-West Queensland rangelands
Adam Canning
11 Nov 2025 - 30 Mar 2028
This project seeks to develop a Rangelands Natural Capital assessment platform, tailored to the extensive grazing lands of north-west Queensland. The platform will enable landholders to interactively explore key natural capital indicators across their property through space and time. It will integrates freely available spatial datasets with field data to visualise trends in ground cover, vegetation, soil, and biodiversity condition. Producers will be able to export simple, easy-to-interpret reports. By providing tailored training and guidance to producers, the platform will build producer capacity to understand, monitor, and demonstrate the condition and value of their natural capital assets — supporting both improved land management and potential participation in carbon, biodiversity, and other ecosystem service markets. The Project is funded by Southern Gulf NRM through the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) Climate Smart Agriculture Program.
Gunggandji-Mandingalbay Yidinji Prescribed Body Corporate – Healing Country Grant. (Old ID 27926)
Skye McKenna
14 Sep 2022 - 30 Dec 2023
This project will adopt a collaborative partnership approach with TropWATER and the Reef Restoration Foundation to build the skills, knowledge and experiences of Gunggandji and Mandingalbay Yidinji Peoples for mapping, monitoring and assessing Sea Country. This collaborative approach will incorporate an Indigenous Knowledge perspective with Western science to help ensure that Traditional Owners are empowered to lead Reef restoration work, and to make and contribute to informed decisions about managing their Sea Country. Through co-designed workshops and training—both on and off Country—rangers will learn species and habitat identification and survey methods, will undertake baseline.
NQBP & JCU Partnership - Integrated Monitoring, Research, Education and Outreach Partnership
Michael Rasheed
01 Sep 2025 - 31 Jan 2031
This partnership builds on our highly successful, nationally awarded industry and university 10-year collaboration, providing world-class monitoring, management, and research of the marine environment, and training the next generation of industry-ready graduates. While maintaining the core monitoring and science of the existing partnership: seagrass, coral, water quality, and our education and outreach components, the next 5 years sees an evolution and expansion of the program to incorporate new elements reflecting emerging issues and priorities, advancing credible science to support port operations and protect the marine environment, and keeping NQBP and JCU at the forefront of applied marine science and conservation.
Nesting climate refugia for marine turtles of the Sunshine Coast
Emily Webster
01 Feb 2025 - 30 Jun 2026
To develop a scalable spatial analysis to identify climate refugia for nesting turtles within the Sunshine Coast.
Refugia is defined as areas of current suitable nesting habitat whose exposure to threatening climactic variables is predicted to remain stable over time. the project will consider predicted sea level rise, erosion and temperature change at current and future scenarios. By comparing current and future levels of exposure to these climatic variables, maps that identify areas of imminent loss (exposure to climatic threats predicted to increase), novelty (exposure decreases) and refugia (exposure remains stable) can be developed. The project will also examine geomorphology of the coastline to map the current suitable nesting habitat and quantifying the vulnerability of that habitat to specific climatic and anthropogenic threats.
Mary Integrated Project: Upper Mary dairy water quality
Zoe Bainbridge
27 Nov 2025 - 30 Jun 2027
Collaborate with MRCCC to design and manage the Upper Mary dairy water quality monitoring sub-project, under the Mary Integrated Project. Support MRCCC with the co-design and coordination of the monitoring project, including water quality data compilation, storage and analysis, and water quality science engagement with the Upper Mary dairy industry.
Beneath your feet (Farmacist)
Zoe Bainbridge
01 Apr 2025 - 26 Feb 2027
A focus on local water quality issues and behaviour insights through tailored engagement and cooperative regional partnerships will aim to maximise community engagement with water quality data, increase trust in Reef and water quality science, increase a willingness to undertake actions that will improve water quality in local waterways and the GBR lagoon, and encourage stakeholders to work collectively to improve waterway outcomes.
Assessing impacts of extreme events on inshore coastal habitats in the northern Great Barrier Reef
Adam Canning
01 Feb 2025 - 30 Jun 2026
This project aims to assess the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Jasper and associated flooding on inshore coastal habitats (i.e. mangroves, seagrass, coral) in the northern GBR. This project will provide a current consolidated asset assessment that will be compared against previous monitoring/assessment data to determine any impacts of TC Jasper. This will be achieved through high-resolution imagery, rapid on-ground aerial surveys, subtidal surveys using underwater camera systems, and consolidating other available information (i.e., anecdotal/private records). Understanding the impact of TC Jasper on inshore coastal habitats is essential as extreme climate events can cause significant and enduring changes to the condition and resilience of critical habitats of key species, such as dugongs and turtles.
Assessing impacts of extreme events on inshore coastal habitats in the northern Great Barrier Reef
Len McKenzie
01 Feb 2025 - 30 Jun 2026
This project aims to assess the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Jasper and associated flooding on inshore coastal habitats (i.e. mangroves, seagrass, coral) in the northern GBR. This project will provide a current consolidated asset assessment that will be compared against previous monitoring/assessment data to determine any impacts of TC Jasper. This will be achieved through high-resolution imagery, rapid on-ground aerial surveys, subtidal surveys using underwater camera systems, and consolidating other available information (i.e., anecdotal/private records). Understanding the impact of TC Jasper on inshore coastal habitats is essential as extreme climate events can cause significant and enduring changes to the condition and resilience of critical habitats of key species, such as dugongs and turtles.
Do green sea turtle faeces increase seagrass seed germination and seedling success through fertilisation (Old ID 31172)
Samantha Tol
01 Jan 2024 - 31 Dec 2024
This project will measure if seagrass seed germination and seedling growth is enhanced by the addition of nutrients from sea turtle faeces. Seagrass meadows are experiencing a global decline, and therefore an increase in restoration efforts. Restoration by seeds has not yielded a high rate of success in Australia, primarily due to low germination rates. Recent research has found that seed coat scarification or passage through a dugong and green sea turtle enhances seed germination. Manual scarification of seeds is time consuming but adding sea turtle faeces to the seeds before dispersal would be a simple and cost-effective alternative.
Herbert Integrated Program - comms support
Zoe Bainbridge
30 Nov 2025 - 28 Mar 2027
Provide communication support for Terrain's Herbert Integrated Program
Start Date:
01 Jan 2024
End Date:
01 Jan 2024
Title:
Presenter - US Embassy - Presentation of TropWATER work to the US Embassy Public Affairs team
Start Date:
01 Jan 2022
End Date:
01 Jan 2024
Start Date:
01 Jan 2022
End Date:
01 Jan 2024
Start Date:
01 Jan 2020
End Date:
01 Jan 2022
Start Date:
01 Jan 2015
End Date:
01 Jan 2016
Title:
Examination of PhD thesis
Start Date:
01 Jan 2012
End Date:
01 Jan 2012
Title:
Examination of PhD thesis
Start Date:
01 Jan 2011
End Date:
01 Jan 2011
Start Date:
01 Jan 2012
End Date:
01 Jan 2012
Title:
Examination of PhD thesis
Start Date:
01 Jan 2013
End Date:
01 Jan 2013
Title:
Examination of PhD thesis
Start Date:
01 Jan 2017
End Date:
01 Jan 2017