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

Assessment of key dugong and turtle seagrass resources in the northern Torres Strait (Old ID 22239)
Skye McKenna
01 Jul 2015 - 31 Mar 2016
This project fills a critical information gap for dugong and turtle habitat management in the Torres Strait. It describes seagrasses in a recently identified data deficient region in northern Torres Strait that contains large dugong and turtle populations and is the subject of a proposed extension of the existing Dugong Sanctuary. The baseline assessments will form the foundation for ongoing monitoring, and provide essential information to the TSRA, Australian and Queensland governments for dugong and turtle management plans, complimenting dugong and turtle research studies in the region and building skills and capacity of Traditional Owners and Rangers.
Assessing the Benefits of Using Existing Drainage infrastructure to Meet Reef Water Quality Targets. (Old ID 27132)
Aaron Davis
01 Feb 2021 - 31 Mar 2021
Landholders and local drainage authorities in the Russell-Mulgrave catchment have indicated their support for using controlled drainage to improve water quality outcomes. However, successful implementation requires underpinning modelling to understand where drainage control structures would best be located and what impact or benefit they might have. The drainage network in the Russell-Mulgrave catchment has only just been recently, and only partly, mapped, and no ground-truthing or modelling has yet been applied. This project will complete the high resolution drainage network mapping, ground-truth that mapping and apply hydrological modelling to determine the best locations and approaches for drainage control structures.
Coral Sea Conservation – Mapping Fish Nurseries and Biodiversity Hotspots (Old ID 31184)
Tim Smith
21 May 2024 - 30 Sep 2026
This project will locate fish nursery grounds and identify fish biodiversity, density, and life cycle habitat use in the reef lagoons in the Coral Sea Marine Park. This project will provide information that aligns with the national Australian Marine Park science priorities to assist with marine management plans and protection of marine park values and will help inform the 10-yearly statutory plan review. This project will provide information which will be useful for the development of management solutions to help enhance the health, ecological resilience, and sustainable economic use of the Coral Sea Marine Park.
Burdekin wetlands restoration research. (Old ID 27072)
Adam Canning
30 Nov 2020 - 30 Nov 2022
Wetlands provide some many services and values, yet are under pressure from continuing and expanding land use change. North Queensland Dry Tropics (NQDT) are implementing a range of restoration projects to improve the Burdekin floodplain, and have engaged TropWATER to complete wetland restoration monitoring to measure and evaluate the success of these works. This monitoring will cover fish sampling, water and sediment chemistry, aquatic plant assessments and hydrology. The data will provide NQDT with information to assist with further works and funding on the horizon.
What's really damaging the reef? Tracing the origin and fate of the environmentally detrimental sediment (Old ID 22541)
Zoe Bainbridge
01 Jan 2016 - 10 Dec 2018
Recent research has shown that only a portion of the fine sediment fraction delivered from rivers draining into the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon reaches coral reefs and seagrass meadows. The specific sources of this sediment, which affects the health of corals and seagrasses, are as yet unresolved. This project will, for the first time characterise and trace the origin(s) and fate of this environmentally detrimental sediment using samples collected in flood plumes and during resuspension events. This will enable direct spatial targeting of the sources of this material to achieve maximum benefits to GBR health from catchment management actions.
CSIRO - JCU Partnership - Catchment Water Quality Science (2019030726) (Old ID 26465)
Stephen Lewis
01 Jul 2019 - 30 Jun 2023
The CSIRO Land and Water Business Unit is seeking to engage several JCU staff to support research undertaken within the Catchment Processes Research Group. These collaborative positions will synthesise and build on the Group's scientific output within the Great Barrier Reef land management and water quality research domain. It will also strengthen out collective ability to connect land management changes (CSIRO focus) with marine impact (JCU focus).
Mackay & Hay Point Marine Water Quality Monitoring (Old ID 21645)
Skye McKenna
30 May 2014 - 30 Nov 2017
This project delivers a 12 month water quality sampling and monitoring program within the region of Port of Mackay and Hay Point. In conjunction with the field sampling, sediment plume modelling, using MODIS, will be completed to further characterise water quality conditions within the study area. This characterisation of water quality conditions will assist in the management of the ports and dredging operations planned for this region under the direction of North Queensland Bulk Ports.
Mackay & Hay Point Marine Water Quality Monitoring (Old ID 21645)
Caroline Petus
30 May 2014 - 30 Nov 2017
This project delivers a 12 month water quality sampling and monitoring program within the region of Port of Mackay and Hay Point. In conjunction with the field sampling, sediment plume modelling, using MODIS, will be completed to further characterise water quality conditions within the study area. This characterisation of water quality conditions will assist in the management of the ports and dredging operations planned for this region under the direction of North Queensland Bulk Ports.
Mapping Marra Sea Country with a focus on benthic habitats of the Limmen Marine Park (Old ID 27076)
Alexandra Carter
26 Nov 2020 - 15 Dec 2023
Understanding the distribution and composition of benthic habitats in the Limmen Marine Park is necessary to manage the park in accordance with the North Marine Parks Network Management Plan and support the aspirations of the Marra People. Our team will survey the marine benthic habitats within and adjacent to the marine park. Recommendations for the marine park’s co-management will be developed. Project outputs will be relevant to multiple users and made accessible by optimizing media streams, including a short film about the Limmen marine park from the perspective of the Marra people and sea rangers.
Benthic monitoring and demersal fish surveys in Limmen Marine Park. (Old ID 29022)
Catherine Collier
18 Jun 2023 - 30 Jun 2025
This project's requirements are for field work, data analysis and reporting on benthic habitat monitorings and demersal fish communities in, and connected to, Limmen Marine Park, in the South-West Gulf of Carpentaria. The objectives are: 1. Increase understanding of traditional knowledge and collaborate with Indigenous rangers and Traditional Owners to undertake marine park management, such as monitoring, including the development of bilingual maps where possible. 2. Identify any changes/trends in the condition of benthic habitats in the marine park, including seagrass, algal, sponge and coral habitats. 3. Identify demersal fish communities in and adjacent to the marine park, including consideration of key pressures on these communities and any potential management actions for mitigating impacts.

Cumulative selectivity benefits of increasing mesh size and using escape gaps in Australian Portunus armatus traps

Stable isotopes reveal the importance of saltmarsh-derived nutrition for two exploited penaeid prawn species in a seagrass dominated system

Remotely operated vehicles as alternatives to snorkellers for video-based marine research

Effects of on-deck holding conditions and air exposure on post-release behaviours of sharks revealed by a remote operated vehicle

Synthesizing 35 years of seagrass spatial data from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, Queensland, Australia

  • 2021
  • Wiley
  • Researchers:Alexandra CarterSkye McKennaMichael RasheedLen McKenzie

Financial incentives for large-scale wetland restoration: beyond markets to common asset trusts

  • 2021
  • Elsevier
  • Researchers:Adam CanningDiane JarvisNathan Waltham

Blue, green and in-between: objectives and approaches for evaluating wetland flow regimes based on vegetation outcomes

Pharmaceutical companies should pay for raiding nature's medicine cabinet

Relative importance of different seagrass re-establishment strategies in tropical Queensland, Australia

  • 2020
  • Researchers:Samantha Tol

Ecosystem collapse from the tropics to the Antarctic: an assessment and response framework

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