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

Ports North Seagrass Monitoring Program. (Old ID 23101)
Skye McKenna
01 Sep 2016 - 30 Dec 2025
The aim of this research is to monitor seagrass habitats in areas around Mourilyan, Karumba, Cairns and Thursday Island. The objectives include comparing results of previous monitoring and base line surveys and assessing any changes in seagrass distribution and abundance in relation to natural events or human induced activities, and establishing the capacity for recovery of key seagrass meadow types. Relationships between seagrass and environmental parameters, and the drivers of seagrass change will also be investigated.
Desktop synthesis for the Seagrass Restoration Roadmap for the Great Barrier Reef
Alexandra Carter
14 Feb 2024 - 30 Apr 2024
This is a short-term consultancy to inform the basis of a seagrass restoration roadmap across the GBR catchment. The consultancy will be a desktop analysis of currently available seagrass literature, with occasional interviews if required. The outcome will be a report used to inform the strategic scaling of future seagrass restoration activities, including opportunities for seagrass nursery locations, Traditional Owner involvement and further details, and an online meeting with GBRF to present the report and key findings.
Desktop synthesis for the Seagrass Restoration Roadmap for the Great Barrier Reef
Len McKenzie
14 Feb 2024 - 30 Apr 2024
This is a short-term consultancy to inform the basis of a seagrass restoration roadmap across the GBR catchment. The consultancy will be a desktop analysis of currently available seagrass literature, with occasional interviews if required. The outcome will be a report used to inform the strategic scaling of future seagrass restoration activities, including opportunities for seagrass nursery locations, Traditional Owner involvement and further details, and an online meeting with GBRF to present the report and key findings.
SmartCoast: Coastal management digital twin pilot in Torres Strait, Queensland based on LiDAR and satellite EO data fusion, with a focus on mangroves
Adam Canning
22 Apr 2024 - 21 Apr 2025
SmartCoast is a research-industry collaboration between James Cook University, EOMAP and Fugro (Brisbane) to co-design a coastal management digital twin pilot that supports Geodata for the management of the effects of climate change and sea level rise is sensitive coastal areas, with a particular focus mangrove management and monitoring in Torres Strait, Queensland. For best practice we propose using satellite EO-LiDAR data fusion to provide accurate baseline data and models whilst also offering a cost-effective means to monitor change. The activities will be to: 1) develop an efficient method to measure and detect mangroves accurately using satellite and LiDAR fusion technologies, 2) create and evaluate a research-based methodology for mangrove carbon sequestration estimates for Blue Carbon efforts that are essential measures of some key ecosystem benefits and will bring revenue to Queensland (via carbon credits), 3) develop change detection technique based on the relatively low cost satellite data to monitor and predict shoreline ecosystem change (e.g. decrease of mangrove coverage) that are essential indicators for risk management monitoring regarding rising sea levels and extreme weather events, 4) hold workshops to understand the needs of Queensland coastal management decision makers and codesign a digital twin pilot (prototype) project in Torres Strait. Expected outcomes are: 1) successful transferral of research, methods and expertise on mangrove management and earth observation techniques to an industry-led project; 2) a pilot platform (prototype) for coastal management to demonstrate the value of a digital twin of northern Queensland; 3) evaluation about commercialisation and scalability of the digital twin.
Protecting valuable shoreline mangroves of northern Australia
Adam Canning
01 Feb 2024 - 11 Dec 2026
The mass death (~80 km2) and dieback of shoreline mangroves around the Gulf of Carpentaria (GOC) and across northern Australia in 1982 and 2015 was a wake-up call to the vulnerability and immense importance of marine coastal ecosystems like mangroves. It is essential that we better understand the circumstances surrounding such catastrophic events, the environmental triggers identified, and what we might do to restore the damage while also preventing future occurrences. In response to the 2015 mass dieback event (the world’s largest such recorded event), the NESP commissioned an Emerging Priority project that utilised aerial surveys to assess the extent of the dieback along the entire Gulf of Carpentaria coastline. It is proposed to resurvey GOC shorelines for their current condition whilst taking the opportunity further to devise a well-considered and fully costed rapid response plan that will include innovative preventative management outcomes for the longer-term sustainability of these threatened but highly valued coastal marine ecosystems of northern Australia.
Tropical Seagrass Management Project (Stage 1)
Tim Smith
19 Jul 2024 - 30 Dec 2030
This project will design Management Plans at three priority sites across the Wet Tropics, Dry Tropics, and West Cape York/Gulf of Carpentaria regions. These Management Plans will allow Queensland's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation to achieve a conservation outcome at a regional scale from financial offset payments for impacts to seagrass and benthic habitats.
Tropical Seagrass Management Project (Stage 1)
Michael Rasheed
19 Jul 2024 - 30 Dec 2030
This project will design Management Plans at three priority sites across the Wet Tropics, Dry Tropics, and West Cape York/Gulf of Carpentaria regions. These Management Plans will allow Queensland's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation to achieve a conservation outcome at a regional scale from financial offset payments for impacts to seagrass and benthic habitats.
Tropical Seagrass Management Project (Stage 1)
Skye McKenna
19 Jul 2024 - 30 Dec 2030
This project will design Management Plans at three priority sites across the Wet Tropics, Dry Tropics, and West Cape York/Gulf of Carpentaria regions. These Management Plans will allow Queensland's Department of Environment, Science and Innovation to achieve a conservation outcome at a regional scale from financial offset payments for impacts to seagrass and benthic habitats.
Expert technical advice regarding project water quality and catchment modelling (Old ID 31066)
Adam Canning
03 Jul 2023 - 03 Feb 2026
The project is to provide expert technical advice regarding the water quality and catchment modelling components of the Environmental Impact Statements for the proposed Big Rocks Weir, the raising of the Burdekin Falls Dam and the methodology behind the cumulative impact assessment.
Seagrass mapping synthesis - A resource for marine park and coastal management (Old ID 22237)
Alexandra Carter
01 Jul 2015 - 15 Feb 2016
Key to understanding the desired state of Queensland seagrasses is reliable data on seagrass distribution, abundance and species composition, and how this changes through time. Also valuable is the ability to reliably 'drill' down from large-scale (World Heritage Area) to small-scale estuaries and meadows. TropWATER provides a composite map of seagrass for the GBRWHA available through E-Atlas, GBRMPA and Pangaea. However this layer has not been updated since 2010 and is missing changes from important areas and extensive new data, and provides no meadow-specific information. This project will recompile existing GIS layers, update with 2010-2015 data, and provide meadow-specific information.

Metal contaminants in urban stormwater runoff: composition, biological interactions and impacts

  • 2021
  • Researchers:Sarah McDonald

Modelled dispersal patterns for wood and grass charcoal are different: implications for paleofire reconstruction

Disentangling genetic from environmental effects on phenotypic variability of Southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) postlarvae

Holocene climate-fire-vegetation feedbacks in tropical savannas: Insights from the Marura sinkhole, East Arnhem Land, northern Australia

  • 2022
  • Wiley
  • Researchers:Cassandra RoweEmma RehnChris WursterMichael Bird

Tidal restoration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater impounded coastal wetlands

Constructed Wetlands Suitability for Sugarcane Profitability, Freshwater Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

How Might Climate Change Affect the Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Dugongs and Manatees?

Temporal variation of imidacloprid concentration and risk in waterways discharging to the Great Barrier Reef and potential causes

Genetic Detection and a Method to Study the Ecology of Deadly Cubozoan Jellyfish

  • 2022
  • MDPI
  • Researchers:Scott MorrisseyDean Jerry

Coral restoration and adaptation in Australia: The first five years

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