Articles

Non-nature based tourists in the tropical North

Published on

19 May 2010

Of the five World Heritage sites in Queensland, two are located in Tropical North Queensland and provide the region with its key iconic experiences.

GBR - Indicators of marine water quality - Benthic foraminifera (AIMS)

Published on

29 March 2010

This research incorporated field and experimental work on benthic foraminifera as indicators for water quality in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Firstly, distribution of benthic foraminifera was examined on 20 reefs in four regions of the GBR (Princess Charlotte Bay, Wet Tropics, Whitsunday Area, and Mid/Outer-shelf reefs), and along a water quality gradient in the Whitsunday region. Secondly, manipulative laboratory experiments were carried out to determine whether the distribution of symbiont-bearing foraminifera is controlled by light levels or other environmental factors.

Impacts of a severe tropical cyclone on inshore and offshore coral reefs

Published on

17 February 2010

Tropical storms (cyclones, hurricanes or typhoons) are the most severe form of mechanical disturbance of coral reefs.

4 metre bathymetry of the Lord Howe Marine Park

Published on

1 January 2010

Fine scale bathymetry information is available for the Lord Howe Marine Park

Declining Coral Calcification on the Great Barrier Reef

Published on

17 February 2009

Plots of coral threats over time and with SST

Reef-building corals are under increasing physiological stress from a changing climate and ocean absorption of increasing atmospheric CO2. We investigated 328 colonies of massive Porites corals from 69 reefs of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). Their skeletal records show that throughout the GBR, calcification has declined by 14.2% since 1990, predominantly due to extension declining by 13.3%. The data suggest such a severe and sudden decline in calcification is unprecedented in at least the last 400 years.

Introduced species in the Great Barrier Reef

Published on

16 February 2009

Most marine invasive species have been introduced to Australian waters unintentionally through shipping activities and mariculture.

Dugongs

Published on

16 February 2009

Dugongs (Dugong dugon) are marine mammals, which are commonly known as sea cows.

Jellyfish of the Great Barrier Reef

Published on

16 February 2009

Tropical northern Australian waters are home to a number of harmful jellyfish, including the large multi-tentacled deadly box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri and several species of smaller jellyfish known to cause the debilitating Irukandji syndrome.

Line fishing in the Great Barrier Reef

Published on

16 February 2009

Coral reef fish are caught by hook and line along the length of the Great Barrier Reef from the Torres Strait south to Fraser Island. More than 120 fish species are caught in the commercial line fishery, although only a few of them are actively targeted by commercial fishers. The high-value target species include coral trout, red throat emperor, red emperor, tropical snapper and Spanish mackerel.

Recreational anglers also target these species, particularly highly prized trophy species such as Spanish mackerel, red emperor and coral trout.

Patterns in hard coral diversity and cover on inshore reefs of the GBR

Published on

18 January 2009

Identifying the principal spatial patterns in biodiversity of corals is a requirement for effective ecosystem management.

Water quality of the Great Barrier Reef: spatial and seasonal patterns

Published on

16 January 2009

Water quality (WQ) is an important determinant of ecosystem health in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).

Soft corals of the Great Barrier Reef

Published on

9 January 2009

Soft corals, sea fans and gorgonians are common names for a group with the scientific name Octocorallia or Alcyonacea.

Water quality guidelines for the Great Barrier Reef

Published on

5 January 2009

The study reported here defines water quality guideline values for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).

What is Biodiversity?

Published on

2 December 2008

Biology is the study of all living organisms (plants, animals, microorganisms) and how they interact with each other and their environment.

Zooxanthellae

Published on

2 December 2008

Zooxanthellae are unicellular, golden-brown algae (dinoflagellates) that live either in the water column as plankton or symbiotically inside the tissue of other organisms. The most common symbiotic association is with hard, reef-building (or hermatypic) corals, although zooxanthellae can also be found living inside the tissue of soft corals, jellyfish, giant clams and nudibranchs.

Macroalgae

Published on

2 December 2008

Macroalgae grows profusely amongst the branches of this Acropora sp. coral colony. If conditions shift the competitive balance, macroalgae may outcompete the coral

Macroalgal species are divided among three large groups that are named according to the colour of their dominant photosynthetic and accessory pigments: red (Rhodophyta), green (Chlorophyta) and brown (Phaephyta).

Ocean Acidification

Published on

25 November 2008

Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion and deforestation is gradually altering the chemistry of the oceans, making seawater more acidic. The increased acidity has profound implications for all life on Earth, through its likely impacts on plankton, which is the basis of almost all marine food webs. It may also significantly affect the future of the Great Barrier Reef and other coral reefs. Ocean acidification and global warming are two very different, but equally important, spin-off effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.

Crustose coralline algae and sedimentation

Published on

25 November 2008

Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are rock-hard calcareous red algae that fulfill two key functional roles in coral reef ecosystems: they contribute significantly to reef calcification and cementation, and they induce larval settlement of many benthic organisms.

Mapping the seafloor

Published on

1 July 2007

Acoustic mapping of the seafloor off Cairns reveals the remains of a huge landslide from the continental slope of Australia

Coldwater corals in the Coral Sea Marine Park

Published on

1 July 2007

A unique community of coldwater corals is discovered in depths of 1300 m within the Coral Sea Marine Park