New Research Director

The Australian Institute of Marine Science has streamlined its research management with the appointment of Dr Peter Doherty as Research Director. The change in structure is designed to increase efficiency and focus. Peter will replace the three Research Group Leaders as the first point of contact for science matters at AIMS.

The AIMS’ network of temperature logger sites has recently been expanded to include a number of Commonwealth Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Data collected by the network is providing scientists with a broader picture of sea temperature trends in shallow-water reefs throughout northern Australia – data which is needed to understand the impacts of coral bleaching. Support for the extension of the network was provided by the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage. [ read more ]

A leading AIMS coral reef scientist, Dr Terry Done, has returned from a year-long assignment assisting the Indonesian government to develop and implement a coral reef conservation programme … which is as much about socio-economic improvement as it is coral reefs. [ read more ]

In a feat of engineering, a cutting-edge two-storey high weather station has been erected, piece-by-piece on a remote reef off Townsville. The 17 metre weather tower was designed and erected by engineers from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and replaces the existing station now well over 15 years old. [ read more ]

Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), and the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are collaborating in a global census of coral reefs (CReefs), one of 17 projects of the Census of Marine Life. The project will conduct a global census of coral reef ecosystems aimed at estimating the numbers of reef species and determining their vulnerability to human stressors. CReefs is a four year project funded by the Sloan Foundation.

Daily trips to the reef for a Whitsunday cruiser have become much more than a tourist adventure. A unique on-board radiometer has turned them into a scientific journey towards a better understanding of climate change. [ read more ]

Dr Eric Wolanksi’s new book The Environment in Asia Pacific Harbours published by Springer, Dordrecht, gathers the work of 60 eminent scientists in the Asia Pacific region and reports on 12 mega-cities and harbours. The book has received a commendation from the UN Atlas of the Oceans for its "exceptional" quality.