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In brief... The new AIMS Research Vessel - RV Solander The RV Solander will be the newest addition to the AIMS fleet when it is launched in late 2007. AIMS contracted Tenix Defence Systems Pty Ltd to construct the new 35 m vessel as a replacement for the RV Lady Basten which has operated for nearly 30 years (the standard working life of a steel vessel).
The RV Solander will improve the Institute’s capacity to conduct research in the open waters of northern and western Australia. The vessel is named after Dr Daniel Solander, the eighteenth-century Swedish naturalist and student of Carl Linnaeus who was commissioned by Joseph Banks as a naturalist on board the Endeavour. Banks and Solander inspired the name Botanist Bay (which later became Botany Bay), of Captain Cook's first landing place in Australia.
The Solanderian Province, which includes the Great Barrier Reef, was also named after Solander who helped make and describe an important collection of Australian plants and animals while the Endeavour was beached at the site of present-day Cooktown for nearly 7 weeks, after being damaged on the Great Barrier Reef. When the Endeavour returned to England it brought more than 30,000 specimens of plants and animals in which more than 3,500 species were represented. About 110 genera and about 1,400 species were new to science including many plants, fish, birds and molluscs. During the voyage Solander had prepared many valuable science documents on the plants and animals of the New World - including the very first scientific report on the kangaroo! AIMS supports international initiatives to sustain marine biodiversity AIMS CEO Ian Poiner and senior scientist Chris Battershill, represented AIMS at the fourth annual Australia-Japan Marine Forum, held at JAMSTEC in Yokosuka, Japan on 11th of September 2006. The forum was established with the goal of strengthening scientific collaboration and enhancing cooperation between scientists, economists and marine mangers in both Australia and Japan. Australian representatives from GBRMPA, CSIRO and AIMS participated in the forum. The forum discussed what was known and unknown about the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the Pacific Ocean; shared national approaches to policy development, management and sustainable use of marine bio-resources, including the use of marine protected areas (MPA) and coastal management; shared experiences and innovative ways to raise public awareness of the marine environments; and, discussed mechanisms to strengthen collaboration and cooperation between Australia and Japan in marine science and management. Experts from both continents (including members of government, business, academic and economics sectors) exchanged views on marine issues at the forum. Dr Battershill presented current developments in the marine biodiscovery industry and commercialization in Australia and was a panellist speaker in a public symposium discussing marine resources: their diversity and preservation. Dr Poiner presented a review of biodiversity in the Pacific Ocean and made recommendations for the sustainable use of marine biodiversity. The forum demonstrates how Australia and Japan are working together as partners in marine conservation, resource development and research. Cyclone Larry spares reefs In August 2006, staff from several AIMS research groups worked together to investigate the impact of cyclone Larry on the coral reefs off Innisfail. While the category five cyclone devastated an 80 km stretch along North Queensland's coastal strip, it had a relatively minor impact on the reefs in its path. Surveys of 305 sites on 20 coral reefs within the impact zone revealed that the damage appeared to be greatest just south of Larry’s path. The damage was very patchy both between and within the reefs. AIMS researchers attribute this patchiness to the position of each site in relation to wind direction and to the presence of neighbouring reefs, which may have provided shelter. A key contributor to the lack of destruction by cyclone Larry, was previous damage to the region’s reefs by a major outbreak of coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish six to eight years ago. Many reefs in the area had low hard coral cover as a result of the outbreaks and coral colonies may have escaped damage as they were left quite small and low in profile (therefore not as vulnerable as large colonies). Because Larry moved quickly through the Coral Sea, it did not generate extreme wave heights despite the record wind speeds, and most of the region’s coral reefs escaped unscathed. A few inshore reefs, however, were less fortunate and suffered severe losses in coral cover which was attributed to a combination of the high level of coral cover on the reefs prior to the cyclone and the impacts of wind and water turbulence. The minor impact of cyclone Larry contrasts the major damage to the coral reefs that AIMS scientists observed after cyclones Ingrid (in the north) and Fay (in Western Australia). For information about the Institute's long-term monitoring program
AIMS now broadcasting live from the Great Barrier Reef The AIMS sensor network, used to monitor real time changes and conditions on the Great Barrier Reef, is under continuing development. A team of engineers, mechanics and scientists have recently installed microwave dishes on the weather station at Davies Reef, a test site for the AIMS sensor network. The marine sensors at Davies Reef are equipped with data loggers that monitor temperature and light (parameters that impact coral bleaching). The new microwave dishes will enable a live video stream from the reef back to the laboratory at AIMS. The initial video recorder will be above water and will show the weather station, surrounding coral, and real time ocean conditions at the site. Scientists will use the footage to ensure that the weather station functions properly and to monitor the behaviour of seabirds on the solar panels (which could cause potential damage to the station). While footage of the coral will be in fairly poor resolution, the engineers hope to deploy an underwater camera before the end of the year for an even closer view of the reef. Researchers are certain that the high-resolution data streaming in from the reef will not only improve our understanding of various environmental processes (e.g. coral bleaching) but will also benefit the tourism industry - which will be able to tap into the information to better understand diving conditions; and the fishing industry – which will benefit from knowing how temperature changes and gradients affect fish behaviour. Data collected by the sensors may also be used to study the effects of run-off on the water quality of the Great Barrier Reef. A website where the video footage will be publicly available is expected to go-online in the next few months. Watch this space for updates on the progress. The new MTSRF: bringing together reefs, rainforests, and research The new Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF) kicked off on July 1st 2006 with the start of its research programmes. This $40 million initiative funded by the Australian Government will build upon work conducted under the Reef and Rainforest CRCs. AIMS will be a key research institution funded by the facility to undertake work that addresses issues of both local and national priority and builds on previously gained knowledge of marine systems. The facility will address large-scale tropical environmental issues (such as climate change, water quality decline and overfishing) through inter-agency collaboration. Managed and represented in the north by the newly established Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC), the MTSRF will place a major emphasis on protecting World Heritage Areas such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest. A key priority for the facility will be communication and education. By establishing partnerships between scientific researchers and the users of the scientific results, the facility will work through RRRC to enhance the adoption and integration of science into policy development, resource management, education and community initiatives. AIMS hosts Australia’s Biodiscovery Working Group The Biodiscovery Working Group of Australia’s Biotechnology Liaison Committee met at AIMS on the 6th and 7th of September to discuss the ins and outs of new policies for the current ‘hot topics’ in biotechnology. The meeting’s focus was on regulating access to Australia’s biological and genetic resources. The working group is made up of representatives of the Australian Government and state and territory governments and is currently implementing a Nationally Consistent Approach (NCA) for access to and the utilisation of Australia’s native genetic and biochemical resources. These individual governments have been busy over the past year getting new policy and legislation drafted and passed. The experience of visiting AIMS and learning about the Institute’s capabilities in marine biotechnology and its use of Australia’s genetic and biochemical marine resources was extremely useful to the working group members. The meeting also re-affirmed AIMS’ role in providing independent advice for the development of government policy. While the group certainly got down to business, the opportunity to live and work (for a few days) at the Institute’s spectacular research facility was a one off experience for group members. Highlights included laboratory tours, casual discussions with AIMS staff, a sunset visit to the AIMS wharf to inspect AIMS’ research vessel, the RV Cape Ferguson. AIMS Scientist Represents Australia in the United Nations Science Expert Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development AIMS climate change expert Dr Janice Lough rubbed shoulders with other world leading scientists at a recent meeting of the United Nations Science Expert Group on Climate Change and Sustainable Development (UNSEG). Recognizing the significant problems caused by accelerating global climate change and that the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals cannot be achieved unless climate change is brought under control, the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, asked the Scientific Research Society Sigma Xi, to convene an international panel of technical experts to advise the Commission on the "best measures for mitigating and adapting to global warming" and to provide a set of recommendations to guide United Nation’s policy. The expert group has met three times to prepare the report: "Coming to Grips with Climate Change: Avoiding the unmanageable and managing the unavoidable", which is planned to be released at the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention (COP-12) in Nairobi in November, 2006. Nobel Prize winner, Mario Molina and the president of the American Association for Advancement of Science, John Holdren were amongst the members of the expert group who gathered on the grounds of US National Academy of Sciences in Washington DC in August for a photo opportunity with Albert Einstein.
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