To fight the compounding negative impacts of climate change and plastic pollution on marine environments, AIMS scientists have teamed up with India’s National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR).
There are many ways to measure the status of coral reefs. One of the most common is to use percent hard coral cover as an ‘indicator’ of reef condition because it describes the abundance of a critical ecosystem engineer on coral reefs. This measure describes the proportion of the seafloor that is covered in live hard coral. Percent hard coral cover is widely used by scientists worldwide and is a standard measure that applies to all locations. While it does not tell us anything about the diversity or composition of coral assemblages, it provides a simple and robust measure of reef health.
Percent hard coral cover can be estimated using various techniques. The technique used for this report is manta tow surveys, which are visual estimates of percent hard coral cover over the area covered by an observer during one 2-minute tow (~2000m2). The percent hard coral cover for a reef is then estimated as the average of the estimates from all tows around a reef and reported as broad categories (e.g., 0 = 0%, >0% – 10%, >10% – 30%, >30% – 50%, >50% – 75% and >75% – 100%; See video below).
A coral reef consists of more than just hard coral and contains a diverse array of other corals, sponges, algae, sand, rock and invertebrates. It is relatively rare for Great Barrier Reef reefs to have 75% to 100% hard coral cover and AIMS defines >30% – 50% hard coral cover as a high value, based on historical surveys across the Great Barrier Reef.
Other techniques for determining percent hard coral cover involve counting the number of points within sampling units (quadrats, photos), as used by LTMP in fixed site surveys, or the linear distance along a tape measure (line-intercept) that intersect live hard coral colonies. Adding up the total number of points of live hard coral cover and then expressing this as a percentage of the total number of points within a sample yields the estimates of hard coral cover. Data from both the fixed site and manta tow surveys conducted by the LTMP are highly correlated and show the same trends in hard coral cover estimates. However, manta tow estimates are generally lower than those obtained from fixed site surveys as they encompass the entire reef, including sandy back reef habitats that have low coral cover.
A visual guide to the different categories of coral cover used for reef surveys.
The revised zoning of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in 2004 increased the area of no-take zones, where fishing is prohibited, from less than five per cent of the Park to more than 33 per cent.
It was important for management agencies to understand how this decision protected the GBR’s reef ecosystems and biodiversity, while providing opportunities for the ecologically sustainable access and use for current and future generations.
The Reef Song Project focuses on reef restoration research, exploring novel complementary approaches to helping coral reefs.
With field research sites at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo, the Reef Song Project:
Components
Sound science for reef restoration
Through the establishment of two large-scale, multi-year experiments at Ningaloo and the northern Great Barrier Reef, Reef Song is:
improving our understanding of how fish influence coral growth and resilience
advancing practices to improve young fish survival
advancing our understanding of reef soundscapes, including variations between habitats and communities
the development of acoustics as a reef monitoring tool
advancing our understand of acoustic enrichment as a restoration tool.
Reef Song is led by reef ecologists and acousticians, and supports from students from Australian and international universities who play a key role in delivering the science.
Scientists broadcast ‘reef songs’ underwater to replenish reefs
24 September 2021
Scientists are investigating if the partnership between corals and fish can help repair coral reefs.
Hawkins LA, Erbe C, Becker A, Browne CE, McCordic J, McWiliam J, Parnum, I, Parsons MGJ, Rivero N, Ward R, White-Kiely D, and McCauley RD. (2024) The Australian fish chorus catalogue (2005–2023)Frontiers in Remote Sensing
Science beyond the ‘Song’
Reef song has established and maintained key science collaborations with more than ten national and international organisations:
University of Western Australia, WA
University of Exeter, UK
University of Bristol, UK
Curtin University, WA
James Cook University, Queensland
NOAA, USA
Southern Cross University, NSW
Lizard Island Research Station, Queensland Museum, QLD
Coral Bay Research Station, Murdoch University, WA
Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), WA
Image: J. Hurford
Making cultural connections
Through the Reef Song project, AIMS has established connections with four Traditional Custodian groups.
Working in accordance with AIMS Indigenous Partnerships Plan, free and prior consent (FPIC) has been gained from the Traditional Owners of sea Country for each research area.
Fostering emerging marine scientists
The Reef Song Project is strengthened by the involvement of Higher Degree Research students in its scientific activities and findings.
Of the 17 higher degree students supported by the project:
seven core PhD students are supported by Project scholarships and direct academic supervision from Reef Song expert scientists
three PhD and seven MSc students are provided field support, site access and data across five partner universities.
Project stories
Reef Song has featured in stories from ABC, Cosmos, and the BBC.
Begun in 2019, scientists and Woppaburra Traditional Custodians have worked together on Country for a better future for coral reefs and culture through the Woppaburra Coral Project.
Centered on the southern inshore Great Barrier Reef (Keppel Islands), near Yeppoon, in Woppaburra sea Country, the project has
McLeod M Ian, Hein Y Margaux, Babcock Russ, Bay K Line, Bourne G David, Cook Nathan, Doropoulos Christopher, Gibbs Mark, Harrison Peter, Lockie Stewart, Van Oppen JH Madeline , Mattocks Neil, Page A Cathie, Randall J Carly, Smith Adam, Smith A Hillary, Suggett J David, Taylor Bruce, Vella J Karen, Wachenfeld David & Boström‑Einarsson Lisa (2022) Coral restoration and adaptation in Australia: the first five years. PLoS ONE 17:e0273325.
Weaving a better future for coral reefs and culture
Woppaburra are the Traditional Custodians of the Keppel Islands and the surrounding sea Country. Their descendants have actively maintained cultural connections and responsibilities to this land and sea Country despite their forced removal in 1902.
The Woppaburra Coral Project brought Traditional Custodians and scientists together for a better future for reefs and culture.
It is an exemplar of how western scientists can work together with Traditional Custodians, being featured in the 2023 Closing of the Gap report, conference plenary talks and scientific literature.
Three workshops with AIMS scientists and Woppaburra Traditional Custodians were held on Country. These provided a respectful space for cultural and scientific knowledge exchanges through two-way sharing.
Working together on the Woppaburra Coral Project has led to:
important cultural connections, supporting 99 Woppaburra descendants to be on Country, with 28 descendants arriving on Konomie for the first time.
deepened relationships between the Woppaburra TUMRA (Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreement) Steering Committee and AIMS
leadership of FPIC (Free Prior and Informed Consent) for marine science in Australia.
The Woppaburra Coral Project was the first research project to implementAIMS’ Indigenous Partnership Plan, achieving genuine marine science partnerships with Traditional Owners. It has paved the way for other Indigenous partnerships across the Institute.
Opening doors through training and education
The Woppaburra Coral Project proudly supported the training of the next generation of aquaculture restoration practitioners and scientists.
Two Indigenous trainees received formal qualifications through the Project, working with the scientistsand Traditional Custodians to learn and share knowledge about aquaculture techniques and their Sea Country.
The training formed part of AIMS’ inaugural aquaculture trainee program, an important element of AIMS’ Indigenous Partnerships Plan. Four postgraduate science students contributed to the Project, with their research providing key information to both the project and restoration science.
Meet Jamiga-Marie: Woppaburra woman training for a future in aquaculture
Graduation success for AIMS Indigenous aquaculture trainees
12 May 2023
Four Indigenous aquaculture trainees have successfully completed an inaugural two-year training course and are now expanding their skills with work placements at AIMS’ Townsville headquarters.
AIMS scientists inspired the next generation of scientist during the Project, speaking to more than 960 school students during field research at the Konomie Environmental Education Centre.
Collaborations beyond the project
The Woppaburra Coral Project involved partners and participants from national and international organisations. Local businesses in the Yepoon and Keppel Island region provided key services to the Project and team.
Active fluorometry is a technique that allows for rapid and non-invasive evaluation of the photosynthetic performance of marine organisms (e.g., corals, seagrass and macroalgae) by measuring fluorescence emanating from Photosystem II (PSII).
SeaSim users have access to a range of bio-optical tools commonly used to evaluate photosynthetic functioning in marine research:
Components
SeaSim has a range of gas-tight incubation chambers and optical oxygen sensors to evaluate the metabolic performance of marine organisms (e.g., microalgae, fish, corals, seagrass) under a range of environmental conditions in the SeaSim.
Routine descriptors of metabolic performance that can be estimated via closed-system respirometry include:
net primary productivity (NPP),
gross primary productivity (GPP),
photosynthesis to respiration (P:R) ratio,
light R:P ratio, and
critical oxygen tension (Pcrit).
SeaSim has equipment to estimate organism surface area and buoyant weight to facilitate normalisation of metabolic rates where required.
Active fluorometry is a technique that allows for rapid and non-invasive evaluation of the photosynthetic performance of marine organisms (e.g., corals, seagrass and macroalgae) by measuring fluorescence emanating from Photosystem II (PSII).
Use of active fluorometry in marine ecophysiology has played a significant role in understanding the responses of benthic autotrophs to environmental change. A range of portable fluorometers exist that are broadly categorised into two methods according to how they manipulate the PSII redox state: Fast Repetition Rate (FRR) and Pulse Amplitude Modulated (PAM) fluorometry.
PAM Fluorometers at SeaSim
SeaSim can provide researchers with access to several variants of PAM fluorometers including:
Diving-PAM,
Imaging-PAM, and
Microscope-PAM for use with various organism sizes/types (e.g., from single-cell Symbiodiniaceae to full-sized adult coral colonies).
Incorporation of fluorescence measurements allows researchers to monitor organism physiology over the course of an experiment – either as a baseline measurement to satisfy reviewer expectations, or as a key response variable.
SeaSim has a selection of oxygen-sensing equipment that can be used by researchers wishing to measure dissolved oxygen (DO) in their experiments including:
several FireSting-O2 units (manufactured by PyroScience) which allow for optical determination of DO across four individual channels. The FireSting-O2 units can be flexibly paired with needle-type probes, robust probes and sensor spots depending on the specific application, and the proprietary software allows for automatic temperature correction of O2-solubility as needed.
FireSting-O2 units can acquire DO data at high temporal resolution (seconds) without consumption of ambient oxygen – making them ideal for capturing dynamic changes in DO during e.g., incubation approaches targeted at examining oxygen-consumption patterns in marine organisms.
a portable, hand-held multiprobe meter (YSI ProDSS) capable of measuring dissolved oxygen, temperature, and conductivity simultaneously for “point-source” measurements of dissolved oxygen.
SeaSim has a dedicated station where researchers can undertake buoyant weight measurements (with accuracy to 0.01 g) and where seawater temperature is controlled to minimise organism physiological stress.
Click here to see an example of where this setup has been used to measure buoyant weight in an experiment at SeaSim.
Click here to learn more about using the buoyant weight method.
To ensure that the light conditions match your experiment requirements, SeaSim has a range of instruments to characterize both light intensity and quality (spectrum).
Light Intensity For most aquarium experiments – and especially those involving photosynthetic organisms such as corals and seagrasses - it is necessary to provide a specific amount of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR, in units of: µmol photons m-2 s-1). PAR comprises all photons of light with wavelengths ranging from 400 – 700 nm, which are equally capable of driving photosynthesis. Experimental PAR requirements may vary depending on the organism type, an organism’s environmental history and whether light is an independent variable within the experimental design itself.
SeaSim has severalLi-Cor (LI-250A) light meters that our technical team used to measure and map PAR levels when setting up experiments. These portable light meters are the gold-standard across many research fields and are also available to researchers working in our facility. Our light meters can be equipped with either planar (flat collection surface) or scalar (spherical or hemi-spherical collection surface) quantum sensors to offer flexibility in light field measurements in air and seawater. Our technical team can advise on the appropriate sensor type for your experiment. In addition to portable light meters, many of our experimental rooms are equipped with scalar PAR sensors that allow continuous monitoring of PAR levels in designated aquaria. Such PAR data is available to view in real-time via our facility’s SCADA control system – accessible by touch-screen interfaces outside most experimental rooms.
Light Quality (spectrum) While all wavelengths of light between 400 -700 nm (i.e., PAR) can drive photosynthesis, different marine photosynthetic organisms absorb some wavelengths better than others depending on diversity in pigment composition. For example, corals typically absorb blue light (~400 – 480 nm) particularly well but absorb relatively little light in the green region (500 – 570nm). Spectral quality is therefore an important experimental consideration to ensure provision of sufficient photosynthetically usable radiation (PUR) – essentially, the part of PAR that can be absorbed by a given organism.
SeaSim technical staff have access to portable spectrometers such as theJaz and USB2000by Ocean Optics allowing them to measure spectral quality in any experimental setting. This measurement capability also extends to non-visible light in the ultraviolet (UV) region for experiments examining impacts of UV exposure in the marine environment.
Importantly, the ability to measure spectral light intensity and quality, together with the flexibility of our adjustable LED lighting units allow SeaSim technical staff to fine-tune light conditions to meet the exact needs of your experiment.
Research Capabilities
Read more about SeaSim's research capabilities including climate change, physiology, ecotoxicology, and more!
Our Canberra office is in the inner south suburb of Griffith, approximately two kilometres from Parliament House.
AIMS’ team in Canberra supports our participation in parliamentary processes and events, and engagement with colleagues in the Australian Public Service. We are close to key federal government departments including the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Department of Finance, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
