Marine microbes are tiny organisms that live in marine environments and can only be seen under a microscope. They include cellular life forms, such as bacteria, fungi, algae and plankton, along with the viruses that accompany them.

Coral bleaching is a coral’s response to stressful conditions and can result in its death.

The 2020 Status of the World’s Coral Reef Report showed 14% of the world’s coral reefs have died since 2009, and coral bleaching caused by marine heatwaves have driven this loss. This pressure is predicted to continue with climate change.

AIMS’ mapping has pioneered the collection of long-term baseline data on the Great Barrier Reef and Australia’s North-West Shelf region through surveys of fish, corals, mangroves, planktonic communities and reefs.

We combine GIS data management with remote sensing techniques to help predict the likely presence of habitat. We then explore key locations with underwater equipment to validate these predictions.

Crown-of-thorns starfish are a major cause of coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef. The coral-eating starfish is native to the Indo-Pacific region; however, they can occur in plague proportions, consuming vast swathes of hard coral during outbreaks.