Surveying an Australian marine frontier

The RV Solander, with 11 scientists on board,undertook a 25 day survey of biodiversity in open waters off north-western Australia. The ship left Broome on 12 September 2012 returned on 6 October.

The survey was undertaken by the Marine Biodiversity Hub to support the Australian Government’s marine bioregional plans and is supported through funding from the National Environmental Research Program (NERP).

This survey of offshore waters in the north-west, including the proposed Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR), is a research collaboration between the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Geoscience Australia (GA), University of Western Australia (UWA) and the Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MGNT). The survey forms the main activity for Theme 4 of the NERP Marine Biodiversity Hub – Regional Biodiversity Discovery to Support Marine Bioregional Plans. Data from this survey will be used to support the research goals of the other three themes in the Marine Biodiversity Hub and to support the work programs of the Department of the Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC).

The information gathered in this survey will be used to fill gaps in biodiversity knowledge and patterns of community assembly, associated physical drivers of marine biodiversity and provide a regional context to these patterns and processes.

See the 3 survey grids of the voyage

Friday, February 6, 2015 - 10:00am
Tuesday, September 2, 2014 - 2:20pm

Watch the video of pelagic baited cameras being used in the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve - Timor Sea 2012.  Scads, tiger shark, spot-tail shark, giant trevally, grey reef shark, graceful shark, blacktip shark, scalloped hammerhead, pigeye shark, great hammerhead, si

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 - 10:02am

NERP Project Leader Jessica Meeuwig talks about the survey in the University of Western Australia's Oceans Institute February 2013 newsletter:

Friday, September 28, 2012 - 1:18pm

Image 1 - Examining samples from the benthic sled  (Photo:  Jamie Colquhoun, AIMS)

Image 2 - Sediment sampling using the "grab unit"

Image 3 - Mud sampling using the coring box

Image 4 - Mud samples

Image 5 - Soft sediment areas (image from towed video system)

Friday, September 28, 2012 - 12:52pm

Short snippet of seabed towed video in Grid 3 of the survey.

 

 

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Last modified: 
Monday, May 25, 2015 - 4:04pm