Oceans Institute eBulletin January 2020

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FROM THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR

With the start of 2020 already a distant memory, it is clear that this year will be a busy one for the Oceans Institute. Towards the end of 2019 a range of significant marine research projects progressed towards their launch and we look forward to introducing OI members to the details of these in coming months.
With guidance from the OI’s high profile Advisory Board we have clear ambitions for this year, particularly focusing the OI’s work to increase research income for OI members. The OI membership has demonstrated excellence and deep expertise across marine research, but growth in UWA’s marine research activity, capacity, and impact can only come about if research funding also grows. The OI Team will continue to work hard to that end this year.
We will, of course, also keep up with events, including the Wallacea Symposium, that will explore past and present geographical, biodiversity and human aspects of Wallacea, to be hosted by the Royal Society of WA and the OI, over Friday 14 and Saturday 15 Feb, 2020. See below for details.
Meanwhile, OI members continue to undertake exciting and important science. Several members are participating in the latest cruises of the R/V Falkor, featured below: best wishes to all on board for success, discovery and calm seas.
Finally, please put 11am-noon, Friday 27 March, 2020 in your diaries, as this is the date of the first OI Quarterly Forum of the year. It will be a chance for members to discuss OI directions directly with the OI team and, I hope, an opportunity for us to introduce some of the new projects and opportunities we are exploring this year.
All the best to all OI members and supporters for a productive and enjoyable year. Let's make it a good one!
Associate Professor Julian Partridge
Oceans Institute Deputy Director

A NOTE FROM THE CHAIR

On behalf of the Advisory Board I want to say how pleased we are to see such buoyant marine research currently underway with 2020 shaping up to be an exciting year for the Oceans Institute.
This month sees the commencement of the ICoAST project with collaboration among AIMS, CSIRO, DPIRD (Fisheries) and UWA whereby important new technologies will be implemented across key marine locations of Shark Bay, Midwest WA and the Perth coastal region. The aim of this project is to map key habitats and will involve our new Molecular Laboratory at IOMRC Crawley and the IOMRC Coastal Remote Sensing Hub. Coupled with this work will be separate research, the GAT Project, focussed on revealing ecologically significant links between Shark Bay’s extensive seagrass meadows and important megafauna such as dugongs and turtles. This research aims to better understand these species of ‘outstanding universal value’ and which help to underpin this location’s World Heritage Property status.
I would also like to take the opportunity here to sincerely thank Prof Robyn Owens, upon her retirement from UWA at the end of last year as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), for all the wonderful support and encouragement she has afforded to me and others at the Institute. She will be missed.
Finally, we would like to congratulate the major achievements by OI members over the last few months. The award of 7 ARC Discovery Projects to OI members; new ARC DECRAs for early career OI postdocs; OI member Dr Thomas Wernberg being named as a Web of Science 2019 ‘Highly Cited’ researcher; Prof Erika Techera’s appointment as the Australian national focal point for the Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group and numerous other achievements by other OI members. Well done to all!
Jock Clough
Chair, Oceans Institute Advisory Board

HEADLINE NEWS

Great Australian Deep Sea Coral and Canyon Adventure Expedition sets sail from Albany

And they’re off! While many of us are settling back into the new year at work, a team of Oceans Institute researchers are involved in a ground-breaking second expedition to the depths of the ocean off Western Australia.

The Great Australian Deep Sea Coral and Canyon Adventure is the first ever deep sea exploration of the Bremer and Leeuwin submarine canyon systems, south east and south west of Albany in WA’s Great Southern region.

Led by UWA’s Dr Julie Trotter and Dr Paolo Montagna from the Institute of Polar Science (IPS) in Italy, the team has been granted a rare opportunity to launch a deep-sea remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from aboard the oceanographic research vessel R/V Falkor, which has been provided by the philanthropic Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI).

Prof Chari Pattiaratchi is part of the expedition and reports footage from R/V Falkor being live-streamed is available for the next month as the ship travels from Bremer Canyon system to the Perth canyon. Check it out here:
https://schmidtocean.org/technology/live-from-rv-falkor/

Pictured above: Off we go! Some of the research team gathered on the R/V Falkor's deck before leaving port. PHOTO CREDIT: Schmidt Ocean Institute.

When science and industry work together to answer crucial ocean questions

For Perth born and bred PhD candidate Todd Bond, the ocean has always been a major part of his life. So it’s probably little surprise his thesis is firmly anchored in the sea.

“I grew up on and around boats and we were always at Rotto (Rottnest Island) fishing, snorkelling, exploring,” says the former Newman College student and UWA grad, 32, whose passion for the natural world has only grown over time.

“There were always questions around ‘why’ – why fish were doing certain things in the water, why they reacted in the way they did, why they behaved differently depending on the environment – all the sorts of questions inquisitive kids have.”

Pictured above and below: Todd, equally at home in the field (ie. anywhere in the ocean anywhere in the world ) and networking across the globe.

The Sea Women of Melanesia training program wins prestigious Ocean Tribute Award at Boot Düsseldorf in Germany

Huge congratulations to our friends at The Coral Sea Foundation, after their The Sea Women of Melanesia training program won the prestigious Ocean Tribute Award 2020 at Boot Düsseldorf. The award is sponsored by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and recognises innovative programs that support sustainable management of marine and coastal ecosystems. An initiative developed by Australia’s Coral Sea Foundation, the Sea Women of Melanesia program meets four of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and provides indigenous women in PNG and Solomon Islands with the knowledge, skills and equipment they need to be reef guardians and advocates for marine protected areas in their home communities.

To date, the program — which is supported by the Jock Clough Marine Foundation — has trained 28 women across 18 communities and two countries, and been instrumental in generating 20 new proposals for Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMA) in the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea and enhanced site management capability at 6 existing marine reserve sites in the Western Province of Solomon Islands. Digital reef monitoring kits and survey equipment have been deployed with Sea Women trainees at multiple locations across the eastern Coral Triangle, and humanitarian aid has been distributed to over 15 communities as part of the program’s delivery mission.

The €20,000 prize will be used to help expand the Sea Women training program across the 5 expeditions planned for the Coral Sea Foundation’s PNG Marine Conservation Initiative 2020. Director of the Sea Women of Melanesia program and PNG’s first female scuba instructor, Ms Naomi Longa, said: “This award, and the international recognition it brings to the people and nations of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, is if of tremendous importance. Melanesian women are strong advocates for marine conservation, and with the education and training we provide through the program, the women are better equipped to foster the community support that we need for successful marine conservation of the incredible coral reef ecosystems found in our country”.

Pictured above (bottom right): SWoM European representative Lucie Guirkinger accepting the award on behalf of the Coral Sea Foundation and the SWoM team.

ALSO IN THE NEWS

Paul Branson off to the US as a Fulbright scholar

Congratulations to Paul Branson, who is one of seven UWA high achievers awarded 2020 Fulbright scholarships.

A jointly appointed UWA/CSIRO Research Fellow at UWA’s Wave Energy Research Centre (WERC), Paul’s career spans both the engineering and research sectors with a focus on understanding the physical ocean conditions that impact the natural environment and built infrastructure.

His scholarship will take him to the Pacific Marine Energy Centre (PMEC), Oregon State University where he will collaborate with PMEC researchers to look at how energy converters and devices interact with ocean waves to harness energy during extreme weather events such as during storms.

Improved understanding of this area will allow energy device manufactures to improve their designs to minimize engineering costs and damage during extreme conditions.

Best wishes from all of us at the OI Paul!

Calling all innovators: get involved in the Plastics Data Challenge!

The Plastics Data Challenge is a global innovation challenge that will source, support, and scale innovative solutions that address the leakage of plastic waste into the environment.

The challenge invites all innovators worldwide (including academic institutions, startups, companies, and data scientists) to submit their innovative data solutions that advance plastic waste management and the circular economy in South and Southeast Asia.

Participants have the chance to win up to $10,000 USD, a trip to Singapore for a one-week Innovation Summit, technical support and the opportunity to pilot their innovation in the region!

Applications close 13 March 2020. Click here for more details and feel free to chat to the OI's Julia Reisser to discuss ideas.

EVENTS TO LOOK OUT FOR

2020 is starting with a bang, with events galore to note in the diary

NOTICEBOARD: Short but still important

IOMRC OPERATIONS MANAGER: Interested in joining a world-recognised hub for cutting-edge marine research in a state-of-the-art, purpose-built facility on UWA's Crawley campus? The Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre is looking for an operations manager. See link for all of the details: http://external.jobs.uwa.edu.au/cw/en/job/503903

POSTDOC POSITIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG: Two postdoc positions are open for applications in the field of micro and molecular biology. One project looks at microbial populations in hydroponics and anaerobic digesters (https://www.gu.se/english/about_the_university/job-opportunities/vacancies-details/?id=4942) and the other is on microbial assemblages for the enhancement of live feeds (https://www.gu.se/english/about_the_university/job-opportunities/vacancies-details/?id=4943). Applications close on the 31st so don't wait!

PHD SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY: Have an interest in coastal ecosystems and an Honours or Masters degree (or equivalent) in environmental fluid mechanics, coastal engineering or related fields? Don't miss this opportunity. Click the link for everything you need to know or to submit an online application: https://www.scholarships.uwa.edu.au/search?sc_view=1&id=9724

FOUR-YEAR FUNDED PHD POSITION IN CORAL REEF BIOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM: Do you have an MSc in Marine Biology, Ecology or Environmental Science, and are you interested in how reef-building corals are impacted by climate change? The University of Amsterdam is looking for a PhD student who will conduct research on corals living in extreme/marginal reef environments to better understand the environmental, eco-physiological and biogeochemical mechanisms that promote coral persistence in a changing ocean. Under supervision of OI member Dr Verena Schoepf. Link: https://www.uva.nl/en/content/vacancies/2019/12/19-864-phd-position-in-coral-reef-biology.html?z

OCEANWORKS PAID INTERNSHIP: There is an opportunity for international students to apply for an OceanWorks paid internship at IOMRC Crawley, Level 1 for Project RiverLab. Applications close on 14 February, click here for all of the details: https://www.uwa.edu.au/projects/riverlab#anchor-Internships-0B379C66-937E-4785-BC3C-1ECD405DC797

VACANCY FOR PAID 3-YEAR PhD POSITION ON MICROPLASTICS ANALYSIS @VU AMSTERDAM: Does this sound like you. Calling all MSc graduates in analytical environmental chemistry interested in microplastics. This paid position is part of the new, cool LimnoPLast EU MSCA Innovative Training Network. Apply online here by 1 February 2020.

* Have an item for the noticeboard? Send it through to mcgrathliz7@gmail.com for inclusion.

AND LAST, BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST

Coral helper stays robust under ocean acidification

Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (Coral CoE at UWA) and the Victoria University of Wellington have found Crustose Coralline Algae, crucial to the survival of coral reefs, may be able to resist the impacts of ocean acidification caused by climate change.

The findings are important to develop understanding of how longer-lived species, such as tropical corals, can respond over multiple generations to ocean acidification.

The scientists found coralline algae was able to build tolerance to ocean acidification took, on average, six generations about six to eight weeks each to develop resistance to ocean acidification.

Read more.

Uncovering hidden treasures - Australian culture goes digital

A collaboration led by UWA and including all five Western Australian universities, the WA State Library and the WA Museum, will establish a world-class archival quality Digitisation Centre.

The Centre will create a digital record of significant humanities, arts and social sciences collections held by participating institutions.

The project was made possible by a $1.1 million ARC Linkage Infrastructure and Equipment grant to help preserve Australian culture and history, particularly Indigenous artefacts.

Previously publicly unseen items such as archaeological seeds, and archival documents on the Women’s Rights Movement will soon be available online in digital format.