Ocean Futures at UniSC brings together researchers working at the interface between physical, mathematical and ecological sciences. Marine and coastal systems provide a range of essential ecosystem services vital to human wellbeing, including providing the living marine resources that are a key source of protein for more than four billion people worldwide. The pace of physical change in the atmosphere, ocean and land resulting from anthropogenic climate change is driving widespread disruption to ecosystems globally. The research from the Ocean Futures group is focused on climate-induced impacts to marine ecosystems, and on adaptation to future climate-associated risks. Our work is both theoretical and applied, spanning contexts from fisheries sustainability to aquatic ecosystems conservation and spatial planning using the most up to date technology.

Some UniSC research and engagement examples include:

• Collaboration with the QLD government to help improve the conservation and recovery of Queensland’s marine threatened species focusing on the Grey Nurse Shark population. This project aims to collate and catalogue existing data and re-survey Grey Nurse Shark populations at aggregation sites of Wolf Rock and Flat Rock to assess population trends and dynamics, including estimations of population growth and mortality. The overall aim is to establish a national photo database, using the latest Photo-ID technology, for grey nurse sharks that uses historical, current and future photo-identifications to monitor species abundance and trends, to quantify interactions with fishing gear, and to engage and educate dive shops, divers, and the public more broadly.
• Engagement in partnering with Sharks and Rays Australia along with the Laura, Rinyirru and Lama Lama Aboriginal Land and Sea Rangers will enable researchers to observe, survey and track freshwater sawfish using the latest technology. The goal is to reveal which east coast river systems hold critical nursery habitat for sawfish, and to understand how sawfish move within these waterways work to identify the distribution and demography of freshwater sawfish populations in the Normanby River catchment.
• The Australian government is funding Dr Kylie Scales’ research that involves applying big data analytics to create new maps and predictive tools that will help to identify where sea life such as turtles and sea birds become accidental bycatch of longline fisheries, and how these hotspots move in a dynamic and changing ocean. By identifying hotspots of overlap between longline fisheries and habitats of protected marine species, the information will guide decision-making for fisheries, researchers and environmental management organisations, particularly in Australia’s eastern waters, but also globally. The project will link animal tracking data sets provided by international collaborators, Global Fishing Watch data of vessels at sea, fisheries monitoring data from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, physical ocean models and satellite Earth Observation data that can map dynamic features of ocean seascapes.
• A five-year research project at UniSC successfully restored 200 hectares of abandoned sugar cane farmland into thriving wetland using new remote sensing
  technology. The project, part of the Blue Heart initiative, involved monitoring the expansion of mangroves, saltmarsh, and she-oak clusters in the Yandina Creek Wetland. The restored wetland improves water quality, stores blue carbon, and provides habitat for various wildlife. The research demonstrates the effectiveness of advanced satellite imagery and machine learning in environmental conservation.

Summary

More information

• Ocean Futures
• UniSC secures grant to research iconic species across Queensland
• New tech breaks ground in saving wetland