Ground breaking data sharing project to better inform environmental assessments

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A ground breaking project, to securely share data from industry, academia and government and better inform environmental approval processes, has been launched in Perth this morning by Western Australian Science Minister Stephen Dawson.

The Shared Environmental Analytics Facility (SEAF), which now has pilot programs in Cockburn Sound and the Pilbara, takes data from a broad range of sources to support environmental impact assessments and to create useful products such as maps, reports and forecasting tools.

SEAF was developed by The Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI) and the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), which have been joined by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) funded Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) for the next stage of the program.

WABSI CEO Professor Owen Nevin said it was an exciting project that met a local and global demand for more information about cumulative pressures on the environment.

“The key benefit of SEAF is that it unlocks the real value of environmental information available. It transforms science and shared data into useable tools, enabling decision-makers from industry, government and regulators to make more robust, repeatable and sustainable decisions,” Professor Nevin said.

The two pilot studies in Western Australia have been broadly supported by industries in the regions.

WAMSI CEO Dr Luke Twomey said it was important to help decision makers by consolidating as much scientific information as possible in areas where a population was having an impact on the marine environment and landscape.

This ultimately would inform important decisions.

“The pilot studies are a significant way of demonstrating that we can securely share the results of research across different sectors,” Dr Twomey said.

ARDC CEO Rosie Hicks said, “This is a smart new way of sharing information with good governance and strong IT protections to help regulators and industry make better decisions.”

Science Minister Stephen Dawson commended the collaboration and commitment by WABSI and WAMSI to create and develop their Data and Information Management Program.

“This is a world leading innovation research project being progressed in Western Australia that can dramatically change the way environmental approvals and assessments are prepared and progressed using the latest digital data available,” Minister Dawson said.

“The project can be a game changer for government, industries, regulators and the private sector in sourcing reliable, consistent and easy to access environmental information as part of their decision-making processes.”

“I have been lucky enough to be involved in the development of this ground breaking project for a number of years and I am very pleased these pilot projects in the Cockburn Sound and the Pilbara are being launched and progressed,” Minister Dawson said.

“Our government has invested significantly in bringing this project to fruition and this milestone is another example of how we’re supporting and advancing scientific research and innovation to enhance biodiversity outcomes for WA.”

Protections around accessing the data will work in a similar way to the sharing of health data, where there are access restrictions around confidentiality.

Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Deputy Chair Lee McIntosh said a shared mechanism for consolidating and interpreting environmental data would be a very valuable tool for environmental impact assessment.

“The EPA welcomes any initiative that helps deliver protection and good environmental outcomes for our State’s significant assets,” Ms McIntosh said.

“I particularly look forward to this collaboration improving our understanding of cumulative impacts through well managed biodiversity data.”

You can find more information at the SEAF website: www.seaf.org.au

Ship safety system helping Sound’s noise research

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A safety system that tracks ships and helps prevent collisions is being used as part of a study of noise levels in Cockburn Sound and their potential impact on marine life.

Cristina Tollefsen from Curtin University said researchers were using ship location information from the worldwide Automatic Identification System along with data from recorders on the seabed.

At the start of the project, researchers placed recorders with hydrophones (underwater microphones) at nine locations in and around the Sound.

“AIS gives us details of ships and their location which means we can attribute portions of the recording to certain vessel types,” Dr Tollefsen said.

“Because we can combine this information with data from the recorders, we have been able to measure the sound levels of all the different vessel classes from tugboats and the pilot vessel to the massive bulk carrier ships,” Dr Tollefsen said.

“Port activities require more than one vessel typically, so we wanted to capture a set of activities including the pilot boats meeting larger ships as they arrive and the tug boats assisting ships as they come into port.

“It’s less common in research to measure the combined noises but that is much more realistic.”

Dr Tollefsen, who is working on the project for the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program, said there was growing awareness of the impact of noise on animals.

“Because light doesn’t penetrate very well under water, a lot of animals use sound to communicate,” Dr Tollefsen said.

“The best-known animals to do this are whales and dolphins but invertebrates and fish also use sound.

“If it’s too noisy from human activities, you can imagine that it’s harder for the animals to find a mate or find food.

“That’s why we’re doing this work is to understand the sounds in Cockburn Sound and whether there are ways to estimate a potential increase in noise or mitigate any increase if shipping traffic were to increase.”

Dr Tollefsen said a port in Vancouver, Canada had implemented a strategy to slow vessels on approach as a way of protecting the endangered population of orcas in the area.

She said by slowing the vessels, similar to a maritime equivalent of a traffic school zone, they had made the waters less noisy with the aim of reducing the impact of human-caused noise on the marine mammals.

Indigenous led research vessel launched with dockside cultural smoking ceremony

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A newly-refurbished vessel was launched today to be used for a landmark research, training and environment rehabilitation collaboration in Shark Bay – an area which has been hit hard by devastating marine heatwaves.

The 23-metre ‘Marine 2’ is owned by The Jock Clough Marine Foundation, which offered it to the Indigenous-owned and operated Tidal Moon for its exclusive use. The event took place with a dockside cultural smoking ceremony at Fremantle’s Sardine Jetty.

Tidal Moon has a sea cucumber harvesting business and has applied for a license to help rehabilitate up to 1,000 square kilometres of seagrass in Shark Bay. The meadows were lost just over a decade ago in a series of marine heatwaves.

‘Marine 2’ will enable the training and employment of local Malgana People, as well as marine research delivered by the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) with its partners.

“Seagrass provides a vital habitat and breeding area for marine animals,” Mr Wear said.

“It also prevents the release of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide and is regarded as the ocean’s lungs.”

“Myself and Malgana Elders are honoured that Shark Bay’s Traditional Custodians will lead this exciting collaboration which brings together important marine research and innovative projects that benefit the environment.”

“We are combining Western marine science and Indigenous Sea Country knowledge.”

“This is also going to create new private sector job opportunities and give our young people new opportunities to care for Sea Country,” Mr Wear said.

WA philanthropist, businessman and Jock Clough Marine Foundation Co-Trustee, Jock Clough said he was looking forward to supporting the collaborative effort.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Tidal Moon, with its Traditional Owners and custodians, WAMSI and the Jock Clough Marine Foundation to work together, and really make a difference to the knowledge of a very special place,” Mr Clough said.

WAMSI CEO Dr Luke Twomey said the organisation had developed a Science Plan for Shark Bay (Gathaagudu) and further research would provide essential data to help inform the way local and global marine ecosystems were managed. “Shark Bay is like the canary in the coalmine for climate change and our partner scientists will be able to make a real difference through this initiative,” Dr Twomey said.

Tidal Moon has been working with scientists from WAMSI’s partner institutions and with CSIRO to better understand the role of seagrass in Shark Bay’s ecosystem and the best ways to prevent future losses.

WAMSI manages major marine science projects through its partnership with Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, The University of Western Australia as well as the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, the Western Australian Museum, Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

Penguin ‘poop study’ to help unlock colony’s diet

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Researchers from The University of Western Australia and Murdoch University are analysing DNA from the excrement of little penguins in Cockburn Sound to find out what, other than fish, they are eating and whether it is affecting their breeding.

Penguin researcher Dr Belinda Cannell, from UWA, said analysing the animals’ diet in greater detail would provide an insight into their breeding and how it related to the availability of their primary diet, which is fish.

Little penguins in Cockburn Sound (their northern most range in Western Australia) primarily eat anchovies, pilchards, scaly mackerel and sandy sprat.

Penguins are known to also feed on crustaceans, cephalopods and even jellyfish.

“If it’s a poor year and there are not a lot of fish around, the little penguins may be feeding more on other things such as jellyfish,” Dr Cannell said.

This could then have an impact on their ability to produce and raise young.

“This other food may not get them into the condition where they can breed and feed their young,” Dr Cannell said.

“It may be that the chicks don’t fatten up as quickly.”

She said diet made up one element of the project, which is part of the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program.

Another methodology being used to determine diet composition is the analysis of stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur from the down of little penguin chicks and feathers from adults.

“Stable isotopes of carbon reflect primary production sources and is more enriched in inshore, seagrass dominated areas, compared to offshore food webs,” Dr Cannell said.

“The stable isotope of nitrogen increases up the food chain and can also increase between size classes of the same prey species.”

“Stable isotopes of sulphur can be useful to distinguish between offshore and inshore components in food webs and can also indicate if producers are using sulphur from seawater, which is more enriched, or from sediments which are less enriched.

“This gives us a better idea of the whole diet of these birds.”

Dr Cannell said stable isotopes assist with establishing diet composition.

“I presume little penguins are eating jellyfish, but we haven’t had stable isotopes for jellyfish until now.”

The Western Australian Museum provided samples to assist with the research.

Cockburn Sound research reports now online

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Cockburn Sound research teams have started delivering project reports for their work on the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program.

These are now published on WAMSI’s Cockburn Sound webpage under ‘Research Themes and Reports‘.

More than 100 scientists and researchers are working across 33 projects, helping to build a picture of the Sound’s environment and provide key input into the port design.

In one of the latest reports to be released, scientists have carried out a detailed literature review identifying potential invasive marine species which may have become established in Cockburn Sound, with procedures to mitigate the risk of introducing these to future Westport facilities.

Another project explores the potential effects of suspended sediment on fishes from dredging, while a social science study has identified and mapped 31 non-fishing recreational activities and 11 associated values for the Sound.

Reports will continue to be published on our website over the next few months.

 

Eco-design and pre-seeding among options to encourage healthy port marine life

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Pre-seeding new port structures to encourage the colonisation of native species is one of the mitigation measures against invasive marine plants and animals, outlined in a new report prepared for the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program.

The literature review by Curtin University School of Molecular and Life Sciences Adjunct Professor Fred Wells lists many of the invasive marine species that have been recorded in waters around Perth and mitigation measures that could be used during any port construction.

Pre-seeding works by attaching local, fast-growing species to a new structure. The common mussel is one option identified in the report.

Professor Wells said invasive marine species were a worldwide problem and shipping was the most common way they spread to coastal areas. Ninety-eight percent of trade in and out of Australia is on vessels.

“Invasive marine species are concentrated on artificial surfaces and eco-engineering is a new field that attempts to encourage biodiversity and prevent potential marine pests taking hold,” Professor Wells said.

“The risk of introducing new species is greatest during construction but experience during the construction boom in the Pilbara demonstrated the issue is manageable.”

Professor Wells said eco-design was a new and evolving field that could help improve the biodiversity of the marine community that develops underwater, while minimising the risk of invasive species.

“Current design procedures tend to create uniform habitats, such as seawalls with smooth vertical faces. The lack of habitat diversity reduces the biodiversity of the marine community that develops on the structure. “

“Increasing the habitat diversity of new immersed structures and pre-seeding them with native species appear to be the most promising ways for mitigating against species that can cause ecological harm and prove expensive.”

Professor Wells said the biggest threats from invasive species to marine ecosystems were introducing disease, displacing native species, changing the ecology of native communities, clogging pipes and damaging other critical infrastructure.

The report, which was done to understand potential risks, is a literature review of invasive marine species from Cottesloe to Cockburn Sound, including waters around Fremantle and the Swan River.

A comprehensive survey more than a decade ago recorded 60 introduced marine species living in WA waters. Three were on the national marine pest list. Four additional marine pests were subsequently recorded in WA.

“Fortunately, most introduced marine species are apparently innocuous, causing no known adverse effects and we know only a small portion become pests,” Professor Wells said.

 

 

Sediment samples at the core of a model project

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Dozens of core samples, taken from sediment around Cockburn Sound, will play a crucial role in the creation of a model of the area’s ecosystem to help inform environmental assessment of the proposed port.

The work, being done as part of the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program, involved divers collecting three sediment cores from 12 sites and scientists analysing them at a specially created laboratory nearby.

The project is being run by Professor Bradley Eyre from Southern Cross University and Professor Matthew Hipsey, from The University of Western Australia.

Professor Eyre said the tubes of sediment and water were set up in a laboratory, in the garage of a beachside home, where conditions simulated in situ temperature and changing light conditions between night and day, at the sediment surface.

“Some analysis is best done when we have fresh samples, so we wanted to avoid any delays,” Professor Eyre said.

“Other samples will be sent back to the Southern Cross University campus near Byron Bay, which has the only instrumentation in Australia for some of the analyses.”

The 12 locations in the Sound, represent different types of shallow and deep sediments including muds, seagrass meadows, and sandy areas.

“In the laboratory, we were measuring the flux of oxygen and nutrients in and out of sediment including nutrients such as ammonia and phosphate,” Professor Eyre said

“Some of the tubes contained sediment with seagrass growing in it.

“We are also measuring a critical process in the sediments called denitrification.

“Denitrification is a natural process by which ecosystems such as Cockburn Sound can remove nitrogen.”

“It is a really important cleansing process but if the carbon load gets too high the process can be reduced.”

The researchers said data from the sediment testing would underpin new water quality modelling of the Cockburn Sound ecosystem.

“The data complements other key experimental data being collected as part of the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program on the chemical and biological conditions, allowing the development of Cockburn Sound Integrated Ecosystem Model platform to help manage the system,” Professor Hipsey said

“What we are measuring will reflect what is happening currently in the Sound and when used alongside the modelling we will be able to predict what will happen under future scenarios.”

Hippo sedation adapted for Perth sea lion tagging

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Even for a veterinarian who regularly anaesthetises antelopes, giraffes and hippopotamuses, the Australian sea lions off Perth were a new challenge for Werribee Open Range Zoo’s Dr Brett Gardner.

The Victorian based wildlife vet, supporting Dr Simone Vitali – a former specialist veterinarian with  the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions in Perth – helped fit satellite tracking devices to the endangered mammals after using a novel anaesthetic regime designed to reduce the risk of drowning and aid a quicker recovery.

Dr Gardner said the team working on the WAMSI Westport Marine Science Program satellite tagging operation included boat and beach crews as well as swimmers.

“For sea lions, the water is their safe space when they are stressed but when they have just been anaesthetised it is dangerous for them to be there,” Dr Gardner said.

Traditional methods induce a heavy sedation or even full anaesthesia, which can be risky for the animals.  The sea lions’ anatomy including their breath-holding ability, more compressible ribcage and vulnerable trachea add to challenges around anaesthesia.

“We used a combination of drugs that induce a light sedation, and we had members of the team on the beach and on boats ready to administer medication that reverses their effects in the case of an emergency such as a potential drowning.”

“This lighter sedation is predominantly used to free marine mammals that become caught in fishing line and discarded rope where a heavy sedation would be too dangerous.”

Dr Gardner said the way the sea lions are selected for darting is important.

“We try to target animals that are less likely to react by fleeing into the water, so sleeping sea lions are preferable to ones that are awake.”

The research team works on a sedated sea lion (Photo: Kelly Waples DBCA)

“When we dart animals that are sleeping rather than ones that are alert, they tend to respond like it’s one of their mates that’s bitten them and then they settle down and the anaesthetic takes effect.”

The islands in the Perth metropolitan region are used exclusively by male sea lions but this too posed unique challenges.

“The problem with the Australian sea lion bulls is that they were all on the water’s edge, literally, less than 25 metres away and some are less than five metres from the water.”

“Also, because of their sheer size and their fat deposits you’ve got far fewer suitable areas for a dart to be placed.”

A paper on the anaesthetic regime’s use in Australian sea lions is being written and Drs Gardner and Vitali, said there were no adverse effects observed and the satellite tags were successfully attached to the animals.

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating marine science opportunities on International Women’s Day

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As a graduate scientist with a passion for marine biology and fisheries, Jenny Shaw was excited to be selected for an expedition to the Abrolhos Islands. That was, until she was bumped from the vessel’s manifest when someone more senior discovered ‘J. Shaw’ was a woman. The knockback didn’t deter her, and in the decades since she’s become a sought-after team member on research and commercial fishing vessels from Alaska to the Abrolhos.

Now Research Director at the Western Australian Marine Science Institution Dr Shaw is enjoying a career that is driven by taking up opportunities.

“My advice to anyone in marine science would be to embrace opportunities and take risks,” Dr Shaw said.

“I have travelled and worked in many different places and, as the expression goes, enjoyed taking the road less travelled.”

Born in Geraldton and raised in Carnarvon and Albany, her life has revolved around the ocean. Every morning, year-round, starts with a swim in the sea.

A founding member of Women in Seafood Australasia, Dr Shaw was inducted into the National Seafood Hall of Fame in 2019.  “That was a very proud moment.” She has also been recipient of numerous scholarships, multiple awards and a member on a variety of local and national boards.

Dr Jenny Shaw in front of bookshelf with reports and an award on one shelf

WAMSI Research Director Dr Jenny Shaw.

On International Women’s Day last year, she spoke at a United Nations forum in New York about climate change impacts.

But Dr Shaw was investigating climate change back in the early 1990s as a researcher on Rarotonga, which is the largest and most populace of the picturesque Cook Islands.

“Lunch on my first day in the office was spent eating fish by hand on woven leaf plates watching whales breach beyond the reef.”

“I spent three years on Rarotonga working for the Cook Islands Conservation Service including on a climate change project in which we did baseline coral and fish surveys as part of an international data base for GOOS (Global Ocean Observing System).

“There was an awareness of global warming and climate change then and the imminent risks to island communities.

“In some ways the cause went backwards in the years and decades afterwards, likely because of powerful interest groups which tried to derail the message, muddy the waters, and polarise opinion” she said.

Dr Shaw gave her first public talk on climate change 30 years ago and continues to speak up, including last year at the UN and in Bergen, Norway at the ‘Effects of Climate Change on the World’s Oceans Symposium’.

She feels now there is finally a groundswell of support for change with record temperatures, extreme fires and coral bleaching bringing home the harsh reality of climate change.

At WAMSI, her interest in climate change science has continued.

The marine scientist led and co-authored the 2023 Science Plan for Shark Bay (Gathaagudu) which involved extensive consultation with the local community, including Indigenous Traditional Owners along with managers and scientists. The key priority for stakeholders in the area, which is still recovering from a devastating marine heatwave more than a decade ago, was climate change.

There is more work to do.

“I would say to young marine scientists, don’t be put off by small setbacks, take every opportunity and most of all – have fun.”

Enhancing environmental decision making with trusted data

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A new strategic partnership will provide leadership in achieving better public good outcomes for Australia’s environment.

Originally published by Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC)  

A trusted environment data and information supply chain to improve research and decision making on Australia’s environment is the focus of a new strategic partnership between the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), The Western Australian Biodiversity Science Institute (WABSI), the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), and the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC).

The partners have signed a statement of intent to provide leadership in achieving better public good outcomes for Australia’s environment. Their focus will be on providing guidance to support a national environmental data and information standard. This will enable environmental data to be connected and harmonised, facilitating improved assessments of current and future states, conditions, and trends of matters protected under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Act.

Hamish Holewa, Director of Planet Research Data Commons at ARDC, stated, “This is an exciting partnership. In collaboration with research, government and industry we are working to develop trusted data and information supply chains that will enable research translation and make it easier to discover, integrate and develop information products for use in research and decision making. The ARDC Planet Research Data Commons aims to connect data and analysis across sectors and disciplines. This will ensure decisions about our environment are made with the best and most complete data available.”

At the Australian Environment Ministers Meeting, held in Adelaide in November, it was agreed that one of the key elements for achieving national targets was ensuring that environmental data and information was widely accessible and supported planning.

WABSI and WAMSI have worked in partnership with the WA Government, the WA EPA and the science community to enhance the access, aggregation, interpretation and management of biodiversity information collected in Western Australia.

“This partnership is the next phase in our journey,” said Professor Owen Nevin, Chief Executive Officer, WABSI. “It will help Australia develop national targets, in line with the Global Biodiversity Framework, to better protect nature. Shared data and analytics will empower regional environmental planning to de-risk projects for business whilst addressing cumulative impacts and delivering positive environmental outcomes in regions with priority development.”

As part of this initiative, a Shared Environmental Analytics Facility is proposed for the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The project will be carried out in collaboration with industry, research institutions, and government.

“In addition to improving efficiencies in research and evidence-based decision-making, the trusted supply chain will lift public trust in Environmental Impact Assessment decisions through transparency and visibility of data and methods underpinning decisions,” added Dr Luke Twomey, Chief Executive Officer, WAMSI.

The 2020 Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act underscored the need for an effective ‘supply chain’ of environmental information.

Learn more about the Trusted Environmental Data and Information Supply Chains program within the Planet Research Data Commons.

The ARDC is funded through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to support national digital research infrastructure for Australian researchers.