This webinar provides an overview of identified economic and social values associated with different types of structures and discusses the issues and opportunities associated with people’s values and perceptions.
Kimberley Indigenous rangers and marine scientists met in December 2020 at the annual Indigenous Saltwater Advisory Group (ISWAG) forum in Broome.
CSIRO has released a new guideline that provides current best practice for dredge plume modelling in the context of Australia’s Environmental Impact Assessment processes.
Two ground-breaking seagrass projects have been awarded Commonwealth funding to test the ecosystem resilience of the UNESCO World Heritage site, Shark Bay (Gathaagudu), under a changing ocean climate.
This short documentary film tells the story of two-way learning between scientists and the Bardi Jawi Rangers who have been monitoring the fish and coral reef to manage the health of sea country on the Dampier Peninsula.
A new report launched by the Western Australian Marine Science Institution brings together the last seven decades of marine research on Shark Bay to create a valuable resource that describes what has been learned to date about one of the world’s most unique and vulnerable marine environments.
The Index of Marine Surveys for Assessments (IMSA) portal was launched by the Western Australian Minister for Water, Forestry, Innovation and Science, the Hon. Dave Kelly MLA in March 2020.
The ‘Our Knowledge Our Way in caring for Country – Best Practice Guidelines from Australian experiences’ is based on 23 case studies from across Australia, including the Western Australian Marine Science Institution’s Kimberley Indigenous Saltwater Science Project.
Scientists from The University of Western Australia and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions have examined how temperature determines the sex of baby turtles. The research will be published in the Journal of Functional Ecology.
Sea turtles nest on sandy beaches over a large geographic range, with some beaches being warmer than others. When temperatures are warmer more female sea turtles are produced, and when the temperatures are cooler more male sea turtles are produced.
Although it is widely known that temperature affects reproduction in sea turtles, the pivotal temperature at which there is an equal probability of a male or female turtle produced, varies between species and is not well understood.
The researchers examined the range of temperatures and impact on the sex of turtles, and embryonic development rates between two species of sea turtles found in Western Australia – three populations of Flatback turtles (Natator depressus) and two populations of green turtles (Chelonia mydas).
Lead researcher Dr Blair Bentley from the UWA School of Biological Sciences said the Western Australian Marine Science Institution project incubated eggs at different temperatures and compared how long they took to hatch, and what sex ratios were produced at each temperature.
“We also found differences in development rates, with populations that have cooler nest sites having a maximum development rate that occurs at lower temperatures.
“In contrast, the two populations of green turtles were relatively similar in their attributes, although the more tropical population displayed a wider range of temperatures that produced both sexes.”
Dr Bentley said the results provided insights into how turtles might respond to climate change.
“Most importantly, we found that increasing temperatures do not necessarily affect species and populations the same way, as future population sex ratios depend on both physiological traits and the pace of environmental change,” he said. “This means that management responses to climate change will need to be individually tailored to achieve the best outcomes.”
This article was originally published by The University of Western Australia. Read the original article.
The $30 million Kimberley Marine Research Program is funded through major investment supported by $12 million from the Western Australian government co-invested by the WAMSI partners and supported by the Traditional Owners of the Kimberley.
Category:
Kimberley Marine Research Program
Scientists from The University of Western Australia and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions have examined how temperature determines the sex of baby turtles. The research will be published in the Journal of Functional Ecology.
Sea turtles nest on sandy beaches over a large geographic range, with some beaches being warmer than others. When temperatures are warmer more female sea turtles are produced, and when the temperatures are cooler more male sea turtles are produced.
Although it is widely known that temperature affects reproduction in sea turtles, the pivotal temperature at which there is an equal probability of a male or female turtle produced, varies between species and is not well understood.
The researchers examined the range of temperatures and impact on the sex of turtles, and embryonic development rates between two species of sea turtles found in Western Australia – three populations of Flatback turtles (Natator depressus) and two populations of green turtles (Chelonia mydas).
Lead researcher Dr Blair Bentley from the UWA School of Biological Sciences said the Western Australian Marine Science Institution project incubated eggs at different temperatures and compared how long they took to hatch, and what sex ratios were produced at each temperature.
“We also found differences in development rates, with populations that have cooler nest sites having a maximum development rate that occurs at lower temperatures.
“In contrast, the two populations of green turtles were relatively similar in their attributes, although the more tropical population displayed a wider range of temperatures that produced both sexes.”
Dr Bentley said the results provided insights into how turtles might respond to climate change.
“Most importantly, we found that increasing temperatures do not necessarily affect species and populations the same way, as future population sex ratios depend on both physiological traits and the pace of environmental change,” he said. “This means that management responses to climate change will need to be individually tailored to achieve the best outcomes.”
This article was originally published by The University of Western Australia. Read the original article.
The $30 million Kimberley Marine Research Program is funded through major investment supported by $12 million from the Western Australian government co-invested by the WAMSI partners and supported by the Traditional Owners of the Kimberley.
Category:
Kimberley Marine Research Program