The good-news El Niño story for Western Australia’s oceans

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By Jaci Brown, Madeleine Cahill, Ming Feng and Xuebin Zhang, CSIRO The Conversation.

While eastern Australia trembles at the impending El Niño this year, potentially increasing heat waves and bushfires, the coastal waters of Western Australia (WA) would find El Niño a welcome relief from the heat.

In the summer of 2010-11 WA’s oceans were struck by devastating marine heatwaves, with temperatures rising up to 5C above average, causing mass deaths of marine life and coral bleaching.

Temperatures have remained warm since, due to the lingering effects of the large 2010-11 La Niña. But El Niño could be the relief these waters need for marine life to recover.

Why is the water so warm?

The water temperature off the WA coast is determined largely by the Leeuwin Current, which flows south along the WA coast from Indonesia. The Leeuwin Current is unique in the world as it is the only subtropical poleward-flowing boundary current on the eastern side of an ocean basin.

Most coastal currents, such as the East Australian Current and the Gulf Stream, are found on the western side of ocean basins.

The Leeuwin Current occurs because of the “gap” between Australia and Indonesia that connects the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The easterly winds over the Pacific Ocean pile warm water up on the western side of the ocean basin. This increases the sea level through the Indonesian archipelago. The high sea level signal is then transferred down the coast of WA, creating pressure gradients that draw in warm water and push it southward, forming the Leeuwin Current.

Satellite map of south west Australian coast with red colouring off the western coast, green and yellow colours elsewhere
A composite satellite image of sea surface temperature anomalies in July.
The Leeuwin Current can be identified as a narrow band of warmer water adjacent to the coast. Image: CSIRO

The easterly winds over the Pacific Ocean vary over time, being stronger in La Niña years and weaker in El Niño. The changing wind strength alters the amount of water piled up in the west of the Pacific and hence the sea level near Indonesia: higher in La Niña years and lower in El Niño. The changing sea level then influences the strength of the Leeuwin Current.

La Niña drives marine heatwaves

In a La Niña year, a stronger-than-normal Leeuwin Current forms off the northwest coast and flows southward, finally wrapping into the Great Australian Bight, extending to the west coast of Tasmania. The current also means warmer-than-normal water is transported further south along the WA coast, so temperatures are higher. In an El Niño year, the current weakens, and ocean temperatures fall.

La Niña drove the 2010-2011 marine heatwave (as well as the exceptional flooding in eastern Australia). Warm water has been flowing in the Leeuwin Current since 2010 without the usual reprieve brought from El Niño events.

 

Sea level anomaly 2010-2015

The warm water has led to extensive coral bleaching along with flooding and damage to sea grasses. Species along the coast of southwestern Australia are used to living in cooler temperate waters, and the heat wave resulted in mass deaths for a wide range of species.

Coral reef with white coral sections and fish above
Coral Bleaching at Rottnest Island (40m) in 2011. Photo taken by Damian Thomson, CSIRO.

How will El Niño alter the Leeuwin Current this year?

An El Niño has been forecast for this year and the easterly winds over the Pacific ocean have weakened. As a result satellites are already detecting a lower than normal sea level signal in the western equatorial Pacific.

Sea level map for March 2015 from satellite data. Blue areas near Indonesia show sea levels are lower then normal. AVISO
Sea level map for March 2015 from satellite data. Blue areas near Indonesia show sea levels are lower then normal. AVISO

 

A typical measure of El Niño is the Nino3.4 index which measures sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. The Nino3.4 index is very strongly correlated with sea level in the western equatorial Pacific.

Sea level at Fremantle is a good indicator of the strength of the Leeuwin Current. It tends to follow the Nino3.4 index and western equatorial sea level observations but with a delay of a few months. This few month delay is the time taken for the sea level change in the western Pacific to influence the strength of the Leeuwin Current near Fremantle.

Given that an El Niño has been forecast for 2015 and the sea level is dropping in the western Pacific, it seems very likely that we will see a weakening in the Leeuwin Current and cooler water temperatures along the coast of WA.

Graph with lines tracking up and down representing sea level
Timeseries of Nino3.4 (a measure of the El Niño and La Niña variability) compared to sea level in
the western tropical Pacific and sea level at Freemantle (a measure of the strength of the Leeuwin current)
 
So while eastern Australia watches for heat and drought, El Niño could be the cool relief WA’s oceans have been waiting for.

The Conversation

 

Jaci Brown is Senior Research Scientist at CSIRO.
Madeleine Cahill is Oceanographer at CSIRO.
Ming Feng is Principal research scientist, Oceans and Atmosphere Flagship at CSIRO and WAMSI.
Xuebin Zhang is Senior Research scientist, Sea level rise at CSIRO.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

Video: Understanding ENSO

This Bureau of Meteorology video explains what El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is, how the cycle works including the science behind the phases, and the potential impacts on Australia’s climate and weather.

Kimberley box jellyfish may be first found in deep water

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By Emily Piesse (ABC)

A school of box jellyfish found off the Kimberley coast in Western Australia may be the first of the species to be recorded in deep water.

Scientists discovered the jellyfish in March during a biodiversity survey in Camden Sound, about 200 kilometres north of Derby.

“We did a 1,500-metre video tow and counted 64 of these large box jellyfish, and they were all located within about half a metre of the seabed,” CSIRO principal research scientist John Keesing said.

The jellyfish were found 42 metres below the ocean’s surface, close to a reef, which is unusual for the animal.

“As far as we know it’s the first time that’s been found,” Dr Keesing said.

“These animals are ones we normally associate with coastal beaches and mangrove creeks, so certainly much closer to the mainland than we had found them [this time].”

He said it was unclear why the jellyfish were at a great depth.

“It’s possible that being close to the seabed, that they are able to actually avoid some of the stronger tidal currents,” Dr Keesing said.

Scientists from the CSIRO, Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Western Australian Museum were involved in the survey, as part of a study for the Western Australian Marine Science Institution.

 

Links:

Keesing J, Strzelecki J, Stowar M, Wakeford M, Miller K, Gershwin L, Liu G (Feb 2016) Abundant box jellyfish, Chironex sp. (Cnidaria: Cubozoa: Chirodropidae), discovered at depths of over 50 m on western Australian coastal reefs Scientific Reports doi:10.1038/srep22290

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. 

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Kimberley Marine Research Program

Kimberley reef life considered on microscopic level

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Written by Natasha Prokop (SNWA)

Using cutting-edge genomic analyses researchers are investigating how the Kimberley marine environment’s unique conditions affect organism movement in the region.

CSIRO researcher Dr Oliver Berry says the Kimberley’s massive 10m-plus tidal ranges and complex geography are likely to produce unique dispersal patterns.

These movement patterns influence the inter-dependence (connectivity) between reef populations.

“The movements of water in the Kimberley are amazingly complex and powerful,” Dr Berry says.

“But does this mean that populations are well-mixed? Or does it mean that they are very insular because the tides and currents disrupt movements?”

“By the end of the year we hope to have an answer.”

Dr Berry says defining the degree of connectivity in the region will help identify the appropriate scale for management.

One of seven focal species, the seagrass Halophila ovalis, selected for its significance as a key habitat. Credit: Kathryn McMahon

 

But he says despite the Kimberley’s high biodiversity and distinctiveness this is the first dedicated genetic study on marine connectivity.

The ongoing study has involved collecting more than 5,000 minute tissue biopsies of important organisms from the upper Dampier Peninsula and Buccaneer Archipelago for genetic analysis.

“We sampled species that have a spectrum of types of life histories that will expose them in different ways to the currents,” Dr Berry says.

The researchers targeted seven ‘focal species’ including the coral reef damselfish (Pomacentrus milleri), harvested molluscs (Trochus niloticus), coral (Acropora aspera), harvested fish (Lutjanus carponotatus) and seagrass (Thalassia hemprichii and Halophila ovalis) for their importance as habitat-formers or harvested species.

The movements of marine organisms, which affects connectivity amongst reefs and regions, happens mostly at larval life stages during which time larvae are transported by tides and currents.

But researchers can’t put tags or transmitters on microscopic larvae to track their movements, so they must infer this from the genetic relationships between populations.

Reefs in the Kimberley are exposed for only a few hours a day before massive tides submerge them again. Credit: Zoe Richards

 

Dr Berry says this genetic analysis poses its own challenges.

“In the marine environment, historically it has been difficult for genetics to resolve relationships between populations,” he says.

Therefore they used cutting-edge genomic techniques that have only recently been adopted by ecologists.

The scientists plans to use thousands of single sequence polymorphisms or SNPs (“snips”), which are regions of DNA where a single nucleotide differs in a sequence.

For example, ‘AGTTA’ might be a version of a gene carried by one individual, while another might carry ‘ACTTA.’ These variations act like ‘tags’ for the movements of organisms.

The benefit of using SNPs is the large number of markers that can be used, which should give researchers the ability to detect subtle patterns of connectivity.

Notes:

This project relates to themes 2 and 3 of the Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy.

Study co-investigators include James Gilmour, Kathryn McMahon, Glenn Moore, Zoe Richards, Mike Travers and Jim Underwood.

The project was undertaken with the assistance and support of the Bardi Jawi rangers and traditional owners and Mayala traditional owners whose local knowledge was invaluable to the fieldwork component.

 

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. 

 

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Kimberley Marine Research Program

Science for restoring and enhancing estuary values – Vasse Wonnerup

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Report from the National Estuaries Network Science Forum on Barrier Estuaries

The Department of Water, Water Science Branch and Busselton office together with Geocatch, hosted the National Estuaries Network Science Forum on Barrier Estuaries with special focus on the Vasse Wonnerup System (VWWS) – a wetland of international significance (Ramsar, 1990).

Around 60 estuary managers, researchers and interested community members met in Busselton to exchange information about the Vasse Strategy, science needs for estuary management and the current state of the VWWS. 

Opening comments highlighted that aligned and collaborative sciences, supported by robust baseline level data are essential for effective decision-making.

Implementing the Vasse Strategy includes a restructure of governance arrangements, development of a business case to fund the strategy, reviewing the drainage infrastructure and continued catchment management interventions.

The history of flow and drainage modifications designed to protect Busselton from flooding were also shown to have contributed to the eutrophic conditions in the lower rivers and estuaries.

Advances in hydrological modelling and smarter engineering solutions are being investigated to achieve essential flood protection as well as better water quality by increased dilution of lowland river flows, helping to reduce nutrient concentrations and the undesirable expression of nuisance algal blooms and fish kills.

Early stage research projects, part of the South West Catchment Council Research Node for the Vasse Wonnerup Wetlands will explore quantitative food web structure, nutrient sources and sinks and socio-economic factors.

The connection with and potential impacts on the receiving water body – Geographe Bay were also explored.  Geographe Bay has one of the largest seagrass meadows on the WA coast. A nation-wide risk assessment for seagrass meadows indicated that climate-driven temperature increase poses the greatest threat to South West seagrass integrity and that this is a greater threat than estuarine water nutrient discharge to Geographe Bay due to the drying climate pattern.

The feedback from members of the National Estuaries Network was that all of the elements needed for successful restoration appear to be in place but the integrated and thoughtful synthesis of all actions, progress and estuary health status updates would greatly assist communication between all stakeholders and sustain the momentum of support that has emerged.

Community interest is high, there has been 18 years of GeoCatch activity in catchment restoration and some highly visible media campaigns for behaviour change such as “Save the Crabs and Eat Them”.  Community members appreciated the opportunity to engage with estuary managers and researchers.

Vasse Wonnerup System and adjacent Geographe Bay are incredible natural assets; with the strong community interest, there are opportunities to greatly enhance eco-tourism activities around this wetland benefiting the economy, society and environment.


We thank all the people who participated in this event. The Abstract booklet includes the speakers and their contact information.


National Estuaries Science Forum on Barrier Estuaries (Busselton)

 

 

What’s eating you? Solving the seagrass mystery

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Written by 

THE waters of the Bardi Jawi Indigenous Protection Area (IPA), 160km north of Broome, are paradise for seagrass: warm water, lots of light and a pristine, protected environment means these seagrasses grow fast, so why are they so short?

The answer, according to CSIRO marine ecologist Dr Mat Vanderklift, could change the way we think about healthy seagrass systems.

“The dictum in seagrass ecology is that seagrass is mostly not eaten, but that’s perhaps just a modern phenomenon,” he says.

“Most of what we know about seagrass comes from places that have been heavily fished and hunted for centuries, but if we look at places with pretty intact food webs, places like the Kimberley, it seems that seagrass is eaten a lot.”

Working with the Bardi Jawi Rangers, Dr Vanderklift is part of an ongoing collaborative project to learn more about ecological processes in the Kimberley.

“We’re currently focused on understanding how much seagrass is being eaten, and what’s eating it,” he says.

A picture of a rabbitfish or barrbal. Credit: Mat Vanderklift

 

The team’s 2014 work indicates part of the answer lies with the rabbitfish (Siganus lineatus) or barrbal, a food source important to local communities.

The initial clues, he says, came from the mouth morphology and gut contents of a single fish.

Subsequent analysis of 30 barrbal caught in three places around islands in the Bardi Jawi IPA indicated “half to three-quarters of what’s in their stomach is seagrass,” Dr Vanderklift says.

Recently the team have turned their attention to green turtles (Chelonia mydas) or goorlil, tagging the herbivores to study how often and when they use seagrass beds.

“When we’re out there on the boat, we can see as the tide’s rising, these turtles are moving out across the seagrass beds,” he says.

“A logical inference is that they’re coming in to eat the seagrasses.”

Seagrasses in-situ in the Kimberley. Credit: Mat Vanderklift

 

Dr Vanderklift says he is excited by what the team has already achieved and will continue to learn.

“The rangers have a wealth of experience and knowledge about the system, and combining that knowledge with some of the approaches we are taking in as scientists is really profitable,” he says.

Established in 2006, the Bardi Jawi Rangers are facilitated by the Kimberley Land Council and manage more than 250km of coastline and 340,700 hectares of land, 95,000ha of it is Bardi Jawi IPA.

“I get to spend time and interact with these guys and learn from them,” Dr Vanderklift says.

“They teach me a lot, they know a lot.”

Notes:

This story pertains to deliveries in themes 1 and 2 of the Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy.

 

Category: 

Kimberley Marine Research Program

What do you value about the Kimberley coast?

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Murdoch University is gathering information on what local residents value about the Kimberley coast and waters and what preferences you have for its management. The WAMSI research project aims to assist Government to make informed decisions about coastal management, now and into the future.

We want to hear from as many different people as possible through our online survey. Every voice counts! Just click on the link:

http://www.landscapemap2.org/kimberley

The survey will take around 30 minutes and all information you give will be anonymous. There is also a small thank you gift once you finish the survey but these are limited so get in quick.

Please help us out and have your say about how you would like to see the Kimberley coast managed in the future!

Contact Jennifer Strickland-Munro (J.Strickland-Munro@murdoch.edu.au) if you would like any more information on the study.

 

Read more:

 

Kimberley Marine Science Program survey to quiz residents about favourite coastal spots.

What is the Kimberley worth?

 

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Kimberley Marine Research Program

Kimberley Traditional Owners establish research agreement with WAMSI

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The first of several legal research agreements between the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) and Traditional Owners of the Kimberley has been signed paving the way for a consistent and respectful partnership approach to conducting marine science in the region.

The opportunity to develop a standard for conducting research projects within the Kimberley was welcomed by Traditional Owner groups who have had concerns about the way engagement and research has been approached previously in many circumstances.

“The Dambimangari Traditional Owners wanted to establish formal guidelines to oversee work in their land and sea country to make sure it is approached respectfully and properly,” Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation CEO Peter McCumstie said. “This agreement gives us confidence to engage more readily, providing the opportunity to share knowledge between researchers and Traditional Owners and a solid framework for future research. From this point on we don’t have to spend a lot of time on the legalities and administrative arrangements in each case, which allows us to focus on our shared goals and outcomes desired by scientists and Traditional Owners alike.“

The agreement, that will govern research in Dambimangari Sea Country, ensures that consistent steps are in place for project planning and consent, ranger and Traditional Owner involvement in fieldwork, management of intellectual property and publishing around sensitive information.  

The agreement encourages the Dambimangari people to assist researchers in current projects and also to work with them to identify and partner on future research. 

The Dambimangari rangers, established by Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation to look after land and sea country, are already working with WAMSI researchers on a number of projects.

The Dambimangari Determination Area is situated north of Derby and stretches east to the Prince Regent area, covering more than 1.4 million hectares. The marine areas or ‘sea country’ encompass the tropical waters of the Lalang-garram /Camden Sound Marine Park, an important nursery area for humpback whales. It includes Montgomery Reef, Australia’s largest inshore reef, and is where culturally important sea turtle, dugong and saltwater fish can be found. 

The research completed by WAMSI and the Dambimangari people will help inform the future adaptation of the Lalang-garram / Camden Sound Marine Park management plan.

“This is an important step forward in developing a solid working relationship with the custodians of the Kimberley coastline where WAMSI is undertaking 25 research projects funded by the WA government to support the marine initiatives in the Kimberley Science and Conservation Strategy,” WAMSI CEO Patrick Seares said.   

“The agreement signed by the Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation covers nine projects and is the first to be approved in the region.  We’re now working through agreements with the Bardi Jawi community and the Kimberley Land Council to develop the same sort of consistent approach to conducting research in the area.

“It’s hoped that these agreements can be relied on to support future research along the Kimberley coastline making it easier and more efficient for both Traditional Owners and researchers to engage and get out on the water together,” Mr Seares said.  

 

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

Bardi Jawi Rangers turtle tagging expedition

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By KLC
The Bardi Jawi Rangers have been tagging turtles with satellite transmitters to discover more about their genetics, life cycle, travel and feeding patterns.

During the four-day research expedition, data was collected from more than 30 green turtles within the One Arm Point area on the Dampier Peninsula.

CSIRO scientist Mat Vanderklift prepares to attach a satellite tag to Iwany the green turtle while children from the Bardi Jawi community watch.

Bardi Jawi Indigenous Protected Area coordinator Daniel Oades said the satellite project had been a collaborative effort involving researchers and scientists from CSIRO and DPaW and the Bardi Jawi Rangers.

He said flipper and satellite tags were used as a way to capture various data about the marine species.

Local schoolchildren release a green turtle after it has been weighed and measured by scientists and rangers

“The satellite tags use a saltwater switch, so that when the turtle comes to the surface for air it sends signal fixes to a satellite to record location,’’ Daniel said.

“Another satellite tag focuses on transmitting depth and dive profile data. This is important because we don’t understand what turtles are doing for the majority or their life cycle, where they are going and where they are feeding.

“Bardi Jawi is not a high density nesting area for turtles but more of a foraging ground, so tagging turtles here will provide us with information about what turtles are coming past, what they are using Bardi Jawi country for, where they are coming from, whether it’s from Indonesia or the north-west shelf genetic stock of Australia.’’

The rangers collected the turtles and brought them to the ranger vessel Almban where they were measured and weighed and had their general health recorded. Skin and blood samples were collected for genetic testing and all the turtles were fitted with flipper tags.

“The rangers used their traditional knowledge to find the best place to locate and capture the turtles. Through being involved in satellite tagging, we get to improve on our marine science and research skills and test out our ranger vessel as a working platform,’’ Daniel said.

“We had the Bardi Jawi Oorany (Women) Rangers and about a dozen school children join in. Many of the young kids hadn’t done this sort of thing before, so it was also a good opportunity to teach our young people and show them the different ways of looking after country.’’

You can track the tagged green turtles via their satellite signal web page by clicking on the map:

 

 

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. 

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Kimberley Marine Research Program

‘Big Data’ part of big plan for WA’s marine future

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Written by 

AS PART of Big Data Week (April 20-26), ScienceNetwork WA invited the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre to share some of its insights on big data through a five-part series. Today, read about how the Western Australian Marine Science Institute (WAMSI) is meeting big data needs across all forms of marine research in WA.

WAMSI is making big data a key point in its Blueprint for Marine Science 2050, an initiative that will benefit researchers, governments, industry and the environment.

With around 20,000km of coastline, almost a third of Australia’s total, marine science is crucial for WA—and big data plays a key role for marine science according to WAMSI Data Manager Luke Edwards.

“Marine science is a broad church of disciplines—there are oceanographers, researchers looking into human environmental impacts, marine biologists and so on, and these are all producing large quantities of their own particular data sets.

“As well as this, there’s a great variety of data formats and that’s what can really make things difficult.”

The Blueprint, launched by Premier Colin Barnett in April, includes contributions from over 170 stakeholders from research, government and industry.

It aims to “…prioritise the key knowledge and capability gaps…” in WA marine science, and big data is playing a key role in this.

Big data is focused on more than simply big data in terms of size—it is also about making better use of the data collected, greatly benefiting marine science in WA.

“Where big data really links into the Blueprint is in underlying standards,” Mr Edwards says.

“You’ve got government agencies creating data, along with industry, academia and others but traditionally this data hasn’t really been shared.

“Part of the Blueprint is about creating common standards across WA, so then you can start making better use of that data.”

A large part of big data in WA marine science is focused on making data more available and open, which can greatly increase the use of that data.

“You don’t really just want to use the data you’ve collected once and then not be able to use it again—it’s about being able to reuse it,” Mr Edwards says.

By ensuring future WA marine science data is open and consistent, the Blueprint means that data collected can be used constructively by a range of bodies including researchers, industry, government and conservation groups.

“The Blueprint is crucial in terms of forward planning,” Mr Edwards says.

“WA has a huge coastline, which makes us a natural ‘hub’ for this type of push in marine science, which holds benefits for both WA and Australia.

“WAMSI in particular has been really proactive in terms of coordinating research, so this makes it a natural vehicle to coordinate marine science across WA.”

 

Aerial surveys generate first human activity maps for the Kimberley coast

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Professor Lynnath Beckley from Murdoch University has led a team who spent two years using low altitude aerial surveys to monitor along the Kimberley coast and adjacent waters.

“People always talk about the remoteness and the emptiness of the Kimberley but this is the first time anyone has actually quantified human presence along the whole coast,” said Professor Lynnath Beckley.

“We were interested in finding out where people were spending time along the coast, and also what they were doing.”

The survey area ran along Eighty Mile Beach, Roebuck Bay, the Dampier Peninsula, King Sound, Buccaneer Archipelago and Camden Sound.

“This sort of information is vital for environmental managers and the Department of Parks and Wildlife to appropriately plan for biodiversity conservation and tourism, particularly as human activities in the area grow,” Professor Beckley said.

“The coast from Port Hedland to Wyndham has Traditional Owners, towns and communities, commercial endeavours, tourism and recreation activities and several marine parks.

“There are about 40,000 residents in the study area with more than 16,000 people living on the Dampier Peninsula.”

Results of the surveys showed that human use of the region is very seasonal and concentrated in particular areas of the coast with good road access.

As expected, the number of people along the shore and number of boats operating in coastal waters were much higher during the dry season from May to October. Nevertheless, local residents were observed to get out and about during the wet season to participate in various recreational activities.

“On Eighty Mile Beach people were mainly concentrated around the caravan park with anglers and their associated four-wheel drive vehicles clumped into about 30 kilometres of coastline,” she said.

“Camping during the dry season was largely confined to the larger caravan parks at Eighty Mile Beach and Port Smith, but also seen at Barn Hill Station and Cape Keraudren.

“This study has provided a spatially explicit benchmark of human recreational activities at the inception of the newly created Eighty Mile Beach Marine Park,” Professor Beckley said.

The research team also monitored boating in the central Kimberley region, through both aerial surveys and a collation of data about voyages of cruise vessels.

“Cruise vessels operate mainly from April to September between Broome and Wyndham with most of the vessels offering boutique expeditions with less than 20 passengers.

Montgomery Reef was the most popular destination in their itineraries with 275 visits by cruise vessels in 2013.

“Along with Montgomery Reef, the most popular sights for cruise vessels included Horizontal Falls, Raft Point, Prince Regent River and Talbot Bay. Passengers often go ashore in small boats to swim, fish and undertake scenic walks to view waterfalls, rock art and historical sites,” Professor Beckley said.

Read More:

Researchers take a snapshot of how we use the Kimberley coast

Listen to Professor Beckley’s presentation at the WAMSI Research Conference here: Lynnath Beckley, Murdoch University – Patterns of human use

 

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