WA’s marine environment, researchers and the offshore oil and gas industry are set to benefit from new insights provided by a national sea simulator launched at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in Townsville on Thursday.

Known as SeaSim, the $35 million research aquarium can mimic the conditions of various waterways including the open ocean, flooding rivers and reef lagoons more closely than other similar facilities around the globe.

One of its first projects is a multi-billion dollar four-year West Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) program exploring how dredging may affect marine life, such as corals and sponges, off WA’s coast.

Read more here

http://www.sciencewa.net.au/topics/environment-a-conservation/item/2308-sea-simulator-set-to-benefit-wa.html

Solving the ocean’s mysteries with the world’s smartest aquarium

http://www.aims.gov.au/seasim