Distribution, abundance, critical habitat and population growth rates of saltwater crocodile populations in the Kimberley region

Knowledge integration and predicting biophysical response to climate change

Kimberley Indigenous Saltwater Science Project (KISSP)

Knowledge integration and Management Strategy Evaluation modelling

Social values and aspirations for coastal waters of the Western Kimberley

Effects of dredging-related pressures on critical ecological processes for coral

Effects of dredging-related pressures on critical ecological processes for finfish

Defining thresholds and indicators of filter feeder responses to dredging-related pressures

Defining thresholds and indicators of primary producer response to dredging related pressures

The Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni, ‘snubfin dolphin’ hereafter) and Australian humpback dolphin (Sousa sahulensis, ‘humpback dolphin’ hereafter) are poorly-understood species of dolphin whose global distribution is restricted to shallow coastal and estuarine waters of northern Australia and southern New Guinea.

Here, we investigate the population genetic structure and relative abundance of these two species at selected study sites in the Kimberley region of north-western Australia. Additionally, we investigate the application of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) as an effective technique for monitoring these species in the remote waters of the Kimberley region, with potential applications across northern Australia.

Key ecological processes in Kimberley benthic communities: recruitment, herbivory and predation

Physical oceanographic dynamics in the Kimberley

Benthic community production and response to environmental forcing

Production and herbivory of seagrasses, macroalgae and microalgae

Integration and spatial extension of primary production

Remote sensing in support of marine environmental monitoring

Human use patterns, impacts, values and aspirations for coast waters of the Western Kimberley

Modelling the movement and spatial distribution of humpback whales in the Nearshore waters of the Kimberley

Present and future impacts of climate change on calcification of coral reefs and crustose coralline algae

Evaluating the impacts of local and international pressures on migratory shorebirds

Historical reconstructions from the sediment record of water column variability as an influence on coral reefs

Distribution, species and environmental drivers of benthic biodiversity

Review and consolidation of available environmental data collected for dredging projects

Ecological connectivity of Kimberley marine communities

Predicting and measuring the characteristics of sediments generated by dredging
Characterisation and prediction of dredge-generated sediment plume dynamics and fate

Reef geomorphology and impacts for climate change

Defining thresholds and indicators of coral response to dredging-related pressures

Biogeochemical processes supporting productivity of Kimberley coastal waters

The role of rivers and estuaries in sustaining marine productivity in the Kimberley

Key biological indices required to understand and manage nesting marine turtles along the Kimberley coast

Integrating Indigenous knowledge, aerial surveys and electronic tagging to develop a baseline for dugong management in the Kimberley and surrounds

Effects of dredging-related pressures on critical ecological processes for other organisms