Report 2011~2013
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REPORT 2011~2013 Cultural acknowledgement TropWATER wishes to acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters where we operate our business. We honour the unique cultural and spiritual relationship to the land, waters and seas of First Australian peoples and their continuing and rich contribution to James Cook University and Australian society. We also pay respect to ancestors and Elders past, present and future. Disclaimer While TropWATER has endeavoured to provide accurate material for this document, the material is provided “as-is” and James Cook University makes no representations about the suitability of this material for any purpose. TropWATER disclaims all warranties with regard to this material and there is not guarantee given to accuracy or currency of any individual item in the report. James Cook University does not accept responsibility for any damage or loss occasioned by the use of the material of the report. All use is at the risk of the user. Report compilation: Ian McLeod, Agnès Le Port, Susan Lesley, Damien Burrows and Yvette Williams. Report design: Tony Cowan, Zephyrmedia Cover Photo: The tropical freshwater crayfish, Cherax wasselli. Photo: Brendan Ebner. Contents Vision 2 Who are we 2 Our mission 3 Institutional setting 3 From the Director 5 People 6 Income 8 2011–2013 Highlights 10 REPORT 2011~2013 Key partnerships 12 Major areas of research focus 14 Ports and coastal facilities 15 Northern development 17 The Torres Strait 19 Novel use of underwater video for research 21 Research themes 22 Freshwater Ecology 23 Coastal and Estuarine Ecology 28 Seagrass Ecology 31 Catchment to Reef Processes 35 Water Quality and Contaminants 39 Oceanography 43 Hydrology 45 Socio-economic Systems and 45 Natural Resource Management TropWATER Water Quality Laboratory 51 Graduate training 52 Media exposure 56 Public outreach and engagement 60 Publications 66 Acronyms 80 Contact details Back Cover REPORT 2011 ~ 2013 1 TropWATER Who we are Solutions for Government, TropWATER – The Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Communities and Industry Ecosystem Research, is an amalgamation of aquatic expertise from across James Cook University. It brings together over 130 research and support staff and over 80 post-graduate students. TropWATER provides a unique opportunity for multidisciplinary research activities by Vision integrating JCU’s aquatic expertise into one cohesive research group, which covers the full spectrum of Providing global leadership freshwater, estuarine and marine waters, with expertise in tropical water and aquatic from ecology, water quality, hydrology, engineering, ecosystem research. physics, oceanography, modelling and resource economics 2 TropWATER Our mission TropWATER aims to conduct influential research in fields related to water science, resource management and the ecology of water ecosystems, with a special focus on achieving sustainable use of water resource systems and water ecosystems. Our overall goal is to secure the future of water ecosystems and maintain their critical functional processes. Our Centre has a strong, but not exclusive, focus on tropical water systems, both in Australia and internationally. It is concerned with major issues in water science, including water resources, water quality and aquatic biodiversity, in relation to economic, social and environmental needs, constraints and change. Institutional setting James Cook University (JCU) is one of the world’s leading educational and research institutions focusing on the tropics. With campuses in Townsville, Cairns, Brisbane, Mackay, Mount Isa and Thursday Island in Australia, and in Singapore, it is ranked in the top 4% of universities by the respected Academic Ranking of World Universities produced by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. JCU continues to be ranked at Level 5 (well above world standard) for Environmental Science and Management and for Fisheries, in the 2010 Excellence in Research for Australia rankings. It is number one internationally for citations on coral reef ecology, the highest ranked Australian university for citations in ecology and the environment over the past 10 years, and it leads Australia for articles in the top 15 journals in marine and freshwater biology. JCU ranked second in the Times Ranking for Environmental Sciences in 2011. REPORT 2011 ~ 2013 3 Photo: Matt Curnock 4 TropWATER From the Director It is with great pleasure that I students are affiliated with TropWATER. established reputation in delivering practical applied introduce the first report of The outcomes to a wide range of clients (government, industry Centre for Tropical Water and The restructure and formation of TropWATER coincided and community) that provide this non-traditional funding. Aquatic Ecosystem Research with a period of dramatic growth. Over 2012-2013, Dedication to our original founding mission of being a (TropWATER). Although a the research income, staff numbers and publication provider of knowledge, and both basic and translational new centre in its current form, outputs of the directly employed TropWATER staff, research to northern Australia, has proved a reliable long- TropWATER’s core operations tripled. Whilst a significant part of this growth was the term strategy. are embedded in a long acquisition of a world-leading seagrass research group history. In 2012, after 25 years from the Queensland Government, substantial growth Whilst substantial recent growth in our size is very of successful operation, the also occurred across the freshwater ecology (especially pleasing, I am most pleased at the breadth of topics that Australian Centre for Tropical mining), catchment to reef, and coastal and mangrove TropWATER now covers. We are approximately equally Freshwater Research (ACTFR) amalgamated with aquatic ecology parts of our operations. Nearly all of this growth well spread across freshwater, estuarine and nearshore researchers from across James Cook University (JCU) to can be attributed to our success in attracting industry and coastal ecosystems and many of our projects and staff form TropWATER. The aim of this restructure was not only other sources of non-traditional research funding. This is work across this continuum. Equally pleasing is the spread to refresh the mission and expand the scope of the original testament to our long-held view, originally established we have achieved across ecology, chemistry, hydrology, ACTFR, but also to bring together all the aquatic expertise by the founders of ACTFR, that diversifying our sources of oceanography and socio-economic sciences, again with spread across various research and teaching units at JCU research funding will provide long-term viability. Attracting many staff straddling these disciplines, breaking down into one cohesive research group. Thus TropWATER consists such funding comes from being very well connected with boundaries. I hope this report can do justice to the true of staff that are employed directly by the centre and staff the needs and requirements of stakeholders and clients breadth and impact of our work in tropical Australia and who are employed in other (mostly teaching) units at and takes a dedicated effort to establish and maintain the more broadly throughout the tropics internationally. JCU. The long-established core unit has been maintained necessary professional relationships. as a separate financial and research entity under the Dr Damien Burrows TropWATER umbrella. Currently there are more than 90 In what are very testing times for tertiary institutions Director of TropWATER and Team Leader of the Freshwater staff employed directly by TropWATER and 40 members and research providers, I believe our continued strong Ecology Group from various other JCU units. In addition, 80 postgraduate performance and growth is testament to our well- REPORT 2011 ~ 2013 5 People 4 1 1 1 TropWATER staff and members are based in many locations around the world 1 2 34 78 3 1 Most TropWATER staff are based at the new spacious TropWATER Staff 2011-2013 TropWATER members 2011-2013 and modern Australian Tropical Sciences and Innovation 90 50 Precinct (ATSIP) on JCU’s Townsville Campus. This 80 building sees us co-locating with CSIRO and includes a 40 custom-built aquarium complex and a state of the art 70 water quality laboratory. Over 30 staff are based at JCU’s 60 30 Cairns Campus, where our seagrass research group and 50 laboratory is located. 40 20 Number of Staff 30 Number of Staff 20 10 10 0 0 2011 2012 2013 2011 2012 2013 Research Support/Technical Members Research Management/Admin 6 TropWATER Research Scientists Technical Officers Water Quality Laboratory Professor Lynne Eagle TropWATER Staff Associate Professor Richard Faulkner Dr Jorge Alvarez-Romero Miss Rachael Amies Mr Patrick Cunningham Dr Julia Hazel Ms Kathryn Berry Mr Jaap Barendrecht Ms Carol Lennox 2011–2013 Professor Mal Heron Mrs Zoe Bradey Mr Geoff Endo Ms Yoko Nitanai Director Dr Neil Hutchinson Mrs Catherine Bainbridge Ms Louise Johns Ms Fiona Small Dr Jasmine Jeffries Dr Damien Burrows Ms Alex Carter Ms Jessica Leech Ms Tara Tangney Professor Dean Jerry Dr Faye Christidis Mr Paul Leeson Ms Hayley Threlkeld Mr Ross Johnston Mrs Caroline Coppo Mr Mark Leith Mrs Michelle Tink Principal Research Scientists Associate Professor Wenxian Lin Dr Eduardo Da Silva Mr Glenn Morgan (Laboratory Manager) Dr Alessandra Mantovanelli Mr Jon Brodie Miss Jaclyn Davies Mr Trent Power Professor Helene Marsh Mr Barry Butler Dr Jennifer Debose