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IMOS issue eighteen June 2014 IMOS News > For more news from all the IMOS Facilities check the IMOS website imos.org.au/news.html Desert dust could threaten coral and our food chain A fungal bloom in Australia’s coastal waters has been connected to the massive dust storm that started in Lake Eyre Basin and shrouded the entire east coast in 2009. Marine scientists have described the bloom as a ‘rare, ‘accidental’, and ‘serendipitous’ finding. “This fungus is essentially a terrestrial “Dust that originates in organism that is extremely tolerant to deserts is well known to be salt, and this is rare,” according to a vehicle for the spread of Australia’s expert on phytoplankton microbial communities, and Professor Gustaaf Hallegraeff from a concern for accidental the Institute for Marine and Antarctic spread of contaminants Studies, University of Tasmania. and diseases,” he said. In 2009, after 10 years of drought, a cold The stroke of serendipity front swept up about 16 million tonnes was that IMOS started of dust from the deserts of Central collecting plankton Australia, and winds in excess of 100 biodiversity data using km an hour spurred the massive dust a Continuous Plankton storm—measuring about 500 km wide Recorder (CPR) a year and 5,500 km long—to sweep across before the dust storm. IMOS eastern Australia. An estimated 75,000 has developed the first long- tonnes of the dust crossed the coastline term plankton baseline for and was recorded as far east as New Australian waters. The CPR Zealand. In his research findings to be was sampling the plankton published in June, Professor Hallegraeff in the water between suggests that Great Barrier Reef corals Brisbane and Sydney and other marine life could be susceptible Continued on Page 2 to disease if more pathogenic strains of fungi develop from future dust storms. ‘Rare’ find has scientists chasing answers on whether future dust storms will affect marine systems. Left: Dust storm map adapted from Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/File:2009_Dust_Storm_-_ Australia_and_New_Zealand_Map. png] published under a Creative Commons license marinematters 1 community needs to stay focused on we understand it to be a substantial the arrival of a much more capable down payment on a future, multi-year research vessel that will enable blue NCRIS program. Much work remains water marine science for the next 30 to to be done to turn this into reality, but 40 years. So these are exciting times. the opportunity is palpable. NCRIS is clearly seen to be a proven model IMOS is gearing up to bring its deep at the national level, and the marine water mooring network back to and climate science community has full strength. We can’t wait to start enthusiastically embraced it and shown exploring opportunities to build more Tim Moltmann Tim that it can work very well through IMOS. interdisciplinary science around the major marine phenomena we Notwithstanding the above, it is important are observing – Southern Ocean that the IMOS community continues to Welcome to the latest edition of Marine carbon cycling and air-sea fluxes, take responsibility for articulating a big Matters. The collection of stories speaks Antarctic bottom water formation vision and an ambitious long term plan strongly to the scientific and societal and fate, and ocean circulation via for our national marine observing system. value that IMOS is now delivering on an the Indonesian Throughflow, and The IMOS Strategy 2015-25 has just ongoing basis. So I’ll use my share of the East Australian Current. been finalised and can be found at column space to reflect on the current http:// The May Federal Budget included a The process of status and future prospects for the imos.org.au/plans.html strongly positive signal about the future developing a draft Strategy and then program, which are very positive. of IMOS. An additional $150M was going through extensive stakeholder As outlined in previous editions, we committed to the National Collaborative consultation to arrive at a final version already have funding secure to operate Research Infrastructure Strategy was very constructive. There is a high IMOS at close to full strength in 2014- (NCRIS) in 2015-16. While allocation level of awareness and support for 15. The only major dip in the short of these funds is yet to be determined, IMOS across the stakeholder base. We term relates to our deep water mooring they are reserved for existing NCRIS can be well pleased with our efforts work. This had to be pulled back with capabilities and so IMOS can reasonably to date, and can now use our agreed the Marine National Facility vessel RV expect to secure a fair share. strategy to take IMOS to the next level Southern Surveyor out of commission, in its second decade of operation. Importantly, we believe that the Budget and the new vessel RV Investigator decision does not represent ‘just yet to arrive. The gap in access is one more year of funding’. Rather, frustrating in the short term, but our Tim Moltmann Desert dust could threaten coral and our food chain Continued from Page 1 about 3 weeks after the dust storm. bloom before the 2009 storm, nor storms. Their initial research found have they seen anything like it since. no soft coral disease outbreak as “So we unexpectedly collected massive a result of the fungal bloom, but a concentrations of black fungal spores “Imagine that a lot of this [fungi] is going number of questions remain. How about 30 km offshore just after the to grow in the marine environment, and could this fungus affect fish? How storm,” said Professor Hallegraeff. that it is going to do something different could it affect corals? How does it there – it is going to produce different The black ‘oil-looking substance’ affect algae? Is there the potential chemicals compared to how it behaves that was collected and preserved for it to affect humans? We know that on the land,” Hallegraeff proposed. in formalin for study, was also used some fungal toxins may accumulate to later culture the organism in the “This is where we are at right now, in filter feeders such as molluscs and laboratory. CSIRO marine scientist and trying to understand these fungal oysters. So does that mean the fungus University of Queensland Associate toxins. Fungal impacts have been well could reach the human food chain? Professor Anthony Richardson, documented in terms of human health “We have no evidence yet. But now who leads the CPR survey for and agriculture, but broader impacts on we are aware of it, we can watch for IMOS, is particularly interested in marine impacts remain undocumented.” it,” Professor Hallegraeff said. “The how the fungi survives formalin. The scientists are particularly eager IMOS plankton survey will enable “This is sort of unheard of – formalin to understand the fungus in the light this kind of exciting research into is supposed to kill everything.” Both of climate change, as projections the future. It highlights the value Richardson and Hallegraeff hadn’t suggest extended dry periods, and of sustained ocean observing for seen anything like the ocean fungal hence increased potential for dust studying these unexpected events.” 2 marinematters Latest tracks from tagged seals provide unique data in the Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean is one of the most important, yet least observed of marine habitats. Connecting all the world’s Dr Sophie Bestley oceans through the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the physical structure of the Southern Ocean profoundly influences 1,447 CTD profiles. Whilst the physical movement,” she explains, “because this world climate and ecology, and plays a data from these profiles will feed into is key to understanding how a population key role in global climate. ocean and climate models, the data also can respond to future change.” allows biologists to gain a much better Since 2009/10, the IMOS Animal “Many species are of significant understanding of how the environment Tagging and Monitoring Facility has conservation concern, others are influences the seals’ foraging been using Southern Ocean seals as recovering from previous harvesting, behaviour and success in relation to ‘samplers’. Individual animal-borne some are being harvested and changes in the ocean around them. miniaturised trackers attached to the all will be affected by a changing seals collect physical data such as Dr Sophie Bestley is using the IMOS climate. Our research, which aims depth, temperature, and salinity of the repository of seal data to develop and to better describe and understand waters in which they forage, as well evaluate statistical models that describe the ecology of the vast ocean to the as behavioural data on the diving and and predict the migration and foraging south of Australia, will provide the movements of individual animals. behaviour of southern elephant seals information that will assist in managing In February 2014, IMOS tagged and other top marine predators between this region in an era of change.” 19 Southern elephant seals at sub-Antarctic islands and east Antarctic Kerguelen Island in the southern waters. She holds an Indian Ocean, and eight Weddell Australian Research seals at Scott Base in Antarctica. Council Super Science Fellowship At this time of year the elephant seals under a joint project are accumulating resources during of the Australian long-ranging foraging trips in preparation Antarctic Division, for the breeding season that starts in the University of September. Elephant seals are capital Tasmania’s Institute breeders, meaning that when they are of Marine and ashore to give birth and suckle their Antarctic Studies, and pups they rely on stored resources Macquarie University. and do not feed at all during this time.