The National Sea Simulator, or SeaSim, gives AIMS researchers and their collaborators the edge in delivering world-leading coral reef science.
Using SeaSim’s large seawater tanks, scientists can research the impact of complex environmental changes on corals and other tropical marine organisms with large, long-term experiments.
The facility allows researchers to manipulate key environmental factors, including light, temperature, acidity, carbon dioxide, salinity, sediments and contaminants.
SeaSim also has facilities for the long-term holding and propagation of corals as model organisms for research. This allows multi-generational studies, which are critical in understanding how marine organisms adapt to a changing environment.
SeaSim opened in 2013 with $37 million from the Education Investment Fund and AIMS.
In 2021, the Australian Government announced a $36.3 million SeaSim expansion, increasing the capacity of the large tank systems five-fold.
