Marine microbes are tiny organisms that live in marine environments and can only be seen under a microscope. They include cellular life forms, such as bacteria, fungi, algae and plankton, along with the viruses that accompany them.
Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef research and management partners (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (the Reef Authority), AIMS, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), James Cook Univeristy (JCU) and the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) work together to monitor conditions on the Reef, especially over the summer months.
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Coral bleaching is a coral’s response to stressful conditions and can result in its death.
The 2020 Status of the World’s Coral Reef Report showed 14% of the world’s coral reefs have died since 2009, and coral bleaching caused by marine heatwaves have driven this loss. This pressure is predicted to continue with climate change.
AIMS’ mapping has pioneered the collection of long-term baseline data on the Great Barrier Reef and Australia’s North-West Shelf region through surveys of fish, corals, mangroves, planktonic communities and reefs.
We combine GIS data management with remote sensing techniques to help predict the likely presence of habitat. We then explore key locations with underwater equipment to validate these predictions.
Crown-of-thorns starfish are a major cause of coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef. The coral-eating starfish is native to the Indo-Pacific region; however, they can occur in plague proportions, consuming vast swathes of hard coral during outbreaks.
Climate change is the greatest threat to the long-term future of coral reefs. Warming ocean temperatures and ocean acidification increase the vulnerability of coral reefs to coral bleaching, diseases, and tropical cyclones.
Our interdisciplinary research provides the best available understanding of the vulnerability of coral reef ecosystems to climate change, and their capacity to adapt. We also develop innovative large-scale solutions to help coral reefs survive a warmer future.
Australia’s North West marine region is rich in resources important to our economy, whilst also home to exceptional habitats teeming with life.
AIMS led the three-year research program, North West Shoals to Shore (NWSS), to understand the impacts of petroleum exploration and development, and to inform the sustainable development of the area.
AIMS worked closely with the offshore oil and gas industry, the ports and shipping sector, and government regulators to collect, interpret and disseminate the research.
AIMS' Long-Term Monitoring Program measures the status and trend of reefs in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Each year, our team of marine scientists spend more than 120 days at sea surveying between 80 and 130 reefs along the length and breadth of the Reef. Over its 35+ year history, the Program has surveyed more than 490 reefs, across a range of environmental gradients within the Reef - for example, across gradual changes in water clarity, wave energy and latitude. We also monitor in different management zones.
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The Great Barrier Reef is a rich and complex natural ecosystem. It is the largest coral system on the planet, with almost 3,000 individual reefs covering an area of 344,400 square kilometres – approximately the size of Germany.
Not only is the Reef an ecosystem of extraordinary natural beauty, it also contributes $6.4 billion each year to the Australian economy, and supports 64,000 jobs.
Traditional methods of coral reef monitoring are expensive, labour-intensive, and limited by safety considerations and logistics.
Working with innovative partners, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has drawn upon more than 35 years of marine monitoring experience to design ReefScan.
ReefScan is a modular suite of automated marine monitoring systems that translate field data into comprehensive information about the state and health of critical marine ecosystems such as coral reefs.
