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Projects
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- Current projects
- Completed projects
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Current projects
Forecasting ocean temperatures for salmon at the farm site
- This project is developing methods to provide sea surface temperature forecasts for Tasmanian salmon farm sites at lead times of up to four months (for example in September, predict January conditions). Preliminary site-specific forecasts are being delivered monthly to the Tasmanian salmon industry. (Contact: Alistair Hobday).
South-east Australia Fisheries and Climate Change Program (SEAP)
Several projects under the SEAP umbrella (NSW, Vic., Tas., SA, and the Commonwealth) are contributing to improved understanding and management of fisheries in SE Australia. The program is managed by Fisheries Victoria.
- Risk assessment of impacts of climate change for key species in South Eastern Australia (Leads: Gretta Pecl (UTas) and Tim Ward (SARDI).
- Understanding the biophysical implications of climate change (Lead: Alistair Hobday, CSIRO)
- Development and testing of a national integrated climate change adaptation assessment framework (lead: Vincent Lyne, CSIRO)
- Quantitative testing of fisheries management arrangements under climate change using Atlantis (Lead: Beth Fulton, CSIRO)
National Climate Change Adaption Research Plan Projects
A set of projects focus on adaption and respond to the priority issues identified in the National Climate Change Adaption Research Plan and the National Climate Change Action Plan for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
- Human adaptation options to increase resilience of conservation-dependent seabirds and marine mammals impacted by climate change. This work will provide an insight into the effects of climate change on a number of species and will help with the monitoring of marine biodiversity (NARP project - 2010/533). Leads: Alistair Hobday, Lynda Chambers (BOM), John Arnould (Deakin)
- Identification of climate-driven species shifts and adaptation options for recreational fishers: learning general lessons from a data rich case. Using spear fishing club records for rocky reef fish in eastern Australia any changes in distribution over the last 40 years that may be attributed to climate change will be determined and used to suggest adaptation strategies for recreational management. (NARP project - 2010/524). Lead: Dan Gledhill
- Adapting to the effects of climate change on Australia’s deep marine reserves. A model to predict the effects of ocean acidification and climate change on the distribution of deep reef corals and biota will be the outcome of this project (NARP project - 2010/510). Lead Ron Thresher
- Management implications of climate change effects on fisheries in Western Australia. This project, led by Nick Caputi (WA Fisheries) is assessing Western Australian marine environments with particular attention being given to the vulnerability of high value fish species and will identify improved fisheries management strategies. (NARP Project 2010/535). CSIRO lead – Ming Feng.
- A climate change adaptation blueprint for coastal regional communities. Adaptation options will be trialled in three coastal communities with results synthesised so that an adaptation blueprint can be developed. This project is led by Stewart Frusher (UTas) and Nadine Marshall (CSIRO). (NARP Project 2010/542).
- Pre-adapting a Tasmanian coastal ecosystem to ongoing climate change through reintroduction of a locally extinct species. Using highly valued species, including blue groper, the potential for translocating fish as an adaptation response will be investigated. Leads: Nic Bax (CSIRO/UTas), Neville Barrett (UTas), Alistair Hobday (CSIRO) (NARP Project 2010/564).
Adaptive Spatial Planning for a Changing Ocean
- A number of approaches are being developed and trialled to assess the importance of spatial planning when considering how climate change may impact marine biodiversity. Contact Franz Smith (CSIRO).
Economic implications of climate change for Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture
- This project investigates the likely impacts of climate for Australian businesses and the supporting sectors. Tools such as input-output modelling, cost-benefit analysis, and fleet dynamics models are being used to estimate impacts and develop cost-effective adaptation options. Contact: Ana Norman-Lopez (CSIRO).
Global Marine Hotspots Network
- Development of a global network of scientists, managers and policy makers where shared information is synthesised, contrasted and compared across locations. The goal is to provide the best possible learning opportunity to address climate challenges (www.globalmarinehotspots.org). Leads: Gretta Pecl (UTas), Stewart Frusher (UTas), Warwick Sauer (Rhode, South Africa) and Alistair Hobday (CSIRO).
Report Card of Marine Climate Change in Australia: Impacts and Adaptation Responses
Project Leader: Elvira Poloczanska (CSIRO)
Partner Investigators: Anthony Richardson (CSIRO, UQ), Alistair Hobday (CSIRO) and others tbc
We are developing the 2nd version of the Marine Report Card, following the success of the 2009 Marine Report Card which provides up-to-date information on how climate change is impacting and may impact our environment. The Marine Report Card 2011 will provide updates since the 2009 card, expand the number of sections reviewed and expand the adaptation section of the card.
NCEAS Working Group: Towards understanding marine biological impacts of climate change.
Project Leaders: Elvira Poloczanska (CSIRO), Anthony Richardson (CSIRO, UQ)
Partner Investigators: Keith Brander (National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Denmark), Chris Brown (UQ), John Bruno (U North Carolina, USA). Lauren Buckley (U North Carolina, USA), Mike Burrows (Scottish Association of Marine Science, UK), Carlos Duarte (Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, Spain), Ben Halpern (NCEAS, USA), Johnna Holding (Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, Spain), Carrie Kappel (NCEAS, USA), Wolfgang Kiessling (Museum fur naturkunde, Germany), Pippa Moore (U Aberystwyth, UK). Mary O'Connor (U British Columbia, Canada), John Pandolfi (UQ), Camille Parmesan (U Texas, USA), Dave Schoeman (U Ulster, UK), Frank Schwing (NOAA, USA), Bill Sydeman (Farallon Institute for Advanced Ecosystem Research, USA),
This National Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) Working Group will provide the globally coherent view of marine biological changes in
response to climate change that is currently lacking but so desperately needed. We have bought together an expert team specialising in diverse marine ecosystems, climate change ecology and robust statistical analysis to address key questions concerning the vulnerability of marine ecosystems to climate change including: what are the similarities and differences between marine and terrestrial systems in terms of types and rates of response? Which marine species, taxonomic groups and systems are most sensitive? What are the similarities and differences in the types and rates of responses in tropical, temperate and polar seas? Do multiple human stresses increase vulnerability of species and habitats to climate change? Can we attribute change in marine ecosystems to climate change? To answer these questions, the project is building a global climate change impacts meta-database from existing datasets and extensive literature reviews.
NCCARF projects
CSIRO contact Elvira Poloczanksa.
Coastal Ecosystems Responses to Climate Change Synthesis Project
Project Leaders: Wade Hadwen and Sam Capon Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University
Partner investigators: Elvira Poloczanska (CSIRO), Tara Martin (CSIRO), Wayne Rochester (CSIRO), Dajiro Kobashi (Griffith University), Morgan Pratchett (James Cook University), Jason Coughran (UQ), Joanne Green (UQ), Ashton Berry (U Sunshine Coast), Shireen Fahey (University of Sunshine Coast)
The project will synthesise knowledge of climate change impacts on Australian coastal ecosystems and integrate understanding of potential adaptive pathways, both ecological and human, to identify priorities for management and future research. The project will identify, catalogue and review sources of knowledge concerning historic and projected climate change in Australian coastal ecosystems and synthesise understanding of documented and predicted ecological impacts of climatic changes. Whilst consideration will be given to multiple scales, this work will predominantly focus on a set of priority ecosystems, species and processes. We will catalogue and review knowledge of ecological adaptive pathways in coastal ecosystems including known thresholds, adaptive loops, alternative stable states and regime shifts as well as existing and proposed human adaptation strategies to climate change in coastal zones and assess their impacts on priority ecosystems, species and processes. Non-climatic threats to Australian coastal ecosystems and approaches to their management will also be reviewed including potential interactions between these and human climate adaptation strategies. This work will culminate in an Australia-wide regional risk assessment for coastal ecosystems to contribute to a decision support framework for human management actions.
iClimate Database
Project Leaders: Elvira Poloczanska (CSIRO), Bill Carter (U Sunshine Coast)
Partner investigators: Tara Martin (CSIRO), Xiaoming Wang (CSIRO), Anne Roiko (U Sunshine Coast), Tim Smith (U Sunshine Coast), Stijn Dekeyser (U Southern Queensland), Cynthia Wong (U Southern Queensland)
The iClimate project is conducting a synthesis the climate change literature to provide a database of 'facts' in a user-friendly and efficient form to underpin adaptation planning in Australia. We are developing a searchable database called iClimate. iClimate will deliver bite size, digestible facts on climate change impacts and adaptation responses, that can be easily maintained and updated as necessary. 'Facts' on climate change impacts and adaptation responses are drawn from a comprehensive search of the literature, and discussion with key experts with particular attention to material published since the IPCC Fourth Assessment completed its work Areas covered include natural and managed ecosystems and production systems, human health and well-being, human built environments, buildings and infrastructure.
Integrating climate and Australian
Ecopath models to predict climate change impacts on Australian
marine systems
Project leaders: Anthony
Richardson (CSIRO, University of Queensland), Alistair Hobday
(CSIRO)
Partner investigators: Richard
Matear (CSIRO), Tom Okey (Bamfield Marine Sciences), Beth Fulton
(CSIRO), Hugh Possingham (Uni of QLD), Christopher Brown (CSIRO,
Uni of QLD
It is difficult to make predictions and generalisations of the
impact of climate change on whole marine ecosystems, particularly
in Australia, where there have been very few long-term marine
studies. This information is essential for conservation
and economically sustainable management of marine ecosystems. Ecosystem
models integrated with global climate models are a powerful way
to generate predictions and identify critical gaps in knowledge
to optimise further research efforts and monitoring studies. Importantly,
these models allow consideration of multiple anthropogenic drivers
of change in marine ecosystems. Thus, they can provide
advice to managers on measures that can be taken, such as reducing
fishing impacts, to foster resilience of marine ecosystems to
climate change. This project aims to (i) develop methods for
linking global climate and ecosystem models; (ii) assess the
impact of climate change on biodiversity and economic sustainability
of Australia’s marine ecosystems using these models; and
(iii) advise marine ecosystem managers on fostering resilience
of Australian marine ecosystems to climate change.
Marine Climate Change Report Card for
Australia
Project leaders: Elvira
Poloczanska (CSIRO)
Develop a Marine Climate Change Report Card for Australia to
fulfil the growing demand for up-to-date knowledge and information
on how climate change is impacting and may impact our marine
environment.
Assessing and Managing the
Impact of Climate Change on Australia’s Temperate Deep
Coral Reefs
Project leader: Ron Thresher
(CSIRO)
Modelling studies indicate that probably the first Australian
ecosystem to be severely impacted by changing ocean pH (ocean
acidification) are the temperate coral reefs found at depths
of a kilometre or more on sea mounts along Australia’s
southern coats. Preliminary data suggest that shoaling
of the carbonate saturation depths due to increasing acidification
in intermediate water masses sourced from the Antarctic are already
affecting these reefs. In December 2008/January 2009, a
month-long cruise will deploy the remotely controlled deep-sea
vehicle, Jason, which will be used to obtain data and samples
from the reefs to depths in excess of 4 km. The data obtained
will be used to assess the scale of present degradation, parameterise
models to predict future impacts and aid the development of appropriate
management options.
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Completed projects
& reports
Climate impacts on Australian fisheries
and aquaculture
A review of the known climate impacts on fished and cultured
species from a range of fisheries and aquaculture operations
around Australia.
[Chapter 12] in An overview of climate change adaptation
in the Australian agricultural sector - impacts, options, and
priorities
»[Download
full report ]
Climate impacts on Australian Marine
Life
A review of the physical ocean changes, and the impacts
on a range of marine taxa. Report divided into three sections,
all available from the »Department
of Climate Change's website
Scoping Study into Adaptation of
the Tasmanian Salmonid Aquaculture Industry
CAF scientists are contributing to one element of this
project, to identify and review key climate change information
needs as they relate to the Tasmanian salmonid aquaculture industry.
»Download
report from the TAFI (Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute)
website [PDF]
National Coastal Vulnerability
Assessment Case Study: Tasmanian East Coast Rock Lobster Fishery
Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) and project
team from the University of Tasmania and CSIRO in a ‘first-pass’ assessment
of climate change impacts on east coast rock lobster productivity
and interactions with fisheries management and flow-on effects
to local communities. This project is one of six case studies
nationwide that form part of the Department of Climate Change
funded National Coastal Vulnerability Assessment. This case study
focused on southern rock lobster on the east coast of Tasmania
and the potential impact of climate change on productivity, and
consequences for the commercial and recreational harvests.
»Department
of Climate Change's website
Risk assessment tools for coastal vulnerability
to climate change (DCC)
Apply risk assessment tools to undertake an national assessment
of the vulnerability of coastal marine habitats to climate change.
The tools developed will allow assessment of risk to coastal
habitats for a number of existing IPCC climate change scenarios
as well as the relative vulnerability to non-climate stressors.
These coastal habitats include the following coastal ecosystems:
Beaches, Estuaries, Wetlands, Supratidal; Dune Vegetation; Mangrove;
Saltmarsh; Subtidal; Seagrass; Rocky reef; Coral reef and Macroalgae.
Climate change and the East Marine Region
This project is supporting SEWPaC regional marine planning in the East Marine Region and includes developing methods to identify high productivity waters, characterizing the distribution of pelagic Key Ecological Features, and evaluating the present and projected future pelagic surface physical environment in the eight Areas for Further Assessment (AFA) in the East Marine Region. (Contact: Alistair Hobday).
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Modified:
15/02/11
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