Science-based solutions to protect tropical ecosystems

WEBINAR: 1-2pm AEST Wednesday 14 October

New research shows encouraging news for water quality across many rivers that flow to the Great Barrier Reef alongside declines in fertiliser use.

This is good news for our waterways and the Reef, and reflects long-term efforts by farmers, extension officers, catchment managers, and government to improve water quality across the region.

Hear from the research team about how they brought together almost 40 years of water quality monitoring and over 100 years of fertiliser usage data to distinguish ongoing trends from short-term fluctuations.

View more details below and sign up to hear about upcoming webinars.

A new study led by JCU TropWATER shows that seagrass meadows in Cairns Harbour are bouncing back more than ten years after major storms, but their fish communities have changed.

Flooding in 2009 and 2010 followed by Cyclone Yasi in 2011 caused significant damage to meadows in Cairns Harbour, leading to an 84% decline in fish abundance and 73% reduction in fish species richness.

TropWATER PhD student Darcy Philpott, who led the study, said this had major flow-on effects for the organisms that call seagrass meadows home.

Marra Sea Country in the western Gulf of Carpentaria is home to rich biodiversity, supported by a range of seafloor (benthic) habitats including seagrass, corals, mangroves, macroalgae, and saltmarsh.

Together with Marranbala and li-Anthawirriyarra Rangers and other project partners, our team is surveying marine habitats and providing hands-on technical training to help establish an ongoing Ranger-led monitoring program on Marra Sea Country.

A flood plume – also known as a river plume – is a large volume of freshwater discharged from a river into the ocean, caused by heavy rainfall and flooding. Plumes can carry sediment, nutrients, pesticides and other contaminants from the land into coastal and marine waters.

Read our short Explainer for an introduction to what flood plumes are, how they affect marine ecosystems, and how we're working to monitor their impacts.

As northern Australia's leading eDNA experts, we use genetic clues to revolutionise how to detect invasive and threatened species.

We’ve contributed to biosecurity surveillance, environmental impact assessments, tracking fish communities in Australian waterways, locating threatened species, and advancing eDNA science itself, while working with Traditional Owners, community groups, governments, councils and regional bodies. We also lead advances in eDNA techniques and offer commercial and research services.