Australasian ocean currents

Ocean currents have a significant impact on climate, and are in turn shaped by climatic conditions. The four main currents in the Australasian region are the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the Leeuwin Current, the Indonesian Throughflow and the East Australian Current.

Atlantis ecosystem model rated best in the world

A marine ecosystem model developed by Dr Beth Fulton of CSIRO has been rated best in the world by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Professor Arnold Dekker: aquatic remote sensing

Dr Arnold Dekker is leading aquatic remote sensing research and applications development for adaptive management of these important environmental resources.

Dr Anthony Chariton: aquatic ecology, ecogenomics and environmental risk assessment

Dr Anthony Chariton’s primary research areas include the effects of contaminants on aquatic ecosystems.

Dr Andy Steven: Theme Leader, Our Resilient Coastal Australia

Dr Andy Steven is combining his international experience in marine and fresh water to help Australians wisely use and manage our precious coastal regions.

Dr Andrew Poole: marshalling advanced materials in the war on biofouling

Dr Andrew Poole’s capabilities span materials science and biological science. He has worked on environmental biotechnology, including microbial separation of oil-in-water emulsions, and microbial treatment of strong effluents. He leads research teams on marine biofouling and eco-friendly protein fibres.

Dr Andreas Schiller: researching our changing oceans

Dr Andreas Schiller applies his extensive experience in large-scale ocean physics and modelling, to help deliver benefits to Australia’s climate-sensitive industries and safeguard the environment.

New climate change research team established

One of Australia's leading climate change modelling experts, CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship’s Dr Wenju Cai, has been awarded a five-year CSIRO fellowship to establish a new research team examining climate influences on Australia.

Hitomi the bigeye tuna puts CSIRO research on radar

Want to know where Mirella the gold spot trevally or Nero the spangled emperor hang out? Or how about where Hitomi the bigeye tuna, Papa the whale shark, and Galileo the tiger shark patrolled the southern oceans?

First broad-scale maps of life on the sea-shelf

Marine scientists from five research agencies have pooled their skills and resources to compile a directory of life on Australia’s continental shelf.

Animal trackers make tracks for Hobart

King penguins in the Indian Ocean ride ocean currents to eddies rich with fish before making a bee-line back to their chicks.

Robotic glider to map Moreton Bay impacts

A $200,000 CSIRO coastal glider is bound for Queensland to be deployed in Moreton Bay to investigate the impact of the recent flooding on marine ecosystems.

Scientists question fisheries health test

A measure widely advocated as a means of assessing the health of marine ecosystems is an ineffective guide to trends in biodiversity, and more direct monitoring is needed, a new study has found.

Climate change hits SE Australia fish species

Scientists are reporting significant changes in the distribution of coastal fish species in south-east Australia which they say are partly due to climate change.

Deep thinking on the world’s oceans

The world's deep ocean researchers – scientists whose field of interest extends into the uncertain world below about 2000 metres – met in Hobart this week to discuss deep ocean changes, their causes and their implications.

Global warming’s influence on El Niño still unknown

The climate of the Pacific region will undergo significant changes as atmospheric temperatures rise but scientists can not yet identify the influence it will have on the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) weather phenomenon.

Nine new species for disappearing handfish family

Nine new species of handfish have been described by CSIRO in research that highlights an urgent need to better understand and protect the diversity of life in Australia’s oceans.

Nationwide sea-floor ecology study starts off WA

The first stage of a long-term observation study of the ecology of Australia’s sea-floor was recently launched off Western Australia’s Rottnest Island.

Scientists offer new take on selective fishing

A new, less selective approach to commercial fishing is needed to ensure the ongoing productivity of marine ecosystems and to maintain biodiversity, according to a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

Massive Southern Ocean current discovered

A deep ocean current with a volume equivalent to 40 Amazon Rivers has been discovered by Japanese and Australian scientists near the Kerguelen plateau, in the Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean, 4,200 kilometres south-west of Perth.

New coastal research body to turn science into action

An A$11 million collaboration aimed at helping Australia translate science into practical applications for adapting to climate change, population growth and other coastal pressures will be launched today in Perth.

Warming Indian Ocean – impacts to be discussed

The impacts of a warming Indian Ocean on Western Australia’s climate, environment and fisheries will be discussed today in Perth by scientists at a Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) symposium.

Southern Ocean winds open window to the deep sea

Australian and US scientists have discovered how changes in winds blowing on the Southern Ocean drive variations in the depth of the surface layer of sea water responsible for regulating exchanges of heat and carbon dioxide between the ocean and the atmosphere.

Marine scientist wins prestigious Pew Fellowship

One of the world’s most prestigious awards for scientific research into the challenges facing the world’s oceans – a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation – has been won by a senior ecosystem modeller with CSIRO’s Wealth from Oceans Flagship, Dr Beth Fulton.

Marine reserves mend food chains, link by link

Conservation managers need to take a long-term view when assessing the value of marine protected areas, according to a paper in today’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.