Marine National Facility

Year in Review 2021–22

Operated by CSIRO, 
Australia’s National Science Agency, 
on behalf of the nation



Citation

Marine National Facility Year in Review 
2021–22 (2022). CSIRO, Australia.

Copyright

© Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research 
Organisation 2021. To the extent permitted by law, all 
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Acknowledgements

The Marine National Facility (MNF) is funded 
by the Australian Government, and is owned 
and operated by CSIRO, Australia’s national 
science agency, on behalf of the nation. 

CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of 
the land, sea and waters of the area that we live 
and work across Australia. We acknowledge their 
continuing connection to their culture and we pay 
our respects to their Elders past and present.

This research is 
enabled by NCRIS.

This research is 
supported by the 
Science and Industry 
Endowment Fund.


Cover: RV Investigator (Image: Matt Marrison, CSIRO) and 
CSIRO Hydrochemist Julie Janssens onboard RV Investigator 
(Image: Robert French, Museums Victoria)



Contents

About the MNF............................................................................................................................................1From the Chairperson..............................................................................................................................2From the Director......................................................................................................................................32021–22 snapshot .....................................................................................................................................4Research delivered and supported...................................................................................................5Map of 2021–22 voyages ......................................................................................................................6Voyages delivered ....................................................................................................................................7The vital role RV Investigator plays in weather modelling and forecasting ................10Collaboration for national benefit....................................................................................................12Connecting with Australians ..............................................................................................................14

Image: Matt Marrison, CSIRO



Image: Matt Marrison, CSIRO

About the MNF

The Marine National Facility (MNF) is Australia’s dedicated blue water research 
capability, enabling world-class marine and atmospheric research across our vast 
marine estate. Funded by the Australian Government, it is owned and operated 
by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency on behalf of the nation. The MNF 
is overseen by an independent Steering Committee and includes the advanced 
ocean‑class research vessel (RV) Investigator, a suite of scientific equipment, 
technical staff and expertise, and more than 35 years of freely available marine data.

The literal flagship of the MNF, RV Investigator caters 
to the diverse and multidisciplinary research needs of 
Australian marine researchers and their international 
collaborators. It provides the capability for a broad range 
of oceanographic, biological, atmospheric and geophysical 
research. In addition, the vessel provides a vital catalyst 
for maritime education, outreach and training. 

RV Investigator is funded for full year operations and 
can accommodate a research team of 40 participants, 
stay at sea for 60 days, and cover 10,000 nautical miles 
per voyage. The vessel can operate anywhere from 
the Antarctic ice edge to the tropics. With the delivery 
in 2020 of the 10-year strategy, MNF 2030, the MNF 
is fulfilling its mission to facilitate safe, efficient and 
excellent marine and atmospheric research that is 
aligned with national priorities and addresses challenges 
facing Australia’s society, economy and environment.



From the Chairperson

It’s been a busy year for the MNF. In addition to research 
voyages, the 2021–22 schedule included a concerted effort 
to install, commission and trial new research capabilities 
for the benefit of the research community and ultimately 
the nation. Capability added to RV Investigator included 
the Heavy Ocean Towing System (HOTS), Giant Piston 
Corer (GPC) and enhanced seismic infrastructure. 

2021–22 has also been a productive time for the MNF 
Steering Committee (MNFSC) and the two assessment 
committees: the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) 
and National Benefit Advisory Committee (NBAC). 
All three committees welcomed new members, with RAC 
also welcoming a new Chair, Professor Peter Steinberg. 
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing 
Chair, Dr Neville Smith, whose passion for governance 
and marine research was appreciated by committee 
members, the MNF, and the marine research community. 

In closing, I would like to recognise the work and 
dedication of the MNF staff. Their resilience and flexibility 
throughout a challenging 2021–22 was admirable as 
they worked to manage the operations of a research 
vessel through the global pandemic. Our collective 
achievements are a reflection of the ongoing commitment 
they have to the safe and successful delivery of marine 
and atmospheric capability for all of our stakeholders.

Dr Sue Barrell
Chairperson, MNF Steering Committee



Image: Robert French, Museums Victoria

From the Director

This past year has demonstrated that collaboration 
is at the heart of everything we do at CSIRO. 
In a challenging operating environment, we remain 
committed to working closely with our partners, 
clients and community in the delivery of safe and 
successful research voyages to maximise the benefit 
from our national blue-water research capability. 

Reflecting our commitment to safety, 2021–22 
saw RV Investigator undertake a long maintenance 
period from July to November 2021. This provided 
the opportunity to appraise our safety systems, 
as well as consolidate a significant body of work to 
maintain and enhance capabilities of both the vessel 
and our people. In particular, we were pleased to 
deliver new initiatives that have enhanced the safety, 
health and wellbeing of voyage participants. 

Our achievements during 2021–22 are due to the 
commitment of many people and collaborators. 
I want to thank all who have contributed during 
this time, including our domestic and international 
research partners, staff and crew from ASP Ship 
Management and, of course, all of our CSIRO team. 
I would like to thank the marine research community 
for their ongoing support of our facility.

Toni Moate
Director, Marine National Facility



Image: CSIRO

2021–22 snapshot 

11,998

nautical miles travelled

195

operational days

310,518 km2

area mapped

7.35

terrabytes of 
data collected

Number of 
CTD casts

25

Cumulative 
CTD distance

47,965 m

Deepest CTD cast

4,819 m

13

participating 
organisations 

139

participating 
researchers

28

research 
publications*

*peer-reviewed journal 
publications recorded in MNF 
database as at 30 June 2022



Research delivered 
and supported

The 2021–22 financial year was 
challenging for operations of the MNF 
but also marked by many achievements. 

Importantly, it saw the digitisation of the voyage 
application and planning process via the successful 
launch of the new Marine Application and Planning System 
(MAPS). This online platform streamlines end-to-end 
voyage application, assessment and allocation process 
for applicants, assessors and staff. This provides significant 
efficiency, consistency and transparency benefits and 
helps ensure that we are delivering the highest quality 
marine and atmospheric research for national benefit. 

The Heavy Ocean Towing System (HOTS) was successfully 
installed and commissioned on RV Investigator during 
the period. This system, which was co-funded by the 
Science and Industry Endowment Fund, allows fully 
instrumented deployments of heavy-towed equipment 
on fibre optic cable down to 6500 m. Additional 
enhancements deployed to the ship included the new 
the giant piston corer (GPC) and core pipe handler 
(CPH) system. These, along with improvements to 
our fixed seismic infrastructure, provide significant 
enhancements to vessel research capability.



Map of 2021–22 voyages 



Image: Robert French, Museums Victoria

Image: Rebekah Parsons-King

Voyages delivered 

July 2021

IN2021_V04 Biodiversity assessment 
of Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories 
[Darwin – Hobart]

Led by Museums Victoria, this 30-day research voyage 
undertook a world-first biodiversity survey in waters 
around Christmas Island in Australia’s remote Indian 
Ocean Territories. The voyage included 9 institutions, 
including 4 Australian museums, and was conducted in 
partnership with Parks Australia to provide data to support 
them in the management of new marine parks established 
around Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

Originally scheduled for 45-days, this voyage was 
suspended partway through to undertake additional 
certification of some vessel systems following a review 
of legislative obligations. The review reflected CSIRO’s 
commitment to maintain the highest safety standards 
in all its operations. The remaining research operations 
were subsequently rescheduled to a second voyage 
for delivery in September to November 2022.

November 2021

TAN2021_V01 Probing the Australian-Pacific 
Plate Boundary: Macquarie Ridge in 3-D 
[Wellington – Wellington]

CSIRO chartered RV Tangaroa, operated by New Zealand’s 
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric (NIWA) 
to deliver a 26-day voyage to Macquarie Island 
to recover 27 ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) 
deployed by RV Investigator during voyage 
IN2020_V06. Due to COVID restrictions for entry to 
New Zealand, the voyage was led remotely by the 
Australian National University, in partnership with 
the University of Tasmania, California Institute of 
Technology (USA) and University of Cambridge (UK).

Data collected from this research will enhance 
our understanding of earthquakes in the region. 
This knowledge will be used to improve the 
accuracy of modelling for tsunami potential, 
delivering benefit to at-risk communities along 
the Pacific and Indian Ocean coastlines.



Image: Martin Jutzeler, UTAS

Image: CSIRO

November 2021 

IN2021_E01, IN2021_E02, IN2021_E03; 
IN2021_E04 Equipment Calibration 
and Sea Trials [Hobart – Hobart]

RV Investigator returned to at-sea operations in 
November 2021 with a program of four calibration 
and science equipment trial voyages. These voyages 
followed the successful completion of a long 
maintenance period to undertake required vessel 
maintenance activities and capability upgrades.

During the equipment calibration and sea trials program, 
a wide range of equipment testing and commissioning 
took place, including commissioning of the new giant 
piston corer and HOTS systems, as well as advanced deep 
tow camera system. Various technical personnel and 
crew training were also undertaken, which is important 
for maintaining the the expertise and world‑class 
capability of a multidisciplinary research vessel. 

January 2022

IN2022_V01 Studying Antarctic 
Bottom Water production 

Led by Geoscience Australia, this was a 56-day voyage 
to East Antarctica to investigate past changes in 
Antarctic bottom water production revealed by 
seafloor sediment records. However, this voyage was 
cancelled by CSIRO following several participants testing 
positive for COVID during pre-departure screening. 

The voyage was subsequently rescheduled to January 2023. 

March 2022

IN2022_V02 Sedimentation at its 
extreme: how powerful are submarine 
caldera forming eruptions (Kermadec Arc/Rangitāhua) 
[Hobart – Hobart] 

Led by the University of Tasmania, this was a 32‑day 
voyage to waters northeast of New Zealand to 
investigate submarine volcanoes to better understand 
the power of their eruptions. The research focused 
on three massive caldera volcanoes located along 
the Kermadec Arc/Rangitāhua, an active volcano island 
arc that starts northeast of New Zealand and runs north 
to Tonga along the boundary of two tectonic plates.

The research will support modelling for the first-ever 
hazard mapping scheme for tsunami and sediment 
flows for submarine volcanoes globally and provide 
new ore vectoring strategies for exploration in the 
Australian continent. The voyage saw the first research 
application of the newly commissioned giant piston corer 
and vessel seismic system.



Image: David Flynn, CSIRO

Image: Hannah Power, 
University of Newcastle

May 2022

IN2022_V03 Integrated Marine Observing 
System Southern Ocean Time Series 
for climate, carbon and ocean health 
[Hobart – Hobart]

Led by the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS), 
this 12-day voyage travelled to the Southern Ocean 
southwest of Tasmania to maintain the Southern Ocean 
Times Series (SOTS) deep water mooring array. These 
moorings provide long time-series observations in 
a critical part of the Southern Ocean where ocean 
interactions are most intense and least studied.

This voyage is part of an ongoing partnership 
between CSIRO and IMOS in the maintenance of 
this mooring array, which collects data vital for 
informing ocean and climate modelling.

May–June 2022 

IN2022_V05 The tsunamigenic submarine 
landslides and deep-marine canyons of 
Australia’s Tasman Sea margin: causes 
and consequences [Hobart – Brisbane]

Led by the University of Sydney, this was a 37-day 
voyage to investigate the deep-marine canyons of 
Australia’s Tasman Sea margin and the causes and 
consequences of tsunamigenic submarine landslides.

This research will improve our ability to evaluate 
the small but significant risk faced by eastern 
Australia’s seaboard cities and towns from locally 
sourced, submarine-landslide‑generated tsunami. 
Earlier contributions and mapping for this research 
was completed by the MNF’s previous research 
vessel, RV Southern Surveyor, in 2013 (SS2013_V01).

Protecting our community from COVID

The COVID-19 landscape continued to change and present new challenges for vessel operations and 
scheduling in 2021–22. The MNF continued to manage its operations under a robust COVID-19 management 
framework, including a requirement for voyage participants to quarantine and be fully vaccinated prior to 
boarding RV Investigator. Maintaining our commitment to the ongoing protection of the health and safety of 
voyage participants, crew and the community, the MNF demonstrated an agile approach in adjusting COVID-19 
management protocols to ensure operations could be managed safely and effectively during periods of rapid change.



Image: Robert French, Museums Victoria

CASE STUDY

The vital role RV Investigator 
plays in weather modelling 
and forecasting 

As a nation, we’re challenged by the need to increase our understanding 
of a changing climate, as well as the increasingly volatile weather 
systems impacting communities across Australia. RV Investigator 
helps support scientists in this work, hosting equipment, sensors 
and instruments to help study the atmosphere above our oceans.



Image: Joshua Soderholm, Bureau of Meteorology

The vessel has impressive atmospheric research capabilities 
including an advanced dual polarisation Doppler weather 
radar, air chemistry laboratory, aerosol laboratory, 
and space for two dedicated container laboratories on 
the foredeck. The vessel continually samples the air while 
underway and has instruments which measure sunlight, 
aerosols, cloud condensation, and other components 
of the atmosphere. Research published in February 
2022 demonstrates the important capability that the 
vessel delivers for weather and climate forecasting.

During 2019, the Bureau of Meteorology led a 10-day 
voyage along Australia’s west coast between Darwin 
and Perth. Scientists used weather radar observations 
collected from RV Investigator to evaluate the Australian 
weather radar network calibration monitoring 
technique that uses spaceborne radar observations 
from the NASA Global Precipitation Mission (GPM). 
Their results validated the concept of using the GPM 
spaceborne radar observations to calibrate the national 
weather radar network, which requires highly precise 
measurements to be effective. This network plays a 
major role in providing situational awareness and 
nowcasting in severe weather situations, including 
heavy rain, flash floods, hailstorms, and wind gusts.

The weather and climate research delivered by 
RV Investigator is globally significant and provides 
data to address the grand challenges being faced 
by Australia, our region and globally. Without RV 
Investigator and its multidisciplinary capability, 
many areas of research would remain unstudied. 

Citation: Protat, A., Louf, V., Soderholm, J., Brook, J., and Ponsonby, W.: 
Three-way calibration checks using ground‑based, ship‑based, 
and spaceborne radars, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 915–926, 
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-915-2022, 2022.



Collaboration for 
national benefit

Collaboration is integral to the success of the MNF. 
In 2021–22, our research partners included: 

• Australian National University
• Bush Blitz
• California Institute of Technology (USA)
• Bureau of Meteorology
• Integrated Marine Observing System
• Museums Victoria
• National Institute of Water and 
Atmospheric Research (New Zealand)
• Parks Australia
• University of Cambridge (UK) 
• University of Newcastle 
• University of Sydney 
• University of Tasmania 
• University of Utah (USA)




Image: Robert French, Museums Victoria



3.1 million

traditional media audience reach

1.5 million

social media impressions

72,800

MNF website page views

5,000

people at National Science Week 
and the Festival of Bright Ideas in 
Hobart, with joint MNF/Australian 
Marine Parks displays 
and activities

380

school students 
witnessed virtual ship tours

140

students attended 
a MNF workshop for 
the National Youth 
Science Forum

35

students visit CSIRO 
Marine Laboratories at 
Battery Point Working 
on Water program

1

Indigenous 
marine 
science 
cadet

Connecting with Australians 

It is a priority of the MNF to deepen 
community understanding of marine 
and atmospheric science. This aligns 
with raising awareness of the value and 
contribution of MNF delivered research 
towards solving our greatest challenges.

Although there were challenges, the past year saw the MNF 
innovate and work collaboratively with research partners to 
deliver relevant, accessible and engaging communications. 
These shared the remarkable stories of our ship, scientists 
and science. The MNF also seized opportunities to 
deliver virtual experiences and outreach for the benefit 
for Australian students and the wider community.



Image: Robert French, 
Museums Victoria



Contact us

1300 363 400
csiro.au/contact
csiro.au

For further information

Marine National Facility
+61 3 6232 5222
mnf@csiro.au
mnf.csiro.au

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agency and innovation catalyst, 
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challenges through innovative 
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