Phytoplankton productivity in the polar Southern Ocean (SO) plays an important role in the transfer of carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean’s interior, a process called the biological carbon pump, which helps regulate global climate. SO productivity in turn is limited by low iron, light, and temperature, which restrict the ef- ficiency of the carbon pump. Iron and light can colimit productivity due to the high iron content of the photosynthetic photosystems and the need for increased photosystems for low-light acclimation in many phytoplankton. Here we show that SO phytoplankton have evolved critical adaptations to enhance photosynthetic rates under the joint constraints of low iron, light, and temperature. Under growth-limiting iron and light levels, three SO species had up to sixfold higher photosynthetic rates per photosystem II and similar or higher rates per mol of photosynthetic iron than tem- perate species, despite their lower growth temperature (3 vs. 18 °C) and light intensity (30 vs. 40 μmol quanta·m2·s−1), which should have decreased photosynthetic rates. These unexpectedly high rates in the SO species are partly explained by their unusually large photosynthetic antennae, which are among the largest ever recorded in marine phytoplankton. Large antennae are disadvan- tageous at low light intensities because they increase excitation energy loss as heat, but this loss may be mitigated by the low SO temperatures. Such adaptations point to higher SO production rates than environmental conditions should otherwise permit, with implications for regional ecology and biogeochemistry.

Point data collected from video drops identifying benthic habitats such as seagrass, macroalgae and reef, collected during field work in 2007 to 2011. Used to support the Benthic Habitat Mapping project undertaken by DENR to map the nearshore benthic habitats of South Australia

The impacts of a small, free-field, surface explosion from a ship scuttling, on two crustacean species was examined. The southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) and the spotted shore crab (Paragrapsus gaimardii) were used to compare the effects on crustaceans in a controlled experiment on animals distributed up to 500 m from the blasts. Methods for assessing damage included; mortality, behavioural experiments, and physiological assessments.

Redmap is a primarily a website that invites the community to spot, log and map marine species that are uncommon in their region, or along particular parts of their coast. The information collected is mapped and displayed on the site, demonstrating, in time, how species distributions may be changing. Sightings are divided into two categories – those with a photo that can be ‘verified’ by a marine biologist, and sightings without photos that we call community sightings (anecdotal). All the information collected, with and without photos, is mapped and will be used in the following years to map out a ‘story’ of changes occurring in our marine environment. The main data collected includes the species sighted (normally selected from a list comprising preselected species of interest), the location, date/time and activity being undertaken. Other optional information gathered include biological data such as sex, size and weight and environmental data such as water depth and temperature and habitat. This record is associated with live data (and will subsequently change over time) and spatial elements have reduced accuracy. It is also subject to a three year embargo (ie. does not contain data less than three years old). If you wish to discuss obtaining a citable, static dataset, that is current and/or contains accurate spatial elements, please see Point of Contact.

The offshore renewable energy (ORE) sector is rapidly developing in Australian waters to meet the country’s carbon emission targets. However, new developments in the marine environment pose added risk to threatened species. The Eastern Indian Ocean pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) was identified as a key species by the Australian Government for understanding the potential impacts of ORE developments. This subspecies ranges from the Subtropical Convergence (~40-45°S) to Southeast Asia (~2°S) with most of its documented distribution within the Australia Exclusive Economic Zone. Pygmy blue whale distribution overlaps various anthropogenic activities across their range, which suggests that some level of exposure to pressure and threats is likely. We compiled all available spatial data to quantify the full and foraging distribution of pygmy blue whales and quantified exposure to individual and cumulative threats across the species distribution. Threat exposure analysis included expert elicitation to gather expert input on the probability of exposure to a threat occurring from the spatial overlap between pygmy blue whale distribution and anthropogenic pressures, with a focus on areas undergoing ORE development. The cumulative exposure assessment indicated a relatively low level of exposure of pygmy blue whales to existing threats within Australian waters, particularly those that occur within declared ORE areas. However, several gaps in data and knowledge were identified that need to be addressed prior to development of the ORE industry. Our results provide a robust baseline that can be directly incorporated by industry and regulators as spatial layers into impact assessments. The study helps inform Government, and proponents of wind farms on the current state of knowledge of pygmy blue whale distribution and exposure to threats in Australian waters for use in decision-making, helping facilitate the sustainable development of the ORE industry in Australia.

The survey comprises two streams of data, including (1) the availability of different attachment sites and (2) the algal composition of abalone attachment sites ('homesites'). The survey was conducted at three sites at each of three regions on the east coast of Tasmania.

This dataset provides the spatially continuous data of seabed gravel (sediment fraction >2000 µm), mud (sediment fraction < 63 µm) and sand content (sediment fraction 63-2000 µm) expressed as a weight percentage ranging from 0 to 100%, presented in 10 m resolution raster grids format and ascii text file.</p> The dataset covers the eight areas in the Timor Sea region in the Australian continental EEZ.</p> This dataset supersedes previous predictions of sediment gravel, mud and sand content for the basin with demonstrated improvements in accuracy. Accuracy of predictions varies with sediment types, with a VEcv = 71% for mud, VEcv = 72% sand and VEcv = 42% for gravel. Artefacts occur in this dataset as a result of noises associated predictive variables (e.g., horizontal and vertical lines resulted from predictive variables derived from backscatter data are the most apparent ones). To obtain the most accurate interpretation of sediment distribution in these areas, it is recommended that noises with backscatter data should be reduced and predictions updated.</p> This research is supported by the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine Biodiversity Hub through Project D1.

This resource includes bathymetry data for Beagle Marine Park (Bass Strait) collected by Geoscience Australia (GA) and the Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies (University of Tasmania; UTAS) during the period 17 - 26 June 2018 on the RV Bluefin. The survey was undertaken as a collaborative project funded through the National Environmental Science Program Marine Biodiversity Hub, with co-investment by GA and UTAS. The purpose of the project was to build baseline information for benthic habitats in the Beagle Marine Park that will support ongoing environmental monitoring within the South-east Marine Park Network as part of the 10-year management plan (2013-2023). Data acquisition for the project was completed during three separate voyages: Phase 1 - Seabed mapping by multibeam sonar; Phase 2 - Seabed imagery acquisition by Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, and sediment sampling; Phase 3 - Survey of demersal fish communities using Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUVs). This dataset from Phase 1 comprises 11 bathymetry grids derived from multibeam sonar data gridded at 1 m spatial resolution, covering a combined area of 364 km2. A detailed report on the survey is provided in: Falster, G., Monk, J., Carroll, A., Siwabessy, J., Deane, A., Picard, K., Dando, N., Hulls, J., Nichol, S., Barrett, N. 2019. Australian Marine Park Baseline and Monitoring Survey: Post Survey Report, Beagle Marine Park South-east Marine Park Network. Report to the National Environmental Science Program, Marine Biodiversity Hub.

This resource contains access links to all data collected and and created under the ACE-CRC program. See 'online resources' section of this record for index of all online ACE-CRC data.