This record describes the towed video component from the from the Marine National Facility (MNF) RV Investigator research voyage IN2019_T02, titled "Deep seascapes of the Great Barrier Reef: Uncovering submarine canyons and landslides." The voyage took place between October 4 and October 14, 2019 departing from Brisbane (QLD) and arriving in Darwin (NT). Four 1500 m video transects were undertaken across a range of geomorphic features and depth gradients, on October 11, 2019. For access to other End of Voyage (EOV) data from IN2019_T02, see https://catalogue.aodn.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/metadata.show?uuid=54158abf-7d02-4e66-8529-48ba6e286d63

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "Quantifying the ecosystem services of the Great Southern Reef". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- The Great Southern Reef (GSR) is an interconnected system of reefs dominated by kelp forests spanning over 8,000 km along southern Australia. It is a global hotspot for marine biodiversity and endemism, and one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth. Kelp forests, however, are diminishing and evidence-based management is hindered without accurate estimates of their contribution to society and the economy. In this project, we will systematically compile and synthesise existing data on the ecosystem values and services provided by the GSR, including market and non-market values. These assessments will be aligned with existing accounting standards to ensure compatibility with ongoing and future efforts. Outputs • Inventory of data collated and assessed for the purpose of developing ecosystem accounts for GSR • Final technical report with analysed data, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings (written)

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "OzSET: Integration and publication of the Australian Surface Elevation Table dataset". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Australian coastal floodplains and wetlands are threatened by accelerating rates of sea-level rise. The assessment of vulnerability of these environments requires measurements of rates of vertical accretion, subsidence and elevation gain across a range of coastal settings. Australia’s network of Surface Elevation Tables is one of the most extensive in the world, consisting of over 200 benchmark monitoring stations from Westernport Bay, Victoria to Darwin Harbour, NT. We collate and make available through a national platform data on accretion, subsidence and elevation change in mangroves, saltmarshes, seagrasses and tidal freshwater forests, information vital to coastal risk assessment. Planned • SET-MH database: collation of data from existing Surface Elevation Table (SET-MH) stations [dataset] • Final technical report with analysed data, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "A national inventory of implemented nature-based solutions to mitigate coastal hazards". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Climate change and continued population growth are accelerating the need for diverse solutions to coastal protection. Traditionally shorelines are armoured with conventional “hard” or “grey” engineering structures, which are non-adaptive and come with significant economic, environmental and social costs. While hard structures will continue to have a place in coastal protection, alternative methods that are more sustainable and climate-resilient should be more broadly adopted into the future where appropriate. Nature-based methods (through “soft” or “hybrid” techniques) have the potential to play important roles in climate adaptation and mitigation because of their ability to reduce the threats of coastal erosion and flooding and provide co-benefits such as carbon sequestration. One reason that nature-based methods have been underutilised in Australia is that decision-makers need clearer guidelines for when a soft, hybrid or hard coastal defence approach is most appropriate. This resulted in the recently published foundational guide (led by Morris and Swearer and delivered under ESCC Hub Project 5.9: Natural habitats for coastal protection and carbon sequestration) to inform the national use of nature-based methods for coastal hazard risk reduction. In the process of producing these guidelines, the lack of a national inventory of coastal protection projects already using nature-based methods was identified by end-users as a priority to enable their wider adoption as an adaptation strategy in Australia. This project generates an online inventory of all current and planned on-ground actions by coastal land managers that have implemented a nature-based solution (NBS) to mitigate coastal hazards. The resulting inventory is the first step in identifying best practice, which will inform the future development of detailed technical design guidelines for implementing different nature-based methods in Australia. Planned Outputs • A national inventory of existing implemented nature-based solutions to mitigate coastal hazards [spatial dataset] • Final technical report with analysed data, including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2023 project "Improving data on the distribution and ecological value of temperate subtidal seagrass in tayaritja (Furneaux Group of Islands), Tasmania". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Seagrass meadows are a dominant marine ecosystem of tayaritja (Furneaux group of Islands) in the north-eastern waters off Tasmania, with historical coarse mapping indicating extensive beds of Posidonia, Amphibolis, Hetreozostera and Zostera seagrass. The beds of Posidonia and Amphibiolis are potentially some of the largest and deepest extents found in temperate waters of Australia. Lack of data on the distribution and ecological value of these seagrass habitats represents a significant knowledge gap in understanding Australian wetland natural assets that provide a range of ecological, social, cultural and economic values. This project aims to map the extent and ecological composition, population structure and blue carbon value of the seagrass beds around tayaritja in partnership with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. This project will help managers and the Aboriginal communities to understand the significance of these seagrass meadows and understand how they may be monitored. Outputs • Seagrass extent and composition map for Furneaux group [dataset] • Video and imagery of seagrass [dataset] • Final project report [written]

This aim of this project is to identify and map critical habitats for Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) to assess the ecological value of different habitats for sea lions and identify risks to their populations. Through this project we collected animal-borne video, GPS, time-depth and accelerometer/magnetometer data from eight adult female Australian sea lions from Olive Island (n=4) on the western Eyre Peninsula and Seal Bay (n=4) on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Sea lions were instrumented with animal-borne cameras with integrated accelerometers/magnetometers (CATS Cam, 135 x 96 x 40 mm, 400 g) and satellite-linked GPS loggers with integrated time-depth recorders (SPLASH-10, Wildlife Computers, 100 x 65 x 32 mm, 200 g). Sea lions were sedated and anaesthetised and bio-logging instruments were glued to the pelage on the dorsal midline. Bio-logging instruments were recovered after a single foraging trip (~1-6 days). Populations of the endangered Australian sea lion have declined by >60% over the last 40 years. Australian sea lion populations show a marked uneven distribution in abundance across their range, which suggests that localised risk profiles from threats vary at small spatial scales. Fine scale differences in habitat-use are thought to underpin these differences. However, knowledge of the habitats that are critical to Australian sea lions is poor and their vulnerability to human impacts and threats at the fine-scale is not well understood. The data collected in this project provides fundamental information on critical benthic habitats for Australian sea lions, the differences in foraging behaviour of individual sea lions and their prey preferences. The information collected under this project improves our understanding of threats to sea lion populations and will support future conservation actions to recover the species. EMBARGO Data is currently embargoed until June 2024 and will be made available via this record at that time.