IMAS Metadata Catalogue
National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine and Coastal Hub
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Dive surveys were conducted in 2014 and the same sites resurveyed annually until 2022 (excluding 2021), to establish a baseline and monitor the status of the critically endangered spotted handfish (Brachionichthys hirsutus) population. This dataset is a summary of all surveys season 2014 to 2022 (excluding 2021) in which the 11 sites across the Derwent Estuary and D'Entrecasteaux Channel were assessed. The data describes the search effort (transect length, swathed area) and counts of handfish observed on each transect, including size measurements (total length) and depth records for each sighted fish.
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A review of peer-reviewed publications was undertaken, focusing on coastal and marine microplastics relevant to South Eastern Australia (South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales), as well as from ongoing citizen science programmes from AUSMAP (https://www.ausmap.org/). This dataset summarises basic information about the microplastics studies: the location of the study; if the study focused on water, sediment or biota; the type of biota (for biotic studies); and the DOI of the publication. Although the primary focus of this study was restricted to southeastern Australia, studies collated from other regions have also been included in this dataset. The outcomes of the literature review for other regions (QLD, NT, SA, WA, Tas) should not be considered comprehensive.
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This metadata record provides a brief overview of the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine and Coastal (MaC) Hub. The record acts as an aggregation point for all NESP Marine and Coastal Hub data collections and projects developed as part of this research program. The National Environmental Science Program (NESP) is a long-term commitment by the Australian Government to environment and climate research. The first phase invested $145 million (2014-15 to 2020-21) into 6 research hubs. The second phase invests $149 million (2020-21 to 2026-27) into 4 new research hubs. The program builds on its predecessors – the National Environmental Research Program (NERP) and the Australian Climate Change Science Programme (ACCSP) – to support decision-makers to understand, manage and conserve Australia’s environment by funding world-class biodiversity and climate science. The Marine and Coastal Hub is a collaborative partnership supported by funding from the Australian Government administered by the Department of Climate Change, the Environment, Energy and Water (DCCEEW) - previously Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE). The current NESP funding program runs from 2021 to 2027. The Marine and Coastal Hub is co-administered by the University of Tasmania (UTAS), and the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC). The Marine and Coastal Hub delivers: • applied research to support management of Australia’s marine and coastal environments including estuaries, coast, reefs, shelf and deep-water • targeted biodiversity and taxonomy products to support efficient system monitoring • environmental monitoring systems and decision-support tools. Research products from the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub are available from https://nespmarinecoastal.edu.au and the Australian Ocean Data Network catalogue (http://catalogue.aodn.org.au)
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Tidal wetlands are vulnerable to accelerated rates of sea-level rise projected by climate models. Assessing the resilience, or vulnerability, of these environments requires measurements of rates of vertical accretion, subsidence and elevation gain across a range of coastal settings. The Surface Elevation Table (SET) technique is applied globally to assess the extent of vertical adjustment of tidal wetlands to sea-level rise over decadal timescales. This enables measurement of whether wetlands are keeping pace with sea level rise (measured at tide gauges), or subsiding relative to local sea level rise and thus vulnerable to permanent inundation and loss. 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. This record describes the consolidated SET data collated from the Australian network (OzSET) as at 2022. This data can be used for analysing change to the elevation of wetlands wetlands at the study sites encompassed by OzSET.
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This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub scoping study - "Scoping for an Australian Wetland Inventory: identifying knowledge gaps and solutions for mapping Australian marine and coastal wetlands". No data outputs were generated by this project. -------------------- Marine and coastal wetlands provide extensive ecosystem services—protecting shorelines, improving water quality, supporting healthy fisheries, promoting tourism, storing carbon, and holding cultural significance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Like many wetlands around the world, Australian wetlands continue to be threatened, degraded, and lost due to climate change, development, and other human activities. To support the Australian Government’s development of a national wetland inventory, this project assessed the current state of coastal wetland mapping across five key areas: seagrass, saltmarsh, intertidal macroalgae, shorebird habitat, and blue carbon. It identified major knowledge and inventory gaps through a combination of literature review and consultation with 73 end-users and experts, resulting in 25 targeted recommendations to guide future mapping and data integration. A summary of the status of mapping habitat attributes and ecosystem services such as blue carbon, coastal protection and shorebird habitat is available in the project's Final Technical Report. This report incudes recommendations to guide investment in high-demand areas and support nationally consistent wetland management and reporting to address key knowledge gaps. Outputs • Report reviewing and synthesising knowledge gaps in inventory mapping of marine and coastal wetlands, identifying effective solutions, and guiding subsequent research projects for enhancing wetland mapping [written]
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Aerial surveys of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) were undertaken off the southern Australian coast to monitor the recovery of this endangered species following extreme 19th and 20th Century commercial whaling. The aerial survey was undertaken in the coastal waters from Perth (Western Australia) to Ceduna (South Australia) between the 12th and 19th August 2022, to maintain the annual series of surveys and inform the long-term population trend. The survey resulted in a total 526 whales sighted, consisting of 247 cow-calf pairs, 31 unaccompanied adults and 1 yearling. The ‘western’ population of southern right whales in Australian waters is increasing in size (~5.3% per year based on female/calf pairs and a population estimate of 2675 whales) based on the long-term population trend data from the annual aerial surveys. This represents the majority of the Australian population given the very low numbers in the ‘eastern’ population. The 2022 surveys recorded the lowest number of unaccompanied animals (i.e. males and females without a calf) ever throughout the time-series of the annual aerial surveys since 1993 when survey coverage between Cape Leeuwin and Ceduna first began. Across this time series, there is a particularly notable decline in sightings of unaccompanied animals over the past five years. It is currently unclear what factors account for the decline in these sightings or may influence the variation in numbers of unaccompanied animals on the southern Australian coast. Lower than expected counts in the long-term data may provide evidence of a slowing population growth rate, which can only be assessed by continued annual population surveys to assess population trend data.
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Fish annotations of stereo Baited Remote Underwater Video and panoramic drop camera imagery, were completed as part of a report funded by the NESP Marine & Coastal Hub. This report focussed on an IUCN II zone in the South-west Corner Marine Park off the 'Capes region' near Margaret River. These data were analysed in EventMeasure using standard operating procedures for the annotation of remote stereo imagery.
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The Parks Australia Management Effectiveness (ME) system - previously MERI - is underpinned by a controlled, common language that provides a nationally consistent lexicon for a) Natural, cultural, and heritage values; (b) Social, cultural, and economic benefits; (c) Activities and anthropogenic pressures; and (d) Biophysical, and social and economic drivers. The Natural Values component of the common language is defined at three levels: 1) ecosystem complexes; 2) ecosystems; and 3) ecosystem components. This map shows the Ecosystems (tier 2) component of the Natural Values, and delineates features by habitat and depth for the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This version (2025) of the National Values Ecosystems dataset uses Geoscience Australia's 250m resolution AusBathyTopo 2024 grid as the basis for the map. The dataset is an interim product between the 2022 version (https://doi.org/10.25959/HEKR-NR42) and an upcoming 2026 revision. The 2025 update incorporates revised and improved input datasets that have become available since the previous release. Several classification rules were updated to align with these inputs, including the use of Seamap Australia National Benthic Habitat Layer data as the primary source for mapped seagrass and coral reef occurrence. Note that this dataset uses a combination of input data sources and interpolates where data gaps exist. The common language adopts a functional, largely geo-physical perspective to define surrogates for marine ecosystems. This dataset is not a substitute for a validated habitat map (see Seamap Australia National Benthic Habitat Layer: https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/4739e4b0-4dba-4ec5-b658-02c09f27ab9a), but has a national coverage and provides valuable broad-scale categorisation of marine ecosystems in Australian waters. See Hayes et al. 2021 and Dunstan et al. 2023 for a full definition of the Natural Values Ecosystem terms. See the 'lineage' section of this record for full processing notes.
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Aerial surveys of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) were undertaken off the southern Australian coast to monitor the recovery of this endangered species following extreme 19th and 20th Century commercial whaling. The aerial survey was undertaken in the coastal waters from Perth (Western Australia) to Ceduna (South Australia) between the 12th and 17th August 2021, to maintain the annual series of surveys and inform the long-term population trend. The maximum whale counts for each leg of the survey flights between Cape Leeuwin and Ceduna, and consisted of a total 643 southern right whales sighted across the survey area (270 cow-calf pairs and 103 unaccompanied whales). The subsequent population estimate for the Australian ‘south-western’ population is 2,549 whales, which represents the majority of the Australian population given the very low numbers in the ‘south-eastern’ subpopulation. The population long-term trend data is indicating recent years (from 2007) are showing greater inter-annual variation in whale counts. To evaluate the recovery of the southern right whale population, it will be critical to collect long-term data on the annual variability in whale numbers related to the non-annual female breeding cycle and identify possible impacts on this by short-term climate dynamics, longer-term climate change and/or anthropogenic threats.
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This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub scoping study - "Research needs for assessment and monitoring of nutrients, chemicals and antimicrobials in the marine environment". No data outputs were generated by this project. -------------------- Coastal water quality is threatened by an increasing volume of chemicals produced and used in our modern lives. These chemicals are commonly incorporated into pharmaceuticals and household items, and subsequently discharged into coastal areas from a broad range of point sources. Recently emerging contaminants include a variety of chemical (e.g. heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, nutrients) and microbiological (e.g. pathogens, antibiotic resistant microbes) sources that are discharged in sewage, stormwater, estuarine flows and industrial wastes. For many of these chemicals, our understanding of their environmental concentrations and biological effects is limited. When new scientific information emerges to suggest that a particular contaminant may be hazardous, this is refered to as a contaminant of emerging concern (CEC). There is limited data about the environmental occurrence and biological effects of CECs, but emerging research suggests they have the capacity to be toxic. With an increasing list of CECs detected in the environment, important questions remain unanswered around which contaminants and scientific knowledge gaps should be prioritised. This desktop study engaged CEC stakeholders from academic research, government, water utilities, and non-government organisations to collaboratively identify priority CEC issues in Australia’s marine ecosystems. The project delivers a risk-based framework for future CEC research directions and water quality management priorities. Outputs • Final Project Report [written]