Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies
Type of resources
Topics
Keywords
Contact for the resource
Provided by
Years
-
The Denman Marine Voyage (DMV) brought together researchers from the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP – AAS4631, Chief Investigator Dr Laura Herraiz-Borreguero), the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS – AAS4630, Chief Investigator Prof. Matthew King), Securing Antarctica’s Environmental Future (SAEF – AAS4628, Chief Investigator Prof. Steven Chown), and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD – AAS4636 and 4556 Chief Investigators Dr So Kawaguchi and Dr Leonie Suter), on a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary research voyage aboard RSV Nuyina to the Denman Glacier region and Shackleton Ice Shelf. The voyage was the first dedicated marine science voyage for RSV Nuyina and represented a significant milestone for the Australian Antarctic Program. This voyage report provides information for the voyage including: - Voyage summary and itinerary - Weather conditions during DMV - Participant list (science team, technicians, media team, medical team, ship crew) - High level science objectives for each of the parties onboard (AAD, AAPP, ACEAS, SAEF) - Individual reports for each scientific working group onboard (background, objectives, methods, report on activities, preliminary results (where relevant)), data management plans, acknowledgements, references) - Media program - ACEAS Outreach - Appendix, with Supplementary Material to be separate to the main report.
-
These data were collected in 2024 for a PhD project, including the dissolved trace metal data and particulate trace metal data from the diatom-Antarctic krill experiment. The particulate trace metal data were collected from diatom culture grown in the lab and Antarctic krill culture sourced from AAD.
-
Zooplankton are important component of the Southern Ocean ecosystem yet so little is known about the distribution of most species and how this has changes through time. The project used existing data collect from the Southern Ocean Continuous Plankton Recorder Program (https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/cpr/index.cfm). CPR data from 2000 to 2016 was extracted from the database and paired with environmental data (SST, SST anomaly, IOD, SAM, mixed layer depth). Hierarchical Models of Species Communities (HMSC) was used to model the zooplankton community to make inferences and predictions on the distribution of species and how they have changed through time.
-
This dataset is derived from a comparative study evaluating six DNA extraction methods for their efficiency in recovering diatom sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) from Antarctic marine sediments. Sediment samples were collected from two sites: U1536C (Scotia Sea, West Antarctica) and KC02 (Sabrina Coast, Totten Glacier Region, East Antarctica). Each of the six extraction methods was applied to the same set of samples. Following shotgun metagenomic sequencing, the methods were assessed based on metrics such as diatom DNA recovery, average fragment length, and taxonomic diversity. The purpose of the study was to identify the optimal extraction approach for maximizing the yield and quality of diatom sedaDNA, thereby improving its utility for paleoenvironmental reconstruction.
-
This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub bridging study - "Future-proofing restoration & thermal physiology of kelp". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Kelp forests create complex habitats that support a diverse and productive community of marine life. They underpin coastal food-webs, fisheries, and a suite of other ecosystem services including nutrient and blue carbon cycling. Across much of the world, kelp forests are in decline and under threat from stressors including urbanisation, overgrazing, ocean warming, and marine heatwaves driven by climate change. Australia’s giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) forests are listed as a Threatened Ecological Community under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Habitat restoration is a potential tool for the conservation and management of giant kelp ecosystems. Given the direct impacts of climate change and ocean warming, there is growing recognition of the need for habitat restoration to be ‘future proofed’. For restoration to be effective, the cause of habitat decline must be understood and overcome. This is problematic when climate change is driving habitat loss since it cannot be reversed or ameliorated prior to restoration. A previous NESP project led by this team (NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project E7) identified warm-tolerant strains of giant kelp from remnant patches in eastern Tasmania, where the species has experienced precipitous declines due to ocean-warming. These strains have high potential to assist with ‘future-proofing’ kelp forest restoration, however it is still unclear what the physiological mechanisms are that provide their improved thermal tolerance. It is also unknown whether cross-breeding the identified warm-tolerant giant kelp strains will affect and potentially improve their thermal tolerance capacity. This project explored the physiology of kelp thermal performance, specifically the mechanisms potentially responsible for the warm water tolerance identified in particular giant kelp strains. It confirmed the improved ability of the warm-tolerant strains to develop at stressful warm temperatures relative to normal giant kelp, and demonstrated for the first time that their improved thermal performance may extend to the development and fertilisation. The outcomes progress toward the identification of populations of Australian kelp that may be resilient to (or especially threatened by) ocean warming and climate change. Outputs • Ecophysiological measurements from laboratory experiments of warm-tolerant vs average giant kelp genotypes [dataset] • Final Project Report including a short summary of recommendations for policy makers of key findings [written]
-
Dataset collected at Cape Evans, Antarctica, November 2023 as part of a long-term NIWA benthic monitoring program under the Antarctica New Zealand event number K882A. The dataset includes multiple sea-ice and seafloor hyperspectral imaging transects (10-40 meters long) coupled with normal red, green, and blue (RGB) imagery from a dual camera machine vision system. The data were acquired using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) HIcyBot system, funded by the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Research (ACEAS). A GNSS-integrated USBL transponder equipped onto the ROV allowed every frame of the high frequency hyperspectral imager to be timestamped via GPS clock to acoustically provided underwater position and attitude. The dataset also includes hyperspectral imaging scans of sampled/retrieved organisms found at the seafloor, to support habitat mapping algorithm development (e.g., algae, urchins, sea-stars, etc.). The ROV was tested as part of an ACEAS Program 2 subcomponent that involved the design of the new under-ice hyperspectral imaging and photogrammetric payload mounted onto the HIcyBot ROV. The overarching goal of the systems was to be able to acquire information of under the sea-ice sympagic and benthic communities (e.g., biomass and photophysiology) and deliver a multi-scale array of biophysical data that can be assimilated with known information in the region and monitor fine-scale change. Through the analysis of new and existing bio-optical under-ice data, the dataset aims to ultimately envisions the delivery of new monitoring tools and algorithms that can provide support for modelling efforts and reveal complex biophysical processes under a changing Antarctic Sea ice. ***NOTE: Data processing is still underway (April 2025). Please contact Emiliano.Cimoli@utas.edu.au for access to data.***
-
Climate change is already influencing the worlds oceans. The Kerguelen Plateau as been identified as a climate change hotspot. This study aimed to predict and map how climate change will impact the distribution of demersal fishes. This study uses the published modeled (see https://doi.org/10.25959/4GVK-RM21) to take in predicted oceanographic variables under various IPCC climate change predictions. The oceanographic variables are provided by the FESOM model. Hierarchical models of species communities (HMSC) were used to make predictions in the demersal fish distribution for the 2020s, 2030s, 2040s, and 2050s. Predictions were mapped to explore the regions of change. This record contains all the environmental data, R code, and outputs from this project. Raw RSTS data needs to be requested from the AAD under the authorization of AFMA.
-
This data was collected and analysed for the project "Dissolved inorganic nitrogen uptake by seaweeds: a global analysis" published in Botanica Marina. Data was compiled between May 2025 and July 2025 from published studies on the uptake kinetics of nitrate (NO₃⁻) and ammonium (NH₄⁺) by marine macroalgae i.e. the rate of Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) uptake rate at a range of DIN concentrations. Each study contained values for the Michaelis-Menten kinetic constants maximum uptake rate (Vmax) and the half saturation constant (Ks), linear uptake gradients, or described biphasic uptake patterns. A total of 84 published studies presenting this data were discovered, with 556 distinct data entries. The project examined DIN uptake rates in marine macroalgae by Phylum, order, experimental irradiance and temperature, geographic location and functional group. Articles were identified through searches on Google Scholar and Web of Science, with all studies reporting Michaelis-Menten kinetic constants or linear uptake slopes included. For each study, we recorded taxonomic information, functional group, the experimental subject (species and algal tissue used), habitat of origin (subtidal, intertidal, or cultured), and season of collection. We also documented experimental conditions, including temperature, irradiance, DIN source (nitrate or ammonium), presence and concentration of other macronutrients (e.g., phosphate or non-target DIN), and the phosphate:DIN ratio of the culture medium. Where available, we extracted kinetic parameters (Vmax, Ks/Km), linear uptake slopes, uptake pattern (saturating, linear, or biphasic), maximum DIN concentration tested, the range of concentrations used in multi-flask experiments, and the time interval over which uptake was measured (for time-course experiments). Geographic coordinates of the study location were also recorded. Each study entry in this dataset includes the full study reference (author and year) and a functional DOI where available (as of November 2025).
-
Sustainable finfish aquaculture is dependent on a benthic environment that can assimilate and process farm particulate wastes. In Macquarie Harbour, bottom and mid water Dissolved Oxygen levels have reached very low levels, which is associated with an increase in the presence of bacterial mats and a significant decline in the abundance and diversity of benthic fauna. Dissolved Oxygen levels are a major determinant of the response of benthic communities in the harbour over timescales of months to years. This dataset consists of data collected by the real-time dissolved oxygen (DO) monitoring system deployed at three locations in Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania. Loggers were originally established under the Sense-T program, continued under FRDC project 2016-067, and deployed and maintained by IMAS. The system consists of 3 strings of acoustically telemetered, optical fluorescence DO, temperature and depth sensors (VEMCO, Bedford, Canada) which measure DO (% saturation) and temperature (°C) across a depth gradient. Data collected from 01-01-2017 to 19-04-2017 consists of data was collected using the first generation of sensors, while data subsequent to 03-06-2017 was collected using a new generation of tags which contain a tilt instead of a depth sensor.
-
Sustainable finfish aquaculture is dependent on a benthic environment that can assimilate and process farm particulate wastes. In Macquarie Harbour, bottom and mid water Dissolved Oxygen levels have reached very low levels, which is associated with an increase in the presence of bacterial mats and a significant decline in the abundance and diversity of benthic fauna. Dissolved Oxygen levels are a major determinant of the response of benthic communities in the harbour over timescales of months to years. This dataset consist of dissolved oxygen (DO) and temperature data collected using HOBO Dissolved Oxygen loggers (U26-001) deployed at two locations in Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania under FRDC project 2016-067.
IMAS Metadata Catalogue