AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Pelagic ecology of a northern boundary current system: effects of upwelling on the production and distribution of sardine (Sardinops sagax), anchovy (Engraulis australis) and southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) in the Great Australian Bight

Shelf waters of southern Australia support the world's only northern boundary current ecosystem. Although there are some indications of intense nitrate enrichment in the eastern Great Australian Bight (GAB) arising from upwelling of the Flinders Current, the biological consequences of these processes are poorly understood. We show that productivity in the eastern GAB is low during winter, but that coastal upwelling at several locations during the austral summer–autumn results in localized increases in surface chlorophyll a concentrations and downstream enhancement of zooplankton biomass. Sardine (Sardinops sagax) and anchovy (Engraulis australis) eggs and larvae are abundant and widely distributed in shelf waters of the eastern and central GAB during summer–autumn, with high densities of sardine eggs and larvae occurring in areas with high zooplankton biomass. Egg densities and distributions support previous evidence suggesting that the spawning biomass of sardine in the waters off South Australia is an order of magnitude higher than elsewhere in southern Australia. Sardine comprised >50% of the identified prey species of juvenile southern bluefin tuna (SBT, Thunnus maccoyii) collected during this study. Other studies have shown that the lipid content of sardine from the GAB is relatively high during summer and autumn. We suggest that juvenile SBT migrate into the eastern and central GAB during each summer–autumn to access the high densities of lipid-rich sardines that are available in the region during the upwelling period. Levels of primary, secondary and fish production in the eastern GAB during summer–autumn are higher than those recorded in other parts of Australia, and within the lower portion of ranges observed during upwelling events in the productive eastern boundary current systems off California, Peru and southern Africa.

This dataset record is provided by Parks Australia to highlight research conducted within or relevant to Australian Marine Parks. The original publication and associated intellectual property remain with the source organisation.
This publication was previously made available via the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas and is provided here to maintain access following the decommissioning of that platform



Tags: Australian marine parks, Bluefin tuna, Great Australian Bight, Sardine, anchovy, flinders current, pelagic ecology, western eyre
Organization: Parks Australia
Status of Australian sea lions, Neophoca cinerea, and New Zealand fur seals, Arctocephalus forsteri, on Eyre Peninsula and the far west coast of South Australia.

Two seal species breed on the west coast of South Australia, the Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea, and the New Zealand fur seal, Arctocephalus forsteri. Aerial surveys were conducted at intervals of ~3 months between April 1995 and June 1997 to determine the breeding status of sea lions and timing of pupping seasons. Ground surveys between October 1994 and April 2004 aimed at counting sea lions and fur seals, particularly pups. In all, 27 sites were examined. Six new sea lion breeding colonies were documented, at Four Hummocks, Price, North Rocky, Dorothee, West Waldegrave and Nicolas Baudin Islands. All were found or confirmed by ground survey. Pup numbers were equivalent to 12% of the total number of pups estimated in surveys conducted from 1987 to 1992, but primarily in 1990. The sighting of brown pups on aerial surveys of Ward Island, Middle and Western Nuyts Reef supports earlier indications, based on dead pups, that they are breeding colonies. The timing of pupping seasons is not synchronous; estimates are presented for colonies between 1995 and early in 2004, with predictions to the end of 2005. The abundance estimates of sea lion pups highlight the importance of visiting a colony early in the pupping season to determine when pupping begins and ~5 months later when the maximum number of pups is expected. For the New Zealand fur seal, small numbers of pups were recorded at Dorothee, West Waldegrave and Nicolas Baudin Islands, and at Nuyts Reef. These and the previously unknown sea lion breeding colonies on the west coast of South Australia suggest that further colonies may remain to be documented. Because planning for aquaculture ventures is active in South Australia, it is important that the localities and status of sea lion and fur seal colonies be established unequivocally to ensure that the need for Prohibited Area status for islands with breeding colonies and for Marine Protected Areas around them is noted.

This dataset record is provided by Parks Australia to highlight research conducted within or relevant to Australian Marine Parks. The original publication and associated intellectual property remain with the source organisation.
This publication was previously made available via the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas and is provided here to maintain access following the decommissioning of that platform


Tags: western eyre
Organization: Parks Australia
Can diver operated stereo-video surveys for fish be used to collect meaningful data on benthic coral reef communities?.

Information for monitoring marine communities is increasingly collected using digital imagery and there is a need to understand how data collected using different methods compare. This study investigated the comparability of benthic data collected by downward facing diver operated stereo-video (DOV) with a forward facing stereo-DOV typically used in fish surveys. Data sets were collected by both methods from the same transect along which the benthos visible in each method was identified by taxonomy, growth form or substratum class. Analyses indicated that 77% of taxa were identified by both methods however, forward facing-DOV recorded 35 genera and downward-DOV 43 genera and there were significant (p<0.05) differences in the percent cover of dominant benthic categories. The forward facing stereo-DOV detected significantly more vertically erect coral (~ 10%), specifically branching genera Acropora, Echinopora, and Porites, and canopy forming algae, Sargassum spp., but proportionally less turf algae (~ 20%) than the downward facing video. Cost-benefit optimization indicated that the forward facing video was more cost-effective at detecting broad scale change in coral, but less effective at detecting change in non-canopy forming algae compared to the downward video. Despite differences in detection of coral and algae, Deming regression analysis detected significant relationships between the percentages of common benthos recorded by both methods, enabling direct comparison between the data collected by each method at a broad scale level and for common benthos. Stereo-DOV surveys for fish can be considered a potential technique for the description of reef benthos that captures key elements of structural complexity, but is not necessarily suitable for taxonomic benthic monitoring.

This dataset record is provided by Parks Australia to highlight research conducted within or relevant to Australian Marine Parks. The original publication and associated intellectual property remain with the source organisation.
This publication was previously made available via the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas and is provided here to maintain access following the decommissioning of that platform


Tags: Australian marine parks, Montebello, alage, benthic community, coral, digital imagery monitoring, stereo-video methods
Organization: Parks Australia
Developing collaborative marine turtle monitoring in the Kimberley region of northern Australia

Contemporary land and sea management – driven by community-based planning and informed by traditional and local knowledge and scientific research – can significantly improve both biodiversity and cultural outcomes. Here, we describe the context and process of developing a boat-based survey approach to marine turtle monitoring by Indigenous rangers using a collaborative partnership model that supports Traditional Owner aspirations and conservation objectives.

This dataset record is provided by Parks Australia to highlight research conducted within or relevant to Australian Marine Parks. The original publication and associated intellectual property remain with the source organisation.
This publication was previously made available via the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas and is provided here to maintain access following the decommissioning of that platform



Tags: Australian marine parks, I-tracker, Kimberley, indigenous land and sea managment, marine turtles, marine wildlife survey
Organization: Parks Australia
Demographic history and asynchronous spawning shape genetic differentiation among populations of the hard coral Acropora tenuis in Western Australia

Genetic subdivision within populations can ultimately lead to the evolution of new species, and in populations of broadcast-spawners a potential facilitator of genetic subdivision is asynchronous reproduction. However, the factors that shape genetic variation in marine systems are complex and ambiguous, and ecological genetic structure may be influenced by the overriding signature of past demographic events. Here, the relative roles of the timing of reproduction and historical geography on the partitioning of genetic variation were examined in seven populations of the broadcast-spawning coral Acropora tenuis over 12° of latitude. The analysis of multiple loci (mitochondrial control region, two nuclear introns and six microsatellites) revealed significant genetic division between the most northern reef and all other reefs, suggesting that WA reefs were re-colonized from two different sources after the Pleistocene glaciation. Accompanying this pattern was significant genetic differentiation associated with different breeding seasons (spring and autumn), which was greatest in PaxC, in which there were two divergent lineages (ΦST=0.98). This is the second study to find divergent clades of PaxC associated with spring and autumn spawners, strengthening the suggestion of some selective connection to timing of reproduction in corals. This study reiterates the need to incorporate reproductive timing into population genetic studies of corals because it facilitates genetic differentiation; however, careful analysis of population genetic data is required to separate ecological and evolutionary processes.

This dataset record is provided by Parks Australia to highlight research conducted within or relevant to Australian Marine Parks. The original publication and associated intellectual property remain with the source organisation.
This publication was previously made available via the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas and is provided here to maintain access following the decommissioning of that platform


Tags: Australian marine parks, Montebello, cryptic species, gene flow, phylogeography, reproduction
Organization: Parks Australia
Crossing Latitudes Long Distance Tracking of an Apex Predator

Tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) are apex predators occurring in most tropical and warm temperate marine ecosystems, but we know relatively little of their patterns of residency and movement over large spatial and temporal scales. We deployed satellite tags on eleven tiger sharks off the north-western coast of Western Australia and used the Brownian Bridge kernel method to calculate home ranges and analyse movement behaviour. One individual recorded one of the largest geographical ranges of movement ever reported for the species, travelling over 4000 km during 517 days of monitoring. Tags on the remainder of the sharks reported for shorter periods (7-191 days). Most of these sharks had restricted movements and long-term (30-188 days) residency in coastal waters in the vicinity of the area where they were tagged. Core home range areas of sharks varied greatly from 1166.9 to 634,944 km2. Tiger sharks spent most of their time in water temperatures between 23°-26°C but experienced temperatures ranging from 6°C to 33°C. One shark displayed seasonal movements among three distinct home range cores spread along most of the coast of Western Australia and generalized linear models showed that this individual had different patterns of temperature and depth occupancy in each region of the coast, with the highest probability of residency occurring in the shallowest areas of the coast with water temperatures above 23°C. These results suggest that tiger sharks can migrate over very large distances and across latitudes ranging from tropical to the cool temperate waters. Such extensive long-term movements may be a key element influencing the connectivity of populations within and among ocean basins.

This dataset record is provided by Parks Australia to highlight research conducted within or relevant to Australian Marine Parks. The original publication and associated intellectual property remain with the source organisation.
This publication was previously made available via the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas and is provided here to maintain access following the decommissioning of that platform


Tags: Australian marine parks, Galeocerdo cuvier, Montebello, marine ecosystems, shark taging, tiger shark
Organization: Parks Australia
Flood Study — Citywide Overland Flow — Middle Bulimba Sub-Model

This dataset is available on Brisbane City Council’s open data website – data.brisbane.qld.gov.au. The site provides additional features for viewing and interacting with the data and for downloading the data in various formats.  

Brisbane City Council Citywide Creek and Overland Flow Path Mapping Flood Study Middle Bulimba Sub-Model. This dataset contains reports, data and metadata used in the flood study, and results data for the existing floodplain condition scenarios.  

Council is committed to ensuring we have the latest flood modelling data to help manage flood risk in Brisbane. Flood studies provide Council with technical data to inform policy and for managing flooding within the Brisbane River and local creek and overland flow catchments.  

The Citywide Creek and Overland Flow Path Mapping Flood Study comprises a series of 27 individual sub-models which cover the entire Brisbane City Council area. Results data for flood height, depth and hazard (depth x velocity) are available for each individual sub-model for the 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 2000 year Average Recurrence Interval (ARI) storm events.   

For specific details on how the study was conducted, the areas it covers, and before using the data please read the flood study report. The flood study report, metadata used in the flood study and a detailed map that shows the 27 individual sub-models has also been made available in open data and is called Flood Study — Citywide Overland Flow — reference.  

The data on the table tab is the metadata relating to the data used for flood modelling in the Brisbane City Council Citywide Creek and Overland Flow Path Mapping Flood Study.   

More information on flood studies and how this information is used can be found on the Brisbane City Council Website.
The image below shows the 27 individual sub-models of the flood study and can be used to identify the sub-model for your location of interest.

  

Tags: catchment, flood, flood map, flood study, overland, overland flow
Organization: Brisbane City Council
Importance of macroalgal fields as coral reef fish nursery habitat in north‑west Australia

Macroalgal fields are a feature of the shallow tropical benthos, yet their importance for coral reef fish population dynamics remains poorly understood. The abundance of fish recruits was recorded using underwater visual census at six macroalgal and 11 coral reef sites in the Montebello and Barrow Islands. Surveys identified 6,935 individual recruit fish from 105 species, 54 genera and 20 families. Of these, 1,401 recruits from 48 species, 31 genera and 14 families were observed in macroalgal sites. Sixteen of the 105 recruit species (15.2 %) were observed exclusively at macroalgal sites. Forty-two (87.5 %) of these species have been observed as adults on adjacent coral reefs.
Species composition of fish recruits differed significantly between the two habitats. Corallivore, small omnivore and zooplanktivore recruits had significantly higher numbers in the coral sites, while the results clearly demonstrate that juveniles, within the genera Lethrinus and Choerodon, as
well as large algal croppers, are predominantly found at macroalgal (74–100 %) rather than coral-dominated sites. High-canopy macroalgae cover was positively correlated with abundance of these taxa, particularly Lethrinids (r2 = 0.40). This study is the first to highlight the important
attributes of tropical macroalgal fields and suggests that they have a similar role to seagrass meadows as essential juvenile habitat, thus warranting greater attention in conservation
planning and ecological studies.

This dataset record is provided by Parks Australia to highlight research conducted within or relevant to Australian Marine Parks. The original publication and associated intellectual property remain with the source organisation.
This publication was previously made available via the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas and is provided here to maintain access following the decommissioning of that platform


Tags: Australian marine parks, Fish Nursery, Montebello, coral reef, macroalgal fields
Organization: Parks Australia
The Gorgon gas development and its environmental commitments

Chevron has made an important contribution to our knowledge and understanding of
the Barrow Island flora and fauna, and to the Australian economy. This knowledge has been primarily founded from the investigations and commitments of joint venture partners associated with the environmental impact assessment for the Gorgon Gas Development. The Gorgon Gas Development is one of the world’s largest natural gas projects and the largest single natural gas project in Australia’s history. Development has been balanced between energy needs and environmental management. Through plans, procedures, programs and research, Chevron Australia and its joint venture participants have established a benchmark for environmental management of this important island reserve. Furthermore, the Gorgon Joint Ventures have contributed to one of the largest biodiversity offset and Net Conservation Benefit programs in Western Australia.\

This dataset record is provided by Parks Australia to highlight research conducted within or relevant to Australian Marine Parks. The original publication and associated intellectual property remain with the source organisation.
This publication was previously made available via the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas and is provided here to maintain access following the decommissioning of that platform


Tags: Australian marine parks, Chevron, Environmental impact assessment, Montebello, barrow island, gorgon island
Organization: Parks Australia
Digitise This! A Quick and Easy Remote Sensing Method to Monitor the Daily Extent of Dredge Plumes

Technological advancements in remote sensing and GIS have improved natural resource managers’ abilities to monitor large-scale disturbances. In a time where many processes are heading towards automation, this study has regressed to simple techniques to bridge a gap found in the advancement of technology. The near-daily monitoring of dredge plume extent is common practice using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery and associated algorithms to predict the total suspended solids (TSS) concentration in the surface waters originating from floods and dredge plumes. Unfortunately, these methods cannot determine the difference between dredge plume and benthic features in shallow, clear water. This case study at Barrow Island, Western Australia, uses hand digitising to demonstrate the ability of human interpretation to determine this difference with a level of confidence and compares the method to contemporary TSS methods. Hand digitising was quick, cheap and required very little training of staff to complete. Results of ANOSIM R statistics show remote sensing derived TSS provided similar spatial results if they were thresholded to at least 3 mg L−1. However, remote sensing derived TSS consistently provided false-positive readings of shallow benthic features as Plume with a threshold up to TSS of 6 mg L−1, and began providing false-negatives (excluding actual plume) at a threshold as low as 4 mg L−1. Semi-automated processes that estimate plume concentration and distinguish between plumes and shallow benthic features without the arbitrary nature of human interpretation would be preferred as a plume monitoring method. However, at this stage, the hand digitising method is very useful and is more accurate at determining plume boundaries over shallow benthic features and is accessible to all levels of management with basic training.

This dataset record is provided by Parks Australia to highlight research conducted within or relevant to Australian Marine Parks. The original publication and associated intellectual property remain with the source organisation.
This publication was previously made available via the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas and is provided here to maintain access following the decommissioning of that platform



Tags: Australian marine parks, Montebello, accuracy comparison, benthic features, dredge plumes, remote sensing, total suspended solids
Organization: Parks Australia
Unprecedented Mass Bleaching and Loss of Coral across 12° of Latitude in Western Australia in 2010–11

Globally, coral bleaching has been responsible for a significant decline in both coral cover and diversity over the past two decades. During the summer of 2010–11, anomalous large-scale ocean warming induced unprecedented levels of coral bleaching accompanied by substantial storminess across more than 12° of latitude and 1200 kilometers of coastline in Western Australia (WA).

This dataset record is provided by Parks Australia to highlight research conducted within or relevant to Australian Marine Parks. The original publication and associated intellectual property remain with the source organisation.
This publication was previously made available via the Australian Marine Parks Science Atlas and is provided here to maintain access following the decommissioning of that platform



Tags: Australian marine parks, Coral bleaching, Coral cover, Shark Bay, climate change
Organization: Parks Australia