Events
News
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies places a high importance on informing policymakers, fellow researchers, marine users and the general community of the outcomes of our research activities.
Professor Julian Cribb FTSE of Julian Cribb & Associates provides advice on public communication of the Centre's work.
World's Marine Parks 'May Not Save Corals' : 27 August 2008
Many of the world's "no take" zones are in the wrong places and far too small to protect vulnerable coral reefs from the worst impacts of climate change, an international team of scientists warned today.
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Students to guard the reef : 26 August 2008
Students at Mundingburra State School will become the latest guardians of the reef tomorrow (Wednesday August 27). Dr Line Bay, postdoctoral research associate with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies based at James Cook University, will be speaking to them about the vital role they can play.
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'Hopping Hotspots' reveal how the planet drives life : 1 August 2008
An international team of marine scientists has proposed that huge explosions of life may be due in part to continental 'traffic accidents' - the Earth's tectonic plates slamming into one another.
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Why reefs matter: ABC Radio National coral feature : 24 July 2008
Centre members' research presented at the International Coral Reef Symposium:
Can corals adapt to global warming? Prof Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and Prof Terry Hughes
Caught on film - the best approaches to saving reefs. Dr David Wachenfeld
Many Countries 'Unable to Save Reefs' : 22 July 2008
An international team of scientists has found coral reef conservation in key regions of the world faces serious risk of failure under climate change.
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Moving with the times: moving species to save them from extinction : 17 July 2008
The Centre's Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and collegues believe we need to consider the radical step of moving plants and animals to help them survive the impact of climate change.
Corals Not Doomed - 'If We Do the Right Thing' : 10 July 2008
The world's coral reefs are not doomed - provided governments and communities take the urgent and necessary actions to preserve them.
That's the message from eminent Australian marine scientist and recipient of this year's Darwin Medal, Professor Terry Hughes in his keynote address to the 11th International Coral Reef Symposium.
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Coral Decline to Hit Rich and Poor : 9 July 2008
The gradual disintegration of the world’s coral reefs under climate change will have significant impacts on food supplies, international tourism, water quality and the safety of coastal communities. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg says there is now convincing science coming through to indicate that reefs everywhere are in trouble.
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Corals in a Climate of Sexual Confusion : 8 July 2008
Climate change may have major impacts on the reproduction of the world's corals, by changing some of the cues which trigger corals to spawn.This is one of the major issues being explored by the world's leading coral scientists at the International Coral Research Symposium (ICRS) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (July 7-11).
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Finding a Cure for the "Coral Crisis" : 7 July 2008
The management of Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park has been hailed as a groundbreaking international model for better managing the oceans, in a leading United States scientific publication.
Corals Deliver Acid Shock : 7 July 2008
New coral evidence suggesting the oceans may have acidified by almost a third of a unit of pH as a result of human emissions of CO2 will be presented today to the International Coral Reef Symposium, at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in a keynote paper by Australian earth scientist Professor Malcolm McCulloch of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and Australian National University.
East Coast Fin Fishery : 30 June 2008
Prof. Sean Connolly recently spoke to the Triple J current affairs show Hack about the East Coast Fin Fishery and shark finning.
Protected Fish Stage a Comeback : 24 June 2008
Dramatic evidence that protected fish populations can bounce back rapidly from the impact of years of heavy fishing has been obtained by a team of marine scientists working on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Devastating coral disease may have bacterial cause : 24 June 2008
Researchers from AIMS and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at JCU have identified the possible cause of a virulent coral disease that until now has been mysterious.
Fishy 'fingerprints' to identify suspect coral killers : 23 June 2008
Scientists are poised to solve a major underwater crime mystery and pinpoint the guilty suspects in the case of ‘who killed the coral reef’. For some time researchers have suspected that starving fish, deprived of food by coral bleaching, may play an unfortunate but critical role in killing the few surviving corals.
Science for managing coral reefs : 18 June 2008
On the June 18 the Australian Research Council held the inaugrual Graeme Clark Research Outcomes Forum at Parliament House in Canberra.
Climate To Impact Coral Fishes : 16 June 2008
Climate change is likely to have significant impact on the world's beautiful coral reef fishes and will increase the risk of fishery collapses, a new scientific study warns.
Ove Hoegh-Guldberg wins Premier's fellowship : 21 May 2008
Deputy Director, Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, who pioneered research linking climate change projections with coral reef distress is the 2008 Queensland Smart State Premier's Fellow.
Fish diet to avoid fights : 12 May 2008
People diet to look more attractive. Fish diet to avoid being beaten up, thrown out of their social group - and getting eaten as a result. That is the fascinating conclusion of the latest research into fish behaviour by Centre researchers.
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Fate of Coral Reefs - ONLINE : 9 May 2008
The fate of the world's coral reefs including Australia's Great Barrier Reef under climate change is going under the public microscope for the first time in the International Year of the Reef. Around Australia and the world, citizens are invited to join a new online seminar on coral reef futures presented by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies as part of its contribution to the International Year of the Reef 2008 (IYOR 08).
Stronger measures needed to save sharks : 28 April 2008
Scientists have called for tough scrutiny of Queensland's east coast shark fishery to save it from possible collapse. In a submission to the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries East Coast Finfish Fishery management proposal, a research team argues that proposed changes to shark fishing regulations are inadequate to ensure a sustainable fishery.
Bikini corals recover from atomic blast : 15 April 2008
Half a century after the last earth-shattering atomic blast shook the Pacific atoll of Bikini, the corals are flourishing again. Some coral species, however, appear to be locally extinct.
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Research honour to Terry Hughes : 2 April 2008
Australia's influence on international scientific research was today recognised by Thomson Scientific, a leading provider of information solutions to the worldwide research and business communities, as it gave Citation Awards to ten of the most pre-eminent researchers working in Australia, including Centre Director Terry Hughes.
Coral's Addiction to 'Junk Food' : 24 March 2008
Over two hundred million humans depend for their subsistence on the fact that coral has an addiction to 'junk food' - and orders its partners, the symbiotic algae, to make it.This curious arrangement is one of Nature's most delicate and complex partnerships - a collaboration now facing grave threats from climate change.
The Great Barrier Reef in 2050 : 19 March 2008
Keeping the Great Barrier Reef alive is one of the greatest environmental and social challenges faced by Australia today. Some of Australia's best known reef scientists met with politicians in Canberra on Wednesday to express their concerns about the future of this great Australian icon and discuss potential solutions.
Rabbits to the rescue of the reef : 19 March 2008
While rabbits continue to ravage Australia’s native landscapes, rabbit fish may help save large areas of the Great Barrier Reef from destruction.The reason, say scientists, is the same in both cases – both rabbits and rabbit fish are efficient herbivores.
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Reef fish lose their way as the environment turns hostile : 7 March 2008
Environmental stresses, including warmer and more acidic seawater, may be affecting the development of the ear bones in young reef fish, causing the fish to get lost at sea during a crucial stage of their development.
Butterfly fish may face extinction : 25 February 2008
A beautiful black, white and yellow butterflyfish, much admired by eco-tourists, divers and aquarium keepers alike, may be at risk of extinction, scientists have warned.
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The lost language of fishes : 21 February 2008
The spectacular colours of coral reef fishes represent a 'language' that has been around for at least 50 million years - to which humans have lost the key, says Dr David Bellwood, a leading coral researcher.
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Taboos "help stop pirate fishing" : 23 January 2008
Reinforcing traditional management of coral reefs and fisheries may help to tackle the root causes of 'pirate' fishing in Australian waters, Dr Josh Cinner, a leading coral researcher says.
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Saving Nemo: 12 January 2008
Centre researchers on Radio National's Science Show
describe how the changing climate is affecting coral reefs. Hear about the changing climate, the effect of protection zones, the importance of fish, sharks and concerns for their future and how fish populations are connected.
Starfish Strike at Coral Kingdom : 16 January 2008
Outbreaks of the notorious crown of thorns starfish now threaten the "coral triangle" - the richest center of coral reef biodiversity on Earth.
Corals May Head South to Beat the Heat : 1 January 2008
The seaboard between Perth and Geraldton could end up with coral reefs as rich and varied as the celebrated reefs of Ningaloo, two marine scientists say in new research published in the international journal Global Change Biology.
Consensus Declaration on Coral Reef Futures
Over 50 scientists of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies today made a call for action following the National Forum on Coral Reef Futures held at the Academy of Science in Canberra on 18/19 October
Key Found To Moonlight Romance
An international team of Australian and Israeli researchers has discovered what could be the aphrodisiac for the biggest moonlight sex event on Earth. An ancient light-sensitive gene has been isolated by researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) that appears to act as a trigger for the annual mass spawning of corals across a third of a million square kilometres of Australia's Great Barrier Reef, shortly after a full moon.
Acid Oceans Warning
The world's oceans are becoming more acid, with potentially devastating consequences for corals and the marine organisms that build reefs and provide much of the Earth's breathable oxygen. The acidity is caused by the gradual buildup of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, dissolving into the oceans. Scientists fear it could be lethal for animals with chalky skeletons which make up more than a third of the planet's marine life.
What future for coral reefs?
A major national forum on the future of Australia's coral reefs will be held in Canberra from 18-19 October. Key issues will include climate change, ocean acidification, fisheries management, conservation planning, capacity building, ecosystem-based management and adaptive governance.
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Weird 'Engine of the Reef' Revealed
A team of coral researchers has taken a major stride towards revealing the workings of the mysterious ‘engine’ that drives Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and corals the world over.
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Eureka prize to Terry Hughes
Professor Terry Hughes, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence Coral Reef Studies based at James Cook University, last night won one of the prestigious Australian Museum Eureka Prizes: the Sherman Eureka Prize for Environmental Research.
Keeping on top of wildlife threats
One of Australia's greatest conservation challenges in protecting the Great Barrier Reef and other natural assets is staying one jump ahead of both the movement of protected species and the emergence of new and unforeseen threats.
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US teachers go back to school at JCU
Two New York high school science teachers have been sent back to "school" at James Cook University.Michelle Seeley from New York's Elmont Memorial High and Margaret Savitzky from Thomas Edison Vocational/Technical School are in their last week of a five-week internship at JCU.
Save the Reef, Save our Heritage
Protecting the Great Barrier Reef from the impacts of climate change, natural disasters and rising human pressures will be a key test of Australia's ability to keep our natural environment healthy and resilient. That's the message from the Professor Malcolm McCulloch of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies to this week's gathering of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), in Cairns.
Storm over Climate Claims
Scientists from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies have strongly criticized claims made by climate skeptics in a program to be aired on ABC television tonight as lacking in scientific credibility.
Smart State Fellowship
Dr Line Bay, a research fellow at the Centre of Excellence has been awarded a Smart State Fellowship worth $150,000 over three years. Line will undertake critical research into climate change and coral bleaching
De-bunking the Debunkers
Scientists from the Australian National University, Stanford University, USA, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies will expose the scientific flaws and half-truths in the claims of climate change skeptics at a public forum at the ANU this Friday, July 13th.
"Sundried tide" silent, natural disaster
In a paper published in scientific journal Marine Biology, Dr Ken Anthony and Dr Ailsa Kerswell, of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) at The University of Queensland (UQ) and James Cook University (JCU) have revealed that extreme low tides on clear sunny days can lead to widespread damage of coastal coral colonies.
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Churchill Fellowship
Dr Morgan Pratchett, an Australian Research Fellow, will use the Quicksilver Connections Churchill Fellowship for travel to the UK to work with Professor Nick Polunin at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne
How Fish Punish Queue Jumpers
Fish use the threat of punishment to keep would-be jumpers in the mating queue firmly in line and the social order stable, a new study led by Australian marine scientists has found.
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Coral Disease linked to Warming
An Australian study reveals that survival isn’t easy for young fish living on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) - and may be even harder under climate change.
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Corals reveal impact of land use
Using the corals on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) as a history book, researchers have linked land use along the coast to decades of declining water quality and poor coral health.
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Coral Disease linked to Warming
An international team of scientists working on Australia's Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has found a clear link between coral disease and warmer ocean temperatures
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Nemo comes home - with a tag
A team of Australian, American and French coral reef scientists has achieved a world breakthrough in tracking fish that could revolutionise the sustainable management of coral reefs and help restore threatened fisheries.
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Corals: More complex than you?
The humble coral may possess as many genes and possibly even more than humans do.
And remarkably, it has many of the immune system genes that protect people against disease.
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Massive Coral Death attributed to Earthquake
Researchers say over 300 kilometers of coastline heaved more than a meter upwards, exposing and killing corals in unprecedented numbers
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Reef 'at Risk in Climate Change'
The two main threats facing the reef are rising sea temperatures, which cause mass coral die-offs due to bleaching, and the gradual acidifying of the oceans from CO2 in the atmosphere, which prevents corals from forming their limestone skeletons.
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Suicide: Unexpected coral killer
A mysterious disease is causing the corals of the Great Barrier Reef to kill themselves - and scientists are battling to find out why.
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Tracking Down Coral's Serial Killers
Australian scientists are throwing new light on the killers responsible for the mass death of corals under global warming. And one of their interesting findings is that 'fat' corals cope with stress and survive the onslaught a lot better than those which have been on a diet.
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Moreton Bay: Future Coral Haven
As Australia’s corals move south driven by global warming, Moreton Bay Marine Park off Brisbane will become an even more vital haven for marine species of all kinds.
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Investigating the Trochus "El Dorado"
Scientific and indigenous knowledge must join together to better manage disappearing marine resources in developing countries, such as shark, trochus, and sea cucumber stocks on the islands to Australia's north.
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Fish: Healthcare Workers of the Reef
An international team of researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies has shown that a healthy fish population is essential for coral recovery after a severe bleaching event, storm or disease outbreak.
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Pesticides compound climate risk to Reef
Corals already under pressure from global climate change are facing an additional threat in the form of pesticides running off from the land, a new scientific study in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series shows.
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Cold corals shine light on ocean history
The corals of South Australia are throwing new light on the history of Australia's southern oceans, revealing details of past climates and human impact on the seas.
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Baby Fish "Smell Their Way Home"
Marine scientists have uncovered evidence that baby fish, only millimetres long, manage to find their way to their home coral reef across miles of open sea by using their sense of smell.
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How We Keep the Reef Great
Climate Change is affecting the Great Barrier Reef, but researchers, government authorities and tourism operators are cooperating to protect Australia's greatest natural asset. Article in the January 2007 issue of Qantas The Australian Way reproduced courtesy of QANTAS.
Climate Change Strikes Fish
Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies have found evidence that climate change may play havoc with fish populations.
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Batfish to the Rescue!
A masked marauder has emerged unexpectedly from the ocean to rescue a dying coral reef from destruction in the nick of time.
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Coral stress 'like never in history'
Large scale coral die-offs are now occurring more frequently than at any time in the last 11 000 years, according to investigations by Associate Professor John Pandolfi
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Reef Sharks Threatened by Overfishing
A study by Australian scientists has warned that coral reef shark populations on the Great Barrier Reef are in the midst of a catastrophic collapse.
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Stormy Days Ahead for Coral Reefs
A scientific team from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies has produced the world's first engineering model to predict how much damage a reef is likely to suffer when confronted with might of an angry sea.
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REEF WARNS OF SEA LEVEL RISE
Margaret River in WA, famed for its wine, is about to become famous for another reason: warning coastal dwellers what they may have to cope with under global warming.
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TSUNAMI NO PROBLEM FOR CORALS IF REEFS WELL MANAGED
A tsunami's impact on a coral reef is slight compared to the devastation wreaked by human use of explosives and poison, latest research from the coast of Aceh in Indonesia has disclosed.
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CROWDS CAUSE FISHY SEX CHANGES
Dr Philip Munday of the Centre of Excellence has found that juvenile bluehead wrasse choose their sex according to the crowd they grow up with.
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FISH THAT LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG
Centre researchers have received official notification from Guinness World Records that the Australian coral reef pygmy goby has the shortest lifespan of any creature with a backbone known to science.
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GARDENING TO SAVE THE REEF
Australians may have to resort to 'underwater gardening' if they are to protect their priceless coral reefs through the stresses of climate change.
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Reef health check
In a major checkup of the health of the central Great Barrier Reef, scientists report that while corals on the outer reef are in excellent condition, coral health is in sharp decline close to the Queensland coast.
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CALL TO GET TOUGH WITH OCEAN BANDITS
Twenty of the world's leading marine scientists have called for action by governments to halt the unsustainable plunder of the world's ocean resources.
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Indigenous lessons in conservation
A study into the many ways to protect coral reefs has found that some of humanity's oldest and most traditional methods are proving to be the best.
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Australia trains the world's reef experts
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS) - the world's largest team of coral reef specialists - is cementing Australia's position as a leader in coral reef studies across the globe thanks in part to the hard work of its students.
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SCIENTISTS WARN OF CORAL PANDEMIC
A sinister black band chewing through living corals on Australia's Great Barrier Reef is a sign of what scientists fear may be an emerging global pandemic of coral diseases. The black band of microbial infection advances at millimetres a day, steadily and remorselessly killing corals when conditions promote its spread, says Dr Bette Willis, a chief investigator in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.
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OCEAN BREAKTHROUGH ON GLOBAL WARMING
A major discovery has opened the way for researchers to measure the ability of the world's oceans to absorb man-made CO2 - a key factor in global warming. The discovery by Professor Malcolm McCulloch, deputy director of the Centre of Excellence will allow researchers to see far into the past to understand the biological and chemical makeup of the oceans.
STRESSED MUMS HAVE TINIER BABIES
Groundbreaking research by Dr Mark McCormick, a Chief Investigator in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies has found that stressed mother fish have smaller babies, with lower chances of survival.
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ANCIENT GIANT CLAMS ISSUE EL NINO WARNING
A 35-year window into the climate of one of the longest interglacial periods of the last million years has sounded a warning that El Nino events were half as frequent then as they are today.
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Sea sore: Coasts, estuaries degraded by humans
Severe resource depletion and ecosystem destruction of coasts and estuaries began during Roman and Medieval times but have rapidly accelerated over the last 150-300 years, according to a new study in Science.
Dr Roger Bradbury, Adjunct Professor in the Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Program at ANU and Chief Investigator in the Centre of Excellence....
NO-FISH ZONES BOOST COASTAL COMMUNITIES
Evidence is emerging from around the world that 'no fishing' zones can lead to better catches and more income for coastal communities.
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CORALS FACING "BIGGEST CHANGES IN HISTORY"
A new study has found that the damage caused by human activity to some of the world's iconic coral reefs in the past 30 years is greater than at any time in the last 220 000 years.
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TOP RESEARCH AWARD FOR CENTRE DIRECTOR
Professor Terry Hughes, the Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies was awarded his second five-year Federation Fellowship by the Federal Minister for Education, Science and Research, Julie Bishop yesterday.
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MANGROVES "NO DEFENCE V. TSUNAMIS"
Coastal mangroves and green belts offer little or no protection against the deadly might of a tsunami. This is the finding of a controversial new scientific report, just published in the international journal, Estuarine and Coastal Shelf Science.
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CORALS HELP PINPOINT EVOLUTIONARY LEAP
An international team of scientists has challenged one of the key assumptions about how the body-shapes of the world's animals evolved.
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OF URCHINS AND ROVING BANDITS
An international team of researchers has today warned of an emerging tragedy in the world's marine ecosystems.
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SAVE THE GARDENERS, SAVE THE REEF
The fate of the world's coral reefs may hang on a group of weed-eating fish, an Australian scientist has warned.
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Scientists Torpedo Reef Theory
Three James Cook University researchers at the new ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies have called for the worldwide networking of tropical marine parks and protected areas to limit the risk of large-scale extinctions under global change, in the light of new scientific findings.
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