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The Sahul Shelf is a very large extension of the northwest Australian continental shelf reaching north and northwest then deepening steeply into the Timor Trough. At the western margin of this region lies Ashmore Reef, Scott Reef, and the Rowley Shoals, which represent fantastic coral reefs of classic nature with steep rocky drop offs covered … Continued

The goal of today’s field project was to deploy instruments that will help us understand and predict the temperature of the water in coral reef habitats. This project is motivated by the connection between elevated sea temperatures and coral bleaching. Corals are sensitive to high temperatures, and will expel symbiotic algae if water temperatures are … Continued

I started my PhD this year at University of Western Australia (UWA), working with Ryan Lowe who is also currently on Falkor.  I am collecting data to investigate the nutrient dynamics and productivity of Scott Reef, and how this relates to the physical oceanographic processes over the system.  Modelling has shown that open ocean water … Continued

“All models are wrong. Some models are useful” – George E.P. Box, Mathematician Predicting the ocean physical environment – the tides, currents, water temperature, etc., requires a mathematical model capable of capturing the important physical processes. Luckily for us, Isaac Newton discovered many moons ago that force equals mass times acceleration that in turn led to … Continued

During this Falkor Cruise, in addition to Scott Reef, we will be exploring other deeper coral reefs in remote areas of the Timor Sea. The extent of these deeper reefs, also known as shoals, form a very significant network of coral reef habitat between Indonesia and Australia.  We have only recently started to document the … Continued

Today we start mapping the pathway between the surrounding ocean and the amazing coral population of the Scott Reef system. Due to the lack of rainfall and strong heating in the region, the ocean has a very strong vertical temperature gradient – as much as 30 °C at the surface, and then colder as you … Continued

Over the past few evenings co-cruise leader Dr. Andrew Heyward has been usingFalkor’s Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to explore the deeper mesophotic coral communities of Scott Reef. Shown here is a compilation video of the ROV dives on Scott Reef over the past few nights. The video has been put together by Dr. Andrew Heyward. Dr. … Continued

We are now truly settled into our visit to Scott Reef and weather conditions have been ideal for deploying oceanographic instruments overboard Falkor. The science party have brought a vast range of equipment for measuring various oceanographic processes, from small wave gauges to large moorings. One of the key instruments brought on board is a … Continued

Coral reefs are among the most productive ecosystems on the planet, with the primary producers at the base of the food chain (including corals) supporting their complex food webs. Through primary production, reef organisms covert carbon dioxide via photosynthesis into energy (organic carbon) that they and other reef organisms use for food. Although light provides … Continued

Mass spawning of corals occurs annually on reefs worldwide, usually between spring and autumn, in tune with seasonal cycles of water temperature and sunlight. This extraordinary natural event remained part of the secret lives of corals until the early 1980s when scientists began to spend time underwater after dark. Worldwide observations of coral spawning have … Continued