Q&A with a Perth Redmapper: never saw that as a kid!
Hugh Richardson is an avid diver, travelling up and down the coast in search of WA's best dive spots. He's also a Redmap member and has logged some unusual sightings online.
This summer’s sea temperatures were the hottest on record for Australia: here’s why
The summer of 2015-2016 was one of the hottest on record in Australia. But it has also been hot in the waters surrounding the nation: the hottest summer on record, in fact. Read the full article in the Conversation AU.
Warmer waters makes Tassie a hotspot for new fishy friends
WARM sea temperatures have lured an assortment of unusual sea creatures to Tasmania in recent months – some slithery and others scrumptious. Anglers are buzzing over the larger numbers of sought-after table fish visiting the island, with catches of whopper yellowtail kingfish, snapper and broadbill swordfish. Read the full story in The Mercury.
Holy Mola!
It spans up to 3 to 4 metres, breaks the scales at 1000 kilos and resembles a giant flattened pufferfish minus spikes. Redmap has been receiving sightings of the unusual-looking ocean sunfish (Mola mola)! Read about the world's heaviest fish...
Penguin parents: Inability to share roles increases their vulnerability to climate change
The fixed division of labor between crested penguin parents increases their chicks' vulnerability to food shortages made ever more common by climate change. The parents have been unable to adapt their habits to the challenges of increasingly frequent years of limited food supply and, as a result, will become further threatened by extinction. Read more at Science Daily.
Climate stirring change beneath the waves
Human-induced climate change is triggering changes beneath the waves that could have a long-term effect on marine food webs, a study suggests. An assessment of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic found the microscopic organisms' pole-ward shift was faster than previously reported. Read more at BBC News.
Citizen science project ideas needed
Do you have an idea for an online citizen science project? Inspiring Australia is looking for a great new idea for the 2016 National Science Week citizen science project. The chosen project will be built and produced by the ABC and promoted across their TV, radio and online channels. Read more here.
Ocean acidification causes young corals to develop deformed skeletons
Coral reefs around the world are facing a whole spectrum of human-induced disturbances that are affecting their ability to grow, reproduce and survive. These range from local pressures such as overfishing and sedimentation, to global ones such as ocean acidification and warming. With the third global coral bleaching event underway, we now more than ever, need to understand how coral responds to these stressors. Read more in The Conversation.
New Marine Biology course for hands-on experience as a real scientist
Are you in Year 11 or 12 and thinking of becoming a marine biologist? Then check out the amazing Temperate Marine Biology unit run by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS). The course provides students with key concepts in marine biology plus a real-world, research experience on Maria Island, Tasmania. And REDMAP is offering one student a scholarship for the field trip part of the course!
Species on the move worldwide
MARINE biologist Gretta Pecl and a team of Hobart scientists have found themselves hard up against the perfect natural marine laboratory — the cool but warming waters of Tasmania’s East Coast. With colleagues at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies and CSIRO, their research to study the sensitivity of species to rapid climate change has clearly documented a significant shift southward in the fauna and flora inhabiting East Coast …
