What We Do
MScience marine science expertise covers a wide range of topics and project experience. Either on our own, or with partner institutions, we have worked in many facets of tropical marine ecology. Through many years of experience, our core skills in corals and coral reefs have broadened to cover the state of water quality around these reefs.
Water Quality Monitoring and Assessments
MScience designed, implemented and operated the first successful telemetered water quality monitoring program for dredging in northern Western Australia. We also work extensively with stand alone loggers for turbidity, light and other parameters. As well as these long term in situ studies, we regularly conduct boat-based monitoring programs for physical and chemical water quality. Satellite imagery has become a standard tool to depict the extent of turbid plumes around dredging or construction operations and needs only a relatively simple field program to link to local conditions.
Monitoring of Coral and Other Benthos
MScience pioneered and published the techniques for monitoring nearshore Pilbara corals in Western Australia. Direct adaptations of these methods are now applied in all major dredging projects in the North-West of WA. We are continually refining these methods and their interpretation based on over 250 survey trips completed to multiple sites and have improved the ability of these techniques to factor out ‘technique noise’. Techniques used for corals are now also used for a variety of other benthic organisms such as sponges and filter feeders.
Marine Surveys
In remote coastal areas, habitat types and their distribution are usually very poorly known. We work on both rapid assessments to provide a general view of what is where and detailed assessments where it matters to the nearest metre. Surveys can be for either the biota of an area, or some physical features of the area, including bottom topography assessed from our sidescan sonar.
Planning & Assessments
Impact assessments, dredge management plans, environmental management plans, sea dumping applications and the many other formal mechanisms linking marine studies with environmental regulation are often best developed by those who understand the underlying marine issues. We believe that these documents should, as far as regulations allow, be reduced to useful content only.
Studies
In addition to surveys identifying the location of ecosystem components, ecological management requires an understanding of how those components function to sustain ecosystem values. Studies, both short and long term, can provide management insights that may add or totally alter first impressions from surveys. We have experience in the design and execution of many different types of marine studies, both on our own or with research institutions.