1. WAMSI North West Marine Science Symposium
Physical and coupled ecological processes within Australia’s northwest reef ecosystems
Professor Ryan Lowe
WAMSI North West Marine Science Symposium
21 Feb 2013

2. Continuing and new reef research programs in the NW region
Aim: To assess the role that physical processes (e.g., waves, tides and extremes) play in regulating reef ecology in the NW
Ningaloo (wave-dominated)
Pilbara (waves and tides; cyclones)
Kimberley (tide-dominated)
Pilbara reefs

3. Ningaloo Reef
Continuing programs started 5+ years ago focused on the southern and middle sections (14 journal articles, support from ARC and WAMSI 1)
Extensive physical studies (field and modelling)
New work: ARC Future Fellowship project ( ) and NCB ( )
Hydrodynamic models
Temperature anomalies

4. Community production calcification-driven biogeochemical changes
ARC Super Science Scheme ( )
Community production calcification-driven biogeochemical changes
Zhang et al., JGR, 2012
Falter et al., PLoS One, 2013
Also nutrient dynamics…
Zhang et al. (2011), Ecological Modelling

5. Physical and biogeochemical processes in Kimberley macrotidal reefs
Elevated lagoon
Reef terrace
(Napo Cayabyab)

6. Physical processes and drivers of reef community productivity
ARC Future Fellowship ( ) and WAMSI Kimberley ( )

7. Pilbara region NCB project (2013-2016)
- Physical monitoring programs and numerical modelling (fine-scale connectivity, thermal heating, biogeochemistry)
WAMSI Dredging Science ( )
- Sediment transport, deposition and resuspension processes in reefs and other sensitive coastal environments

8. Current collaborators on these reef projects
PhD Students: Andrew Pomeroy, Mark Buckley, Renee Gruber, Napo Cayabyab
UWA OI: Jim Falter, Greg Ivey, Zhenlin Zhang, Malcolm McCulloch, Gary Kendrick, Marco Ghisalberti, Carlos Duarte
CSIRO: Graham Symonds
AIMS: Richard Brinkman
International: Ap van Dongeren, Dano Roelvink