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Subtidal Benthos: towards benthic baselines in the Browse Basin

Browse Island is located in one of Australia’s most hydrocarbon-rich offshore provinces and is in close proximity to operations associated with oil and gas extraction. There is currently insufficient baseline data for the surrounding reef against which potential impacts could be measured, in the event of an environmental incident offshore. This project, therefore, aims to: 1) Characterise the biodiversity and community structure of macroalgae and seagrass at Browse Island in two contrasting seasons, 2) Determine how the benthic community at Browse Island supports fauna including fish and megagrazers, 3) Determine dominant macroalgal and seagrass production and community respiration on Browse Island, and 4) Build an understanding of fine-scale environmental fluxes over representative shallow atolls in the Browse Basin.

Industry partners:

Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) ex Shell Australia and the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project

key contact: Dr Ylva Olsen
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