All at sea

Volunteers from the UQ Underwater Club – UniDive have launched a technical report, maps, video and an impressive photo book – Flinders, Flora and Fauna, with the aim to raising awareness of reef conservation.

Cécile Godde is studying sustainable grazing system intensification and is passionate about creating a healthier planet, but realises gender bias is still an obstacle for women in science. This passion has led Cécile to take part in a once-in-a-life-time experience, the Homeward Bound initiative, which involves an expedition to Antarctica.

UQ PhD candidate Dominic Bryant is investigating coral reefs in the Central Maldives as part of the XL Catlin Seaview Survey. Here he shares his experiences of the third global coral bleaching events since 1998 and his hopes for the future of coral reefs.

A University of Queensland researcher’s striking images of clownfish trying to hide in anemones bleached a ghostly white have been published throughout the world.

Heron Island is home to an extensive and long-running climate change research project, the Coral Reef Ecosystems Lab. The project involves a team of researchers monitoring 12 coral reef mesocosms –natural environments kept under controlled conditions.

Maybe it's the lack of mobile phone coverage or the way everyone is dressed in thongs and boardies, but Heron Island Research Station doesn’t feel like a place of business. There’s a relaxed "not a problem" attitude from almost everyone you encounter. But underneath the smell of sunscreen and salt is a team of staff and researchers fiercely passionate about their work.

Growing up in a country known more for its canals and dykes than its corals hasn’t stopped UQ’s Dr Chris Roelfsema from developing a mission to protect the Great Barrier Reef. It’s more than 15,000 kilometres from the Netherlands to Heron Island, but Chris’s dedication to diving led him from chilly European climes to the coral cay, where he works  to map the Great Barrier Reef so it can be better managed.

An evening walk around Heron Island during November through to March turns up more than seaweed and sand.