Research ship departs Darwin for expedition to little-known reef

A team of Australian researchers will depart Darwin today for a three-week expedition that could open up scientific research.

Expedition chief scientist and Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) principal research scientist Dr Karen Miller with the RV Falkor at East Arm Wharf. Picture: Katrina Bridgeford

A TEAM of Australian researchers will depart Darwin today for a three-week expedition that could open up scientific research into a little-known type of coral reef.

Eight WA-based scientists will travel on the RV Falkor to the Ashmore Reef Marine Park, about 630km north of Broome, to collect samples for analysis and test new technologies for monitoring the health of mesophytic reef systems, or reefs of medium depth.

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Expedition chief scientist and Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) principal research scientist Dr Karen Miller said little research had been done on mesophytic reefs because they were too deep to easily access.

”We're aiming to get a better understanding about what lives in these mesophytic areas, because this is going to be the first really detailed exploration of mesophytic reefs on the North West Shelf,” she said.

”It’s going to give us a better understanding of what is there and what we need to do next to learn more … and monitor them better.

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“We’re also going to be developing some new tools and approaches to monitoring them, which will be really exciting.”

The expedition is the product of a collaboration between AIMS, the WA Museum, Curtin University and the University of WA (UWA).