Seeing below the surface

Our economic, social and, indeed, our life-support systems, depend on our oceans – or more accurately, the one global ocean we all share.

Marine voyages discover hundreds of new species in the Southern Ocean

CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship uncovered a treasure trove of creatures thriving on mountains deep under the ocean off south-eastern Australia.

Using statistics to predict seabed fauna

Wealth from Oceans Flagship environmental statisticians are working to predict the type and distribution of marine seabed fauna on Australia's continental slope.

Scientific support for Australian fisheries

CSIRO combines expertise in physics, biology, mathematics, economics and computer sciences to observe, understand and support the balanced use and conservation of Australia's marine fisheries.

The SHARC Consortium: a proposal

Industry participation is being sought in a joint industry project aimed at improving the understanding of shale behaviour.

Teeming biodiversity discovered in extinct volcanoes off south-eastern Australia

CSIRO’s Wealth from Oceans Flagship team has discovered hundreds of new marine species and dozens of undersea mountains, in a project to monitor the Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network off southern Tasmania.

Dr Russ Babcock: strategic science and understanding for better management of coastal resources

Dr Russ Babcock leads research exploring the natural and human forces that shape our amazing coastal ecosystems and sustain their integrity and value.

Seeing under the ocean with robotic Argo floats

See how a world-wide array of robotic floats is providing scientists with data about the ocean and helping them to understand the ocean’s role in climate, and to better forecast climate and ocean conditions. CSIRO is providing a valuable contribution to this project. (2:00)

Dr Richard Matear: exploring ocean processes

Dr Richard Matear is a modeller specialising in the interaction of physical, chemical and biological processes in the oceans.

Resistivity from oil-water inclusions (ROI™)

Resistivity from Oil-water Inclusions (ROI™) is a technique used by CSIRO for the petroleum industry to determine water saturation in oil reservoirs.

Dr Megan Clark: Australia's future research vessel

Watch a video of CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Megan Clark speak about the importance of a new research vessel for Australian science, and the capabilities of the new ship. (0:55)

Researching healthier marine ecosystems

The Wealth from Oceans Flagship is researching the impact human activities have on marine ecosystems to improve the way people and the marine environment interact.

Advanced materials and surface technologies for reducing biofouling

Biofouling affects ships, underwater infrastructure like pipes and cables, oil platforms, and even seismic survey equipment. A Wealth from Oceans Flagship team is testing advanced surface-based technologies to prevent biofouling. One approach is biomimicry, a technique of reproducing fouling-resistant surface structures found in nature.

Ms Rebecca Edwards: enabling aquatic remote sensing

Ms Rebecca Edwards provides support to the aquatic remote sensing teams within CSIRO Land and Water.

QGF and QGF-E

These techniques allow us to understand hydrocarbon migration and accumulation. They detect current and palaeo-oil zones by measuring the fluorescence from hydrocarbons sealed in fluid inclusions and at the surface of siliciclastic rocks.

Platform-free oil and gas extraction

Current estimates suggest Australia has over A$1 trillion of oil and gas reserves that cannot be developed by conventional methods. With sub-sea and down-hole technologies, this resource is no longer out of reach.

An overview of the Wells And Subsea Technologies Group program

The Wells and Subsea Technologies program is working towards creating smart wells and ways to dispense with traditional platforms

Petroleum hydrogeology services at CSIRO

CSIRO has developed a team of hydrogeologists that have adapted special techniques for understanding hydrodynamic processes of the deep subsurface where oil and gas is generated and trapped and where CO2 can be safely stored for thousands of years.

Petroleum hydrogeology reveals oil leakage from traps

CSIRO hydrogeologists have adapted specialised techniques to understand how to extract more oil from reservoirs as well as identify geological structures to safely store carbon dioxide emissions.

Ms Peta Ashworth: understanding public perceptions to complex issues

Ms Peta Ashworth's work coordinates a range of social research projects for a number of CSIRO flagships as she and her team continually trial new and old ways to integrate social sciences into the scientific research programs of CSIRO.

Maintaining healthy pelagic fisheries and ecosystems

Supporting the science-based management of Australia’s Commonwealth and internationally-shared pelagic fisheries.

Dr Pascal Perez: exploring social responses to environmental management

Dr Pascal Perez is an internationally recognised expert in participatory modelling used to explore social responses to environmental policy changes.

Our changing atmosphere

CSIRO’s changing atmosphere research measures and models levels of greenhouse and ozone-depleting gases in the atmosphere. The information underpins integrated solutions and sound management strategies for climate change and ozone depletion issues.

Our Resilient Coastal Australia brochure

This brochure provides information about CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans theme, Our Resilient Coastal Australia. (2 pages)

Our resilient coastal Australia

The Wealth from Oceans Flagship is providing Australia's governments, industries and communities with the scientific knowledge, tools and approaches to make wise decisions about our uses of coastal environments.