Message from the Director

The recent tragedy of the Boxing Day tsunami in the  Indian Ocean reminds us of the power and uncertainty of our oceans and sea-bed systems. The force and unpredictability of these events and the levels of devastation to our neighbouring region brings into focus our need to continually expand our understanding of our oceans.

These events were the subject of wide-ranging discussion at the Indian Ocean Marine Environmental Conference in Perth, which I attended in February. It was pleasing to see the scientific expertise of so many nations come together to share their experiences, discuss strategies to better predict tsunami onset and behaviour, and reduce the impact on people and property. 

This e-Newsletter provides a snapshot of several of the exciting activities happening across the Flagship. The progress of BLUElink (Ocean Forecasting Australia) has been very pleasing and the Flagship and its partners (Bureau of Meteorology and Navy) are set to change the face of national ocean forecasting over the course of the next 18 months. Our work on the impact of climate change on seabed stability is advancing ahead of schedule and we have delivered the first projections of seabed change for the SE Region of  Australia – these results will be presented to the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) conference in April 2005. The Flagship ‘Voyage of Discovery’ to be conducted off Western Australia in the second half of 2005 is taking shape and will provide critical data to validate and support many of our science activities – we look forward to working with our partners on this voyage. A more complete list of noteworthy Flagship outcomes can be found at www.csiro.au/wealthfromoceans  

In another important event, I am particularly pleased that the Science Leader of the Flagship’s Climate Theme, Dr Steve Rintoul, has been announced as the inaugural recipient of the Georg Wüst Prize. Steve is a most deserving recipient of this award and we wish him all the very best for the formal presentation in Vienna in late April. 

Looking forward to the next financial year, the Wealth from Oceans Flagship will continue investment in the important areas of ocean, marine biogeochemical and seabed modelling and climate forecasting. In addition, we will substantially increase our investment into growing ocean based industry opportunities with a major focus being on the oil and gas sector, and in the area of multiple use management of the marine environment. Both of these expanding areas have demonstrated the capacity for significant benefit to  Australia and we will use the coming weeks to refine our forward investments to ensure maximum national impact. 

I trust you enjoy catching up with our latest developments and would be pleased to receive your feedback on the Oceans Flagship initiatives.

Craig Roy
Director, Wealth from Oceans Flagship

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About this email

The Wealth from Oceans Flagship is a CSIRO initiative and part of the National Research Flagships program that aims to deliver scientific solutions to advance Australia's most important national objectives. One of the largest scientific initiatives ever mounted in Australia, it aligns closely with the Federal Government's National Research Priorities. The initiative brings together our national research resources to deliver breakthroughs in fields ranging from healthcare to light metals and the environment.