Ocean observation

A marine ecosystem model developed by Dr Beth Fulton of CSIRO has been rated best in the world by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

In 2005-06, CSIRO results were used for international benchmarking studies and will be part of the next international science assessment of climate change.

Dr Beth Fulton was awarded the 2007 Science Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year in recognition of her impact on regional marine planning, fisheries management, and understanding climate change.

A new CSIRO report, released at GREENHOUSE 2007, provides the most up-to-date assessment of observed Australian climate changes and causes.

Create an El Niño effect in your own kitchen with this experiment from CSIRO's Double Helix Science Club. At the same time, learn about global weather patterns.

The discovery of two huge active volcanoes under the sea near Fiji has excited scientists searching for new minerals – and revealed new species of creatures never seen before. In this podcast, Captain Fred Stein, Director of the Marine National Facility, describes how the volcanoes, named 'Dugong' and 'Lobster' were found almost by accident. (5.44)

Dr Peter Turner discusses a new tool which provides daily updates of the risk of ‘coral bleaching’ in the Great Barrier Reef in this five minute podcast.

Teams of climate change researchers around the world will be anxiously counting down the launch of the Jason-2 satellite from California, scheduled for 20 June 2008. Successful lift-off will mean a whole new era in detecting the expansion of our oceans and sea level rise, both major indicators of climate change. (5.30)

The bones in the ears of some coastal and deep sea fish species in the south west Pacific show the effect of climate change.