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On the 1 ^st April 2010, climate change, whale sharks and the social impacts of climate change at Ningaloo were discussed at the Ningaloo Student Research Day. The day was jointly led by the Department of Environment and Conservation, CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship's Ningaloo Collaboration Cluster and the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI).

Three researchers won awards for outstanding work. One of them, Cecile Rousseaux from the UWA Oceans Institute, won the award for the best science-based work. She spoke about the seasonal and inter-annual variation in the transport of phytoplankton offshore of Ningaloo reef. She proved the existence of a high seasonality in the quantity and quality of food being delivered to the reef. This research also gives a first assessment of the potential impact of climate-driven events such as El Niño on the quantity of food being delivered to the reef which is crucial if we are to manage appropriately this new heritage listing.

Media references

Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs) (+61 8) 6488 5563 / (+61 4) 32 637 716

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