Ranked 7th in the world for Oceanography

Based on IMAS research and teaching, the University of Tasmania ranks seventh in the world for Oceanography in the latest CWUR Rankings by Subject. Here are some examples of the fascinating research IMAS is doing in Oceanography.

In collaboration with local and international researchers, IMAS scientists are studying how oceans influence the global climate and respond to climate change.

Professor Philip Boyd has been awarded an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellowship to study marine phytoplankton  and their key role in absorbing CO₂ from the atmosphere.

(Phytoplankton image credit: Alyce Hancock)

The research will examine scientific, technological, legal and ethical questions raised by proposals to fertilise the ocean with iron to boost the amount of carbon drawn down by phytoplankton.

A related study by Associate Professor Peter Strutton and other IMAS researchers is looking at how the Southern Ocean absorbs much of our emitted CO₂, helping to reduce the pace of surface warming.

The process of CO₂ uptake by the ocean is expected to slow, and is causing increasing acidification of the ocean with consequent impacts on marine life and ecosystems.  

In partnership with ACE CRC, CSIRO, and the Bureau of Meteorology, IMAS researchers have established the Southern Ocean Time Series moored observatory  to track heat and CO₂ transfers and their impacts on the ecosystem.

(Photo of a mooring deployment. Credit: Tom Trull)