Supporting environmental and life sciences
The Seawater Facility supports academic research and undergraduate teaching. It is used by marine scientists and their collaborative partners, to conduct controlled experiments and to house marine specimens.
Undergraduate students learning about the biology, chemistry and ecology of marine organisms are given the opportunity to get a closer look at live examples of marine plants and animals that are commonly seen, and those that are often overlooked, in the Sydney Harbour region.
Seawater is collected from Sydney Harbour and then filtered to remove impurities before being added to a storage facility.
Animals can be kept in a variety of conditions with:
- temperatures ranging from 12 to 35°C (accuracy of +/-0.3°C)
- pH levels from 7.4 to 8.1 (accuracy +/-0.01)
- a range of salinity levels.
Current research
- Ocean change, ecology and conservation
- Spatial learning and memory in intertidal gobies
- Behavioural and physiological responses of neonate elasmobranchs in harsh environments
- Neurophysiology of shark sensory systems
- The role of rapid colour change in goatfish communication
- Impacts of climate change on sea urchin adhesion and oxygen consumption
- Calcification pathways in marine invertebrates
- Personality in sea anemones.