CANBERRA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Flinders University in South Australia has launched the RV Encounter, a new coastal research vessel, as researchers tackle a harmful algal bloom impacting local marine life, the university said in a statement on Friday.
The 7.65-meter Nautic Star Catamaran, equipped with twin 130Hp outboard motors, will conduct surveys, dives, and research up to 30 nautical miles offshore, according to the statement.
Flinders University Professor Charlie Huveneers, leader of the Southern Shark Ecology Group and the Marine and Coastal Research Consortium, highlighted the vessel's role in deploying monitoring equipment and survey teams to track the bloom's development and impacts.
The consortium of over 20 marine science experts, from biology to maritime engineering, is supporting statewide efforts to understand the bloom's causes, assess damage, and monitor recovery, Huveneers said.
Recently appointed to the State Science Advisory Panel to help manage the response to the algal bloom, Huveneers said university experts will use five research vessels to address aquatic environmental and ecological challenges in South Australia.
He stressed the need for ongoing monitoring and expertise to predict extreme marine events and guide effective mitigation and management strategies for the future.
The RV Encounter is named to commemorate the historic meeting between Matthew Flinders, an English navigator who produced the first accurate map of the Australian continent, and French explorer Nicolas Baudin, in South Australian waters. ■