Researchers
Students
Alumni
ManagementRyan Lowe
Professor, Chief Investigator and Program 3 Leader
Ph.D. Stanford University • M.S. Stanford University • B.S. University of California
University of Western Australia
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au
Professor, Chief Investigator and Program 3 Leader
Ph.D. Stanford University • M.S. Stanford University • B.S. University of California
University of Western Australia
My research involves the study of how oceanic and atmospheric forcing drives the circulation and distribution of wave energy within a broad range of coastal systems (e.g., on beaches, coral reefs, rocky shorelines, and in estuaries). In most cases, this work is motivated by the need to improve our understanding of the coupling between hydrodynamics and other key processes occurring in marine environments, such as sediment transport, biogeochemical cycling and spatial ecology. As part of this work, I employ a wide range of field, laboratory and numerical modelling techniques. Major research interests include:
Coastal and estuarine hydrodynamics
Numerical modelling of waves and coastal circulation
Coastal sediment transport
Remote sensing of coastal systems
Benthic boundary layer and canopy flow dynamics
Biophysical interactions in marine systems
A world-first study has revealed that “robust” reef-building corals are the only known organisms in the animal kingdom to make one of the “essential” amino acids, which may make them less susc
Researchers have found that when water temperatures heat up for corals, fish ‘tempers’ cool down, providing the first clear evidence of coral bleaching serving as a trigger for rapid change in ree
An international team of researchers have described a remarkable new species of fish that lived in the sea in the time of the dinosaurs in the late Jurassic about 150 million years ago.The new sp
A researcher at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University has received one of Queensland’s most prestigious science prizes – the Queensland Young Tall Poppy
Abstract: Interdependency across geographical localities and policy domains is a key constituent of complex environmental problems. Problem interdependencies generate incentives for cooperation thr
Abstract: Recreation-based stakeholder groups have achieved substantial habitat conservation in some cases, yet few studies have considered strategic engagement of recreational fishing communitie
Abstract: Coral reefs worldwide are under pressure, with coral cover decreasing and cover of macroalgae increasing on many reefs. Once macroalgae has established, it can be extremely difficult to
Abstract: The science of conservation biology has mainly been focused on part of the problem of biodiversity loss; the part that deals with the species and ecosystem processes that we want to pro
Abstract: Characterization of genomic biodiversity through comprehensive species sampling has the potential to change our understanding of evolution. To study evolution across a major vertebrate cl
Abstract: There are a number of competing definitions of anomalous ‘novel’ communities, either via the ‘novel ecosystem hypothesis’ derived from restoration ecology, or as ‘no-analogue
Abstract: Ecosystem accessibility, through road networks, is the main driver of their conditions, with the most accessible ecosystems being most at risk of resource depletion. To date, measuring
Abstract:Whether and how conservation ideas and practices spread can have major impacts on both people and ecosystems. Mbaru’s project examines how people adopt conservation initiatives but also
Partner Research Institutions
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
James Cook University Townsville
Queensland 4811 Australia
Phone: 61 7 4781 4000
Email: info@coralcoe.org.au