Public invited to follow joint expedition to Kermadecs

Public invited to follow joint expedition to Kermadecs

A team of 15 researchers led by Auckland Museum is travelling to the Kermadec Islands for three weeks hoping to identify new species in one of the world’s most pristine marine environments.

The team, which includes scientists from Auckland Museum, NIWA, Te Papa, Department of Conservation and Australian Museum, leaves tomorrow morning (Monday, 9 May) from Tauranga to begin the two-day journey to the Kermadec Islands.

Members of the public are being encouraged to follow the expedition and its findings through a daily blog at http://kermadec.aucklandmuseum.com

An onboard photographer and science communicator will help to relay the news of what the team is finding each day on land and in the waters around the Kermadec Islands, 1000km north east of New Zealand.

The joint project has several goals including establishing a record of species diversity which can then be used as a baseline to monitor changes over time. In the future researchers could use the record to track changes in species brought on by global warming effects.

“This will be a really significant reference survey to track changes in species composition that may result from global warming effects on regional water temperatures and currents,” says Auckland Museum marine curator Tom Trnski.

“The remoteness and isolation of the Kermadecs means only a fraction of information has been collected about its marine life. The species have been left to their own devices without intrusion from humans. It is like a journey back in time.”

“At Auckland Museum we currently have around 6000 specimens which sounds like a lot but actually represents a tiny fraction when you look at the species diversity of the Kermadecs. My interest area is fishes and we only have 8 species of fish within our collection.”

The experienced research team is made up of scientists from five agencies and they have superior knowledge of marine species in the region. The projects they are advancing during the three-week expedition complement each other and previous surveys.

The team includes:

Auckland Museum: Dr Tom Trnski (expedition leader and fish specialist), Stephen Ullrich and Ged Wiren.

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa: Carl Struthers, Dr Vincent Zintzen (fish specialists) and Charles Bedford.

Department of Conservation: Clinton Duffy (shark specialist), Dr Peter de Lange (plant specialist) and Dr Ian Stringer (insect specialist).

NIWA: Dr Malcolm Francis (fish specialist and underwater photographer).

Australian Museum: Mark McGrouther (fish specialist), Dr Stephen Keable and Dr Mandy Reid (marine invertebrate specialists).

Radio NZ: Alison Ballance (science communicator and radio journalist).

New Zealand Geographic: Richie Robinson (photographer)

The team leaves for the Kermadec Islands tomorrow (Monday 9 May) at 11.30am on the RV Braveheart from 1 Den Place, Tauranga.

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