Heron Island Research Station (HIRS)

The University of Queensland

Heron Island Research Station is internationally renowned for coral reef research and student training in marine sciences.

Facilities and equipment rarely found in an offshore facility combined with its enviable position on the world's largest reef make HIRS the ideal location for marine and climate change research.

Situated on the southern Great Barrier Reef, HIRS is the oldest and largest marine research station on the Reef. With crystal clear water and near pristine conditions, the Station provides easy and direct access to the marine environment.

Website

http://www.uq.edu.au/heron-island-research-station/content/front-page

Organisation type

• University Research Centre

Number of research staff

20-100 research staff

Address

Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, via Gladstone QLD 4680

Strengths and capabilities

• Coral reef ecology & biology
• Climate change impacts
• Assessing and mapping biodiversity
• Conservation and human impacts
• Biogeochemical cycling
• Effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)

Facilities and major equipment

• Three wet laboratories
• Five dry laboratories
• Outdorr experimental deck area and shark tank
• Flow through saltwater system - pumped in at ~16L/sec
• Three research vessels
• On site equipment store
• Phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy
• Reverse Osmosis (RO) purified water
• Two fume cupboards
• Negative 80oC Freezer
• Liquid nitrogen

Achievements of the centre

• Over 15,000 research publications have been generated from work at HIRS.

Key science sectors

More information about the sectors this centre is involved in:

• Environment and nature