JCU > Research Portfolio > A/Prof Scott Heron

About

My research focus is on coastal and near-shore environmental physics, involving the synthesis of physical information with the biological and/or chemical characteristics of the environment. Current work investigates impacts on coral reefs, including coral bleaching and disease, reef resilience and conservation management, within the context of climate change. This work continues from my time with the US government's NOAA Coral Reef Watch program, with whom I remain affiliated. I am currently co-leading the development and applications of a tool that rapidly assesses climate vulnerability of World Heritage properties (cvi-heritage.org), working with UNESCO World Heritage Centre and its advisory bodies. I previously held faculty positions at Penn State and Georgetown Universities.

Teaching

MB1110: Introductory Marine Science (Level 1; TSV)
PH1005: Advanced Stream Physics 1 (Level 1; TSV)
PH2006: Marine Physics (Level 2; TSV)
PH2009: Advanced Marine Physics (Level 2; TSV)
SC1102: Modelling Natural Systems (Level 1; CNS & TSV)
SC1109: Modelling Natural Systems-Advanced (Level 1; CNS & TSV)
SC3010: Sensors and Sensing for Scientists (Level 3; CNS & TSV)

Interests

Professional

Creatively communicating science

Research

Coastal and near-shore environment
Ecological/biological connections
Ocean processes
Climate vulnerability of World Heritage properties

Experience

2005 to 2019 - Adjunct Principal Research Fellow, James Cook University (Townsville, Australia)
2003 to 2019 - Senior Physical Scientist, NOAA Coral Reef Watch (Washington DC/Townsville)
2002 to 2003 - Assistant Professor, Georgetown University (Washington DC, USA)
2001 to 2002 - Assistant Professor, Penn State University (Altoona PA, USA)

Research Disciplines

Publications

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

Hughes T, Kerry J, Connolly S, Alvarez-Romero J, Eakin C, Heron S, Gonzalez M and Moneghetti J (in press) Emergent properties in the responses of tropical corals to recurrent climate extremes. Current Biology, 31, DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.046.
Thiault L, Curnock M, Gurney G, Heron S, Marshall N, Bohensky E, Nakamura N, Pert P and Claudet J (2021) Convergence of stakeholders' environmental threat perceptions following mass coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef. Conservation Biology, 35 (2), pp. 598-609, DOI:10.1111/cobi.13591.
Caldwell J, Aeby G, Heron S and Donahue M (2020) Case-control design identifies ecological drivers of endemic coral diseases. Scientific Reports, 10, Article: 2831, DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-59688-8.
Greene A, Donahue M, Caldwell J, Heron S, Geiger E and Raymundo L (2020) Coral disease time series highlight size-dependent risk and other drivers of white syndrome in a multi-species model. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, Article: 601469, DOI:10.3389/fmars.2020.601469.
Brodnicke O, Bourne D, Heron S, Pears R, Stella J, Smith H and Willis B (2019) Unravelling the links between heat stress, bleaching and disease: fate of tabular corals following a combined disease and bleaching event. Coral Reefs, 38, pp. 591-603, DOI:10.1007/s00338-019-01813-9.
Curnock M, Marshall N, Thiault L, Heron S, Hoey J, Williams G, Taylor B, Pert P and Goldberg J (2019) Shifts in tourists' sentiments and climate risk perceptions following mass coral bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef. Nature Climate Change, 9 (7), pp. 535-541, DOI:10.1038/s41558-019-0504-y.
Fordyce A, Ainsworth T, Heron S and Leggat W (2019) Marine heatwave hotspots in coral reef environments: physical drivers, ecophysiological outcomes and impact upon structural complexity. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6, Article: 498, DOI:10.3389/fmars.2019.00498.
Harrison H, Álvarez-Noriega M, Baird A, Heron S, Macdonald C and Hughes T (2019) Back-to-back coral bleaching events on isolated atolls in the Coral Sea. Coral Reefs, 38 (4), pp. 713-719, DOI:10.1007/s00338-018-01749-6.
Harvell C, Montecino-Latorre D, Caldwell J, Burt J, Bosley K, Keller A, Heron S, Salomon A, Lee L, Pontier O, Pattengill-Semmens C and Gaydos J (2019) Disease epidemic and a marine heat wave are associated with the continental-scale collapse of a pivotal predator (Pycnopodia helianthoides). Science Advances, 5, Article: eaau7042, DOI:10.1126/sciadv.aau7042.
Hughes T, Kerry J, Connolly S, Baird A, Eakin C, Heron S, Hoey A, Hoogenboom M, Jacobson M, Liu G, Pratchett M, Skirving W and Torda G (2019) Ecological memory modifies the cumulative impact of recurrent climate extremes. Nature Climate Change, 9 (1), pp. 40-44, DOI:10.1038/s41558-018-0351-2.
Heron S, Baird A, Byrne M, Eakin C, Edgar R, Hughes T, Smith S, Skirving W, Kyriacou N, Pandolfi J, Liu G, Sommer B, Matis P, Figueira W, Sampayo E, Sims C, Gómez?Cabrera M, Dalton S, Beger M, Malcolm H, Ferrari R, Fraser N and Kim S (2019) Refugia under threat: mass bleaching of coral assemblages in high-latitude eastern Australia. Global Change Biology, 25 (11), pp. 3918-3931, DOI:10.1111/gcb.14772.
Leggat W, Camp E, Suggett D, Heron S, Fordyce A, Gardner S, Deakin L, Turner M, Beeching L, Kuzhiumparambil U, Eakin C and Ainsworth T (2019) Rapid coral decay is associated with marine heatwave mortality events on reefs. Current Biology, 29 (16), pp. 2723-2730, DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2019.06.077.

More: ResearchOnline@JCU stores 92+ research outputs authored by A/Prof Scott Heron from 1998 onwards.

Current Funding

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

The Colong Foundation for Wilderness Ltd - Grant

Climate Vulnerability Index Greater Blue Mountains

Indicative Funding: $4,000
Summary: Globally, heritage locations are being impacted by local-scale and global-scale stressors. Climate change poses an existential threat to global heritage. With rising sea-levels, more extreme weather events and aridification, the extensive impacts of climate are evident at heritage sites globally and the pace of this change is startling. In most parts of the world the rate of loss is exceeding adaptive capacity and this deficit is only getting worse. Decisions on conservation and preservation begin with a detailed understanding of a place's vulnerability. The choices made will directly impact that ability to effectively integrate the goals of safeguarding heritage, adapting and mitigating climate change, and driving sustainable development. This project will apply aspects of the Climate Vulnerability Index process to the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage property.
Investigators: Scott Heron (College of Science & Engineering)
Keywords: Environmental assessment; Natural heritage; Natural values

Yuku Baja Muliku Landowner & Reserves Ltd - Contract Research

Climate Vulnerability Index - YBM

Indicative Funding: $6,000
Summary: Climate change poses an existential threat to global heritage. With rising sea-levels, more extreme weather events and aridification, the extensive impacts of climate are evident at heritage sites globally and the pace of this change is startling. In most parts of the world the rate of loss is exceeding adaptive capacity and this deficit is only getting worse. Decisions on conservation and preservation begin with a detailed understanding of a place's vulnerability. The choices made will directly impact that ability to effectively integrate the goals of safeguarding heritage, adapting and mitigating climate change, and driving sustainable development. This project will apply the Climate Vulnerability Index process to initiate assessment of the vulnerability of the land and sea country of the Yuku Baja Muliku (YBM) people. There is an urgent need to assess climate vulnerability using community-based methodologies to inform actions taken by decision makers.
Investigators: Scott Heron (College of Science & Engineering)
Keywords: Land and sea country; Climate change; Climate Vulnerability

Seychelles Island Foundation - Contract Research

Climate Vulnerability Index Aldabra

Indicative Funding: $18,575
Summary: Climate change poses an existential threat to global heritage. With rising sea-levels, more extreme weather events and aridification, the extensive impacts of climate are evident at heritage sites globally and the pace of this change is startling. In most parts of the world the rate of loss is exceeding adaptive capacity and this deficit is only getting worse. Decisions on conservation and preservation begin with a detailed understanding of a place's vulnerability. The choices made will directly impact that ability to effectively integrate the goals of safeguarding heritage, adapting and mitigating climate change, and driving sustainable development. This project will apply the Climate Vulnerability Index process to assess the vulnerability of the Aldabra Atoll World Heritage property and its associated communities. There is an urgent need to assess climate vulnerability using community-based methodologies to inform actions taken by decision makers.
Investigators: Scott Heron (College of Science & Engineering)
Keywords: Coral reefs; Sea-surface temperature; Climate change

Common Wadden Sea Secretariat - Contract Research

Climate Vulnerability Index

Indicative Funding: $59,465 over 1 year
Summary: Climate change is the fastest growing threat to World Heritage properties, many of which ?natural, cultural and mixed ? are already being impacted. The Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) is a rapid assessment tool to identify key drivers of vulnerability, opportunities for response and priorities for action across all types of World Heritage properties. The CVI framework considers potential impacts, adaptive capacity, and economic, social and cultural consequences of climate change. Here we propose to apply phase 2 of the CVI process in the Wadden Sea World Heritage property. Continuation of previous project.
Investigators: Scott Heron (College of Science & Engineering)
Keywords: Climate Vulnerability; World Heritage

Global Science & Technology Inc. - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Forecasting coral disease outbreaks across the tropical Pacific Ocean using satellite-derived data

Indicative Funding: $88,532 over 2 years
Summary: The project will develop better models of coral disease outbreak risk across the western tropical Pacific Ocean and embed these into the NOAA Coral Reef Watch decision support system (DSS). The current DSS, at ~50 km SST data, assesses coral disease risk for the Great Barrier Reef and Hawaii for a single disease type. Improvements will be to: increase the spatial resolution to 5 km, and expand to several coral diseases, host species and regions; incorporate short-term SST forecasts; incorporate ocean colour data, where appropriate; and undertake additional targeted coral disease observations.
Investigators: Scott Heron (College of Science & Engineering)
Keywords: Coral Disease; NOAA Coral Reef Watch; NASA Biodiversity and Ecological Forecas; Satellite Data; Pacific Ocean; University of Hawaii

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Projects

Developing a mechanistic basis for coral reef conservation

Indicative Funding: $60,000 over 3 years (administered by UNSW)
Summary: The health and reef-building capacity of coral reefs worldwide is challenged by a range of anthropogenic impacts, including global warming, sedimentation, eutrophication and ocean acidification. If coral reef ecosystems are to overcome these environmental challenges and persist into the future, corals must acclimate and/or adapt. This project will provide an evidence base for coral reef conservation to be targeted towards conserving regions that are found to be at greatest risk, and those that have the greatest capacity for resilience, to the projected near future climate change.
Investigators: Tracy Ainsworth, Bill Leggat, Andrew Baird and Scott Heron (The University of New South Wales, The University of Newcastle, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and PortMap Remote Ocean Sensing Pty Ltd)
Keywords: Coral; Coral Reefs; Climate Change

Sydney Institute of Marine Sciences - Contract Research

Norfolk Island baseline reef health assessment

Indicative Funding: $7,500
Summary: Conduct baseline benthic community and coral health surveys (condition and resilience) at Emily Bay/Slaughter Bay and Ball Bay to investigate the structure and health of coral communities.
Investigators: Scott Heron (College of Science & Engineering)
Keywords: Coral Reef; Health Baseline Assessment; Oceanography

Common Wadden Sea Secretariat - Contract Research

Climate Vulnerability Index

Indicative Funding: $15,580
Summary: Climate change is the fastest growing threat to World Heritage properties, many of which - natural, cultural and mixed - are already being impacted. The Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) is a rapid assessment tool to identify key drivers of vulnerability, opportunities for response and priorities for action across all types of World Heritage properties. The CVI framework considers potential impacts, adaptive capacity, and economic, social and cultural consequences of climate change. Here we propose to apply the CVI process in the Wadden Sea World Heritage property.
Investigators: Scott Heron (College of Science & Engineering)
Keywords: Climate Vulnerability; World Heritage

Supervision

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

Understanding Coral Reef Thermal Dynamics through Innovative Remote Sensing Applicaitons (PhD , Primary Advisor)
Seasonal water transports in Ambon Bay of eastern Indonesia and their influences on marine pollution (PhD , External Advisor)
?World heritage seagrass habitats? A thematic group framework to inform the climate vulnerability index. (Masters , Primary Advisor)

Completed

Investigating potential co-factors of Fibropapillomatosis development in Chelonia mydas of the Great Barrier Reef (2021, PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Data

These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit Research Data Australia.

Ainsworth, T. (2017) Great Barrier Reef A. aspera data files for physiology, photophysiology, and SST trajectories/offsets. James Cook University

Collaboration

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.