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Dr Jan Carey

 

Research Fellow, Environmental Science

 

Location
Natural Philosophy Building
Phone +61 3 8344 3336
Fax +61 3 9348 1620
Email janetmc@ unimelb.edu.au

 

For 18 years I worked on monitoring programs and impact assessments in marine environments, both in Australia and overseas, with the Melbourne-based environmental consultancy Marine Science & Ecology. During this time, a number of issues relating to the application of  hypothesis testing and power analysis to impact assessment caught my attention. In 1995, I returned to university to devote more time to these particular forms of number crunching, using case studies of marine infauna around wastewater discharges to ocean collected during my previous life as a consultant. (thesis abstract)

After completing my PhD in late 2001, I moved to the Enviromental Science research group, which later morphed into the Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis (ACERA). Here, I split my time between teaching environmental science subjects, and collaborating with external organiszations on various research projects. An ARC Linkage project with Parks Victoria (2005-2007) developed a formal program for ecological risk assessment tailored to the needs of an extensive system of 24 marine national parks and marine sanctuaries declared only three years earlier. Information from that project has been used to inform both the management plans of Parks Victoria and the agency's strategy for future research.

It directly stimulated the following research projects: i) monitoring the effects of an adaptive experimental management program implemented by Parks Victoria to deal with the effects of trampling by park visitors on intertidal assemblages, ii) evaluating the effectivness of an existing Parks Victoria seagrass monitoring protocol, and iii) development of an optimal surveillance program in MPAs for non-indigenous marine species already present in Victorian waters (see Current Research for more details on this one).

As you may have guessed by now, there are three major threads to my research:

  • marine ecology - particularly benthic ecology where the sessile or sedentary nature of many species makes them particularly susceptible to localised man-made disturbances
  • quantitative methods - particularly those used to address ecological questions
  • environmental management - specifically, detecting impacts and monitoring the effectiveness of management actions taken to reduce those impacts

Since July 2007, I've also been contributing to the marine macroalgal component of several Botany subjects. Follow the teaching link below or go to the Marine Lab web site for more details.

Current Research

Teaching

Environmental Consulting - 1977 to 1995

Publications

Other Links


Current Research

1)  Non-indigenous marine species

One of the potential threats to marine biodiversity identified in the risk assessment process undertaken for Parks Victoria was the presence of non-indigenous marine species. To date, concern with these species in Australian waters has largely focussed on ports receiving international shipping. There is however, a growing realisation that such species may subsequently be spread locally by vectors such as recreational boats. Clearly, marine protected areas valued for their diversity of native species are areas where such secondary incursions would be a major concern. Our current Linkage collaboration with Parks Victoria aims to identify the non-indigenous species currently present in Victorian ports which pose the greatest threat to park values and are also promising candidates for eradication, and the parks to which they have the highest probability of being carried. This will allow the agency to focus the limited resources available for surveillance monitoring where there is greatest potential for successful detection and eradication.

Student projects associated with this collaboration include:

i) quantifying the detectability of  selected non-indigenous marine species,

ii) comparing the holdfast assemblages associated with native and non-indigenous kelps, and

iii) surveying recreational and small boat users to identify vessels movements in Victorian coastal waters with potential to transport non-indigenous marine species to new locations.

2)  Reporting the outcomes of monitoring programs

To be useful for management purposes, monitoring programs need to be focussed on relevant objectives, be statistically rigorous, and be reported in a way that managers, regulators and other stakeholders can readily understand. Identifying practical and novel ways of meeting this need is the focus of projects with the Department of Sustainability and Environment and with Parks Victoria. Following a similar theme, a PhD student is currently investigating the applicability of new statistical methods for the analysis of marine monitoring data.

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Teaching

Since July 2007, I have been involved in teaching marine botany. I coordinate the 3rd-year intensive field-based subject BOTA30001 Marine Botany and contribute to 2nd year EVSC20004 Blue Planet: an Introduction to Marine Science (new in 2011). I am also responsible for the marine botany component of BIOL10001 Biology of Australian Flora & Fauna

I continue to contribute to the graduate statistics subject BIOL90002 Biometry (formerly Environmental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists) and 3rd year EVSC30002 Problem Solving in Environmental Science.
Brown alga Macrocystis angustifolia

From 2000 to 2007, I was involved in teaching of the following environmental science subjects:

During my PhD, I taught in the following ecology or zoology subjects with an emphasis on practical skills:

  • Invertebrate Zoology (654-201)
  • Animal Ecology (654-204)
  • Experimental Marine Ecology (654-302)
  • Marine Invertebrate Zoology (654-313)
  • Marine Ecological Methods (654-312/315)
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Environmental Consulting - 1977 to 1995

Marine Science & Ecology was a specialist consultancy undertaking ecological assessments of the marine environment in relation to disturbances such as waste discharges and development projects. I joined MSE in 1977 for four weeks casual work as a technical assistant. And stayed for nearly two decades! Over the years, my responsibilities came to include the design and management of field studies, statistical analysis, and the supervision and training of junior staff.





Jan with underwater video






















Jan in intertidal


During my time at MSE, we undertook projects of the following types:
  •         port and industrial developments
  •         marinas and small boat facilities
  •         environmental impact assessments
  •         monitoring programs for wastewater discharges
  •         ecotoxicological and bioaccumulation studies
  •         general ecological assessments 

A detailed list of projects in which I participated is available here, but note that most of the reports on these projects are unpublished, and copies may be difficult to obtain.

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Publications

Journal Articles

  • Lewis, J.A., Baran, I.J., Carey, J.M. & Fletcher, L.E. (In press) A contaminant in decline: long-term TBT monitoring at a naval base in Western Australia. Australian Journal of Ecotoxicology.
  • Shepherd, S.A., Watson, J.E., Womersley, H.B.S., & Carey, J.M. (2009) Long-term changes in macroalgal assemblages after increased sedimentation and turbidity in Western Port, Victoria, Australia. Botanica Marina. 52: 195-206. (abstract)
  • Molino, P.J., Childs, S., Eason Hubbard, M.R., Carey, J.M., Burgman, M.A. & Wetherbee, R. (2009) Development of the primary bacterial microfouling layer on antifouling and fouling release coatings in temperate and tropical environments in Eastern Australia. Biofouling. 25: 1-14. (abstract)
  • Carey, J.M. & Burgman, M.A. (2008) Linguistic uncertainty in qualitative risk analysis and how to minimize it. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1128: 13-17. (abstract)
  • Carey, J.M., Beilin, R., Boxshall, A., Burgman, M.A.& Flander, L. (2007) Risk-based approaches to deal with uncertainty in a data-poor system: stakeholder involvement in hazard identification for marine national parks and marine sanctuaries in Victoria, Australia. Risk Analysis. 27: 271-281.  Winner of the Society for Risk Analysis BEST PAPER AWARD - ECOLOGICAL for 2007 (abstract)
  • Carey, J.M., Burgman, M.A., Miller, C. & Chee, Y.E. (2005) An application of qualitative risk assessment in park management. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management. 12: 6-15. (abstract)
  • Carey, J.M. & Keough, M.J. (2002) Compositing and subsampling to reduce costs and improve power in benthic infaunal monitoring programs. Estuaries. 25(5): 1053-1061. (abstract)
  • Carey, J.M. & Keough, M.J. (2002) The variability of estimates of variance, and its effect on power analysis in monitoring design. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 74(3): 225-241. (abstract)
  • Carey, J.M. & Watson, J.E. (1992) Benthos of the Muddy Bottom Habitat of the Geelong Arm of Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia. The Victorian Naturalist 109(6):196-202.

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Book Chapters

  • Carey, J.M. (2004) The variability of estimates of variance: how it can affect power analysis in monitoring design. In: Environmental Monitoring. Wiersma, G.B. (Ed.) CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, Florida. (a more general version of the Environ. Monit. Assess. paper, with additional material on dealing with variability; click here for information from the publisher)
  • Hinwood, J.B., Potts, A.E., Dennis, L.R., Carey, J.M., Houridis, H., Bell,   R.J., Thompson, J.R., Boudreau, P. & Ayling, A.M. (1994) Drilling activities. In: Environmental Implications of Offshore Oil and Gas Development in Australia - the Findings of an Independent Scientific Review. Swan, J.M., Neff, J.M. & Young, P.C. (Eds). Australian Petroleum Exploration Association, Sydney. pp 123-207.

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Technical Reports

  • Carey, J.M. (2011) Risk Assessment for VRCA Corio Bay Channel Safety Adjustment Program. Report to the Victorian Regional Channels Authority, Geelong.
  • Thomason, N., Burgman, M., Carey, J., Barnard, K., Wintle, B. & Fidler, F. (2009) Plain English for Risk Communication. Final report, ACERA Project No. 0805. Australian Centre of Excellence for Risk Analysis, Melbourne.
  • Carey, J.M., Boxshall, A., Burgman, M.A., Beilin, R. & Flander, L. (2007) State-wide Synthesis of Threats to Natural Values in Victoria’s Marine National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries. Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 34. Parks Victoria, Melbourne.
  • Carey, J.M., Burgman, M.A., Boxshall, A., Beilin, R., Flander, L., Pegler, P. & White, A. (2007) Identification of Threats to Natural Values in Victoria’s Marine National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries. Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 33. Parks Victoria, Melbourne.
  • Fox, D., Molloy, R., Rixon, A., Tjandraatmadja, G. & Carey, J. (2006) Review and Statistical Assessment of Trade Waste Data in Victoria. Report to Department of Sustainability and Environment. Australian Centre for Environmetrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne.
  • Carey, J., Fox, D., Burgman, M., Chee, Y., Hart, B.T., Pollino, C., Chan, T., White, A., Grace, M., Henderson, B. and Bui, E. (2006) Guidelines for Quantifying the Ecological Risks from Contaminants in Catchments, LWA/MDBC Project UMO43 - Report No 1, Land & Water Australia, Canberra.   
  • Carey, J. (2005) Review of the likely ecological effects of increased water temperatures in Allans Creek and Port Kembla Harbour. Report to BlueScope Steel (AIS) Pty Ltd.
  • Hart, B., Burgman, M., Webb, A., Allison, G., Chapman, M., Duivenvoorden, L., Feehan, P., Grace, M., Lund, M., Pollino, C., Carey, J. & McCrea, A. (2005) Ecological Risk Management Framework for the Irrigation Industry. Report to National Program for Sustainable Irrigation (NPSI) by Water Studies Centre, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria.
  • Carey, J.M., Burgman, M.A. & Chee, Y.E. (2004) Risk Assessment and the Concept of Ecosystem Condition in Park Management. Parks Victoria Technical Series No. 13. Parks Victoria, Melbourne.

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Conference Proceedings

  • Carey, J.M., Hinwood, J.B. & Watson, J.E. (1993) An integrated ecological-physical study of a port. Proceedings of 11th Australasian Conference on Coastal and Ocean Engineering. The Institute of Engineers, Australia. (abstract)

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In Preparation

  • Taylor, J.L., Carey, J.M. & Boxshall, A. Indirect effect of fire on an adaptive management experiment in marine protected areas: an issue of resource allocation. Submitted to Ocean and Coastal Management, May 2011.
  • Carey, J.M., Watson, J.E. & Kirkman, H. Long-term fluctuations in the seagrass Heterozostera nigricaulis in Western Port, Victoria, Australia.  To be submitted to Botanica Marina
  • Sue, W.X., Koss, R. & Carey, J.M. Optimization of Sea Search protocol for seagrass monitoring.
  • Carey, J.M., Beilin, R., Boxshall, A., Flander, L. & Burgman, M.A. Stakeholder Involvement in Hazard Identification in Victoria’s Marine National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries. Technical report to Parks Victoria.

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Other Links

If I don’t seem to be the Jan Carey you were looking for, you could try the one at the University of Adelaide. (Yes, there are two of us!)

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