In Summary

  • Swinburne partners with leading Chinese maritime research institution to develop new models to forecast ocean and wave climatology
  • This modelling will help improve predictions for maritime transport operations, maritime safety, search and rescue missions, and recreational activities

The Australian Government has announced a Joint Research Centre to develop new models to forecast and describe ocean and wave climatology.

Swinburne University of Technology is partnering with the First Institute of Oceanography of the State Oceanic Administrations (FIO) in China.

The partnership is one of six new Joint Research Centres announced by Australia’s Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP on 15 April 2016.

Mr Pyne said the new Joint Research Centres would be funded for three years under the Australia-China Science and Research Fund.

The Australia-China Joint Research Centre for Maritime Engineering (ACCME) will develop highly sophisticated modelling tools to predict ocean and wave climatology, extremes and trends.

“The Australian and Chinese groups of ACCME possess complementary expertise in waves and air-sea interactions at Swinburne, and in ocean and climate at FIO, which has enabled this strategic research partnership and centre development”, says Swinburne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Development), Professor Aleksandar Subic.

"This project aims to develop the next generation of wave models, wave-tide circulation coupled systems and ocean-atmosphere coupled models at the entire range of scales in air-sea interactions – from turbulence to climate”, says Professor Alex Babanin, one of the Chief Investigators involved on the project.

The Australian-Chinese team will apply joint effort to solve outstanding problems of wave dynamics, and leap to a new generation of wave and ocean models.

This modelling will result in improved predictions of oceanic conditions for:

  • maritime transport operations
  • maritime safety
  • search and rescue missions
  • recreational activities

Other partners in the institute are:

  • MetOcean Solutions Ltd
  • Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
  • Woodside Petroleum Ltd  

Professor Alex Babanin's research is featured in the Swinburne Research Impact publication.