This major four year $1 million partnership between the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and Rio Tinto Alcan was specifically developed to foster understanding about the environmental impacts of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef.
Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide is changing ocean pH and reducing the carbonate concentration of seawater surrounding corals (See What is Ocean Acidification?). This project, conducted by the University of Queensland as part of Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Future Reef partnership with Rio Tinto Alcan, seeks to assess the seriousness of this problem for Australian reefs (especially the Great Barrier Reef) and to develop appropriate intervention technologies.
The partnership comprises a four year research program investigating the impacts of increased concentration of carbon dioxide in oceans on corals, invertebrates, crustaceans and other organisms on the Reef, particularly, in the waters of the Southern Great Barrier Reef. The research program is also the subject of an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant.
Partnership Successes
The partnership completed its fourth and final year in 2009. Significant outcomes from the partnership so far include:
- The scientific research is yielding significant results with initial findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States.
- During the Partnership, almost 100 Rio Tinto Alcan employees from a diverse range of background and positions have travelled to the Heron Island Research Station to participate in a Reef Searchers expedition. The Reef Searchers expeditions allowed Rio Tinto Alcan employees to participate in this important science work.
- In 2006, Rio Tinto Alcan further demonstrated their commitment to the project and the Heron Island Research Station with the donation of a much needed defibrillator.
Rio Tinto Alcan and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation are working towards extending this partnership into the future with a new and exciting project.
www.futurereef.org