More information for researchers can be found here.
eReefs Products Previewed by Minister
Minister Burke joined eReefs project partners and investors at Townsville’s Reef HQ on November 14th to officially launch the eReefs project.
With the first year of this five year project drawing to a close, the Minister and guests also previewed some of its early products. The Marine Water Quality dashboard, which uses satellite images to generate timely and accurate water quality information, was demonstrated, alongside a sample of the outputs from the modelling which will span the full scale of the Reef from catchment to ocean. Several potential users of eReefs products also shared ‘user stories’ about how the eReefs tools will assist them in their roles.
The eReefs Project is a collaboration between the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO, Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Queensland Government, supported by funding from the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country, the Queensland Government, the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance, and the Science Industry Endowment Fund.
For more information see the eReefs page.
Microsoft joins eReefs initiative.
Microsoft is contributing software, services and technical expertise to address the needs of citizen science on the Great Barrier Reef, an important milestone in bringing the power of technology to the protection and management of the Great Barrier Reef.
The Foundation’s Chairman, Dr John Schubert AO, welcomed Microsoft’s support, saying ““Engaging the community in the Reef and the science that supports its management is essential. One of the goals of eReefs is to provide a framework for broader community engagement. We are delighted that Microsoft has agreed to join the eReefs initiative, bringing its technology to bear on community science engagement products.”
For more information see the
eReefs page.
Sea-quence Project Launched
Sea-quence, a project of the ReFuGe 2020 Consortium convened by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, will deliver core genetic data for a suite of corals from the Great Barrier Reef and the Red Sea.
With support from Rio Tinto, Bioplatforms Australia—under the Commonwealth Government’s Super Science initiative—and a family foundation, Sea-quence will generate data for 10 coral host species, including 6 different types of coral (branching, boulder, massive etc.).
This data will help to drive research needed by reef managers who want to maintain the diversity and function of coral reefs, in the face of significant threats. For more information please visit our
Sea-quence page.
A Novel Approach to Measuring Acidification on the Reef
A collaboration between Rio Tinto Alcan, CSIRO and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, the three-year $1 million Future Reef MAP project is the first of its kind to monitor ocean chemistry along the length of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, using existing vessel movements.
The project, called Future Reef MAP, involves the deployment of an ocean sensor system on an existing Rio Tinto vessel that travels between Weipa and Gladstone. The vessel, the RTM Wakmatha, will regularly collect samples and record data that will assist in understanding the impacts of climate change on the Reef.
The data will be collected from along the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, which means for the first time detailed information about ocean chemistry will be gathered from widely varying habitats. This will provide Reef authorities and researchers with new insights to assist management of the Reef.
The monitoring will provide a foundation for assessing how ocean acidification might vary across regions of the Great Barrier Reef, and identify whether some parts of the Reef are likely to be more vulnerable to the effects of acidification. Armed with this information, managers and policy makers will be better equipped to determine how best to deploy resources to protect the Reef.
Commonwealth Funding Commitment
The Commonwealth Government budget on May 8th, committed $12.5m over four years, commencing in the 2013-14 budget year to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation for research into helping the Reef to adapt to climate change.
“This is a very significant commitment for the Foundation and one which will have an important impact on the research being done to protect the Reef in the face of climate change”, said Chairman, John Schubert.
The Commonwealth announcement regarding this funding can be found here.