Case study
We're helping to develop an integrated decision support and communication tool for managing the Great Barrier Reef.
Understanding the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is a national treasure that brings significant economic, cultural and social benefits to Australia. As well as being the jewel in the crown of Australia's UNESCO World-heritage listed sites, it brings in $5.7 billion annually and generates more than 64,000 full-time jobs.
However, its ongoing health is under threat from pressures including:
No barriers to great communication
We're helping to develop an integrated decision support and communication tool for managing the Great Barrier Reef.
The five-year eReefs project, which began in 2012, spans the entire Great Barrier Reef (GBR) area – from catchment to ocean. It covers:
The eReefs research partners are: CSIRO, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Bureau of Meteorology, Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Queensland Government.
Funding support is provided by: the BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance, BHP Billiton, Australian Government Caring for our Country initiative, Queensland Government and the Science and Industry Endowment Fund.
Better understanding of the reef
The project will yield a better understanding of the GBR, make information more accessible for government, industry and the community, and help to model and monitor factors such as land-use and the impacts of rainfall and flooding, cyclones and climate change.
This graphic shows the range of work undertaken in the eReefs program. Research includes land based monitoring, creation of regional 3D models, satellite sensing of ocean colour, streamflow forecasting and relocatable coastal models. The flow of information is from data products, to data services, through to management products such as reports and forecasting products.
The eReefs project seeks to create an integrated operational system of critical data sources, forecasting and hindcasting models and visulalistion and reporting tools which span the paddock-to-ocean scale. ©Jonathan Hodge, CSIRO
Show text descriptionThe eReefs project seeks to create an integrated operational system of critical data sources, forecasting and hindcasting models and visulalistion and reporting tools which span the paddock-to-ocean scale. ©Jonathan Hodge, CSIRO