Voyage Number
IN2026_V04
Voyage Dates
Voyage Location
Chief Scientist
Prof Helen Bostock
Institution
The University of Queensland
Voyage livestream
Follow our 24-day voyage as RV Investigator conducts research on the southern Great Barrier Reef.
Voyage summary
RV Investigator will undertake a 24-day research voyage out of Brisbane to investigate the evolution, previous habitation, and present environmental conditions of the southern Great Barrier Reef.
First Nations people arrived in Australia over 65,000 years ago, when sea levels were 80 metres below present. In Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef was above sea level and there were vast plains stretching along the coast with forests, rivers, lakes, estuaries and beaches. This research seeks to reveal how the southern Great Barrier Reef, which stretches from Gladstone to north of Yeppoon, was formed and uncover landscapes where First Nations people lived before the region was submerged when sea levels rose to their present levels around 7000 years ago.
Researchers will map the seafloor and sub-seafloor using RV Investigator’s sonar systems to reveal the submerged landscapes. They will also collect cores from the seafloor, examining sediments and fossils to reconstruct past conditions. This will allow modelling of historical climate, sea level rise, vegetation and evolution of the southern Great Barrier Reef. Current environmental conditions will also be examined during the voyage, including investigating how the East Australian Current interacts with the reef and collecting vital data to inform eReefs modelling for the southern Great Barrier Reef. Voyage data will contribute to the natural seascape and cultural heritage values of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The voyage research program has been co-designed with the Traditional Owners of the study area, the Darumbal people and their close neighbour, the Woppaburra people.
There are 3 other projects on this voyage:
- Chumbucket (Dr Ruth Eriksen CSIRO): low tech, high return sampling for phytoplankton diversity.
- Globalising Marine Biodiversity Observations – GLOMBO (Dr Sahan Jayasinghe CSIRO): integration of an autonomous environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling system into RV Investigator's underway seawater system.
- Glider oceanographic survey in the Capricorn Channel (Dr Christine Hanson UWA): recovery of an ocean glider deployed from Heron Island.
The voyage has 44 science participants (across 2 legs) from 14 institutions and 20 ship crew from Cyan Vessel Operations.
CSIRO acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land, sea and waters, of the area that we live and work on across Australia. We acknowledge their continuing connection to their culture and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.
Voyage outcomes
Voyage outcomes will be published approximately 3-6 months after the completion of the voyage.