OverviewPermalink

Welcome to the eReefs Project – an innovative initiative aimed at understanding, monitoring, modelling and safeguarding one of the world’s most iconic natural wonders.

The challenge: growing pressures on the reefsPermalink

The Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a complex and delicate ecosystem that spans over 2,300 kilometres off the coast of Queensland, facing numerous threats:

• Poor water quality, from sediment, pesticide and nutrient run-off

• vulnerability to climate change

• extreme weather events such as cyclones, floods and storm surges

• and biological threats including recurrent crown-of-thorn outbreaks

eReefs contribution: support ongoing conservation and management of this extraordinary marine environmentPermalink

From catchment and estuaries to reef lagoons and open ocean, eReefs provides an integrated picture of what is currently happening on the reef.

Since 2012, eReefs integrates marine hydrodynamic and biogeochemical models with catchment models to provide high-frequency information on physical and biological processes, such as:

• sediment and nutrient dynamics

• plankton blooms dynamics and dispersal

• flood plumes and dispersal of pollutants

• water quality, marine heat waves, warming and acidification

The accuracy of eReefs models is supported by data collected through both routine in-situ monitoring and satellite earth observation.

The scientific knowledge provided through data, analytics and visualisations is used by management agencies, regional entities, industries, and researchers, to support strategic and operational management decision-making across the Great Barrier Reef Region.

Towards a Better understanding of the reef and science-informed decisionPermalink

The eReefs project contributes to a better understanding of the GBR, makes information more accessible for government, industry and the community, and helps to model and monitor the impacts of land-use, flood, cyclones and climate change.