New technologies for monitoring coastal waters
Change in the marine environment is of direct interest to maritime communities, especially for those of north Queensland where inshore waters and the GBR support commercial fishing and tourism and are a much valued recreational resource. However, monitoring the marine environment is a major challenge because most of the technologies for on-land environmental surveillance don’t apply. To address this need, JCU researchers have developed new instruments and technologies to improve our “eyes on the ocean”.
Near-shore water quality and ecology are greatly influenced by the suspension and movement of fine sediment, either through human activities such as dredging or from wave activity. Associate Professor Peter Ridd and his group have developed new generation turbidity sensors and software with instruments designed for remote deployment and data acquisition for weeks at a time.
The new technology has established the turbidity tolerance levels of near shore biological communities such as fringing reefs and seagrass beds. It also has major application in monitoring the effects of dredging associated with port development and maintenance.
Almost all major capital dredging programs on the Queensland and Western Australian coasts now routinely use this technology, with clients ranging across port authorities and resource companies such as Woodside Petroleum and Hamersley Iron.
Professor Mal Heron has pioneered the development of High Frequency (HF) radar systems for the marine environment. This instrumentation makes possible the mapping of real-time dynamics and velocities of sea-surface currents across substantial areas of inshore waters.
In late 2006, full recognition of the technology came with the establishment of the Australian Coastal Radar Network (ACORN), formulated by Professor Heron, as part of a national, federally funded, Marine Observing System. The equipment provides information similar to that now available through Bureau of Meteorology for the weather and will be used to monitor marine spills, sewage outfall release, shipping and boating activity and marine rescue operations.
Dr Graham Woods and research associates have engineered, to the stage of a successful pilot installation on the GBR’s Davies Reef, new high capacity microwave technology for transmitting environmental information from remote, unmanned observation stations on the GBR. This technology allows underwater and sea surface camera images, and information from instruments measuring environmental parameters such as wind speed, sea temperature, wave height and sea level, to be accessed in real time on a computer screen onshore.
When commercially available, the technology will be sought after for monitoring coral bleaching and tsunami events, among a range of marine science applications.
Contact: Professor Mal Heron
P: 07 4781 4981