CReefs

Launched in 2005, CReefs is the coral reef component of the Census of Marine Life (CoML), a global network of researchers in more than 80 countries engaged in a 10-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution and abundance of marine life in the oceans – past, present and future.

CReefs researchers will focus on identifying and naming the myriad marine life associated with coral reefs. They will conduct a global census of coral reef ecosystems, increasing our knowledge of marine life and our understanding of the interrelationships of coral reef species. This collaborative group will also work toward improving access to existing data and information about coral reef biodiversity.

CReefs has three nodes hosted by the following organisations: AIMS, The Smithsonian Institution, and the Pacific Island Fisheries Centre (PIFSC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

AIMS is leading a consortium of scientists conducting field surveys at three key Australian reef sites, the Great Barrier Reef’s Heron and Lizard Islands and Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. The series of three, three-week expeditions at each location will each involve about 25 people. These expeditions will use a diverse range of sampling methods in various habitats to sample species associated with coral reefs that have not previously been sampled. AIMS will also manage and serve data produced by the project.

Species will be genetically barcoded as part of the Barcode of Life, a project linked with the CoML. All biodiversity data generated by the project will be made publicly available through the Ocean Biogeographic Information System, an initiative of the CoML.

Field-based activities of the Australian node and follow up analyses of collections from these expeditions will be supported by BHP-Billiton ($3.4million over four years) in a deal brokered by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and AIMS.

Related links:
Voyage tracker
CReefs Lizard Island expedition
CReefs web site
Census of Marine Life web site
Ocean Biogeographic Information System web site

November 7, 2007