The second 1.5 days of the workshop consisted of discussions.  These covered:

• Identification of the big questions that we should be addressing

• Identification of major goals

• Identification of our client base and the most relevant products we can provide

• Identification of joint projects

• Recommendations and future actions

• Establishment of routine scientific protocols

Important Questions / Themes

International Significance

• Documenting the frequency and magnitude of ENSO during the 19th (or further back) vs 20th centuries.  Forms part of international initiative.

• Reconstructing the temperature and monsoonal rainfall history of the western Pacific warm pool from the last glacial maximum to the present, and during interglacial periods warmer than present.

• Developing multi-proxy approach linking calcification models with inclusive records to improve accuracy.

National Significance

• Establishing natural evolution of GBR waters (SST, nutrients, turbidity) since establishment of modern reef ecosystem (8 kaBP to present).

• Establishing distance, frequency, and concentration of terrestrial runoff (and pollutants?) to the main GBR reef tract.

• Establishing P concentrations for inner shelf waters of the GBR before and after European settlement.

• Documenting throughflow - Leeuwin Current - Indian Ocean dipole system and relations with winter rainfall in Australia