On the edge of the north-west continental shelf, far from the Western Australian mainland, lie a series of remote coral reef systems that rise steeply from deep water to almost touch the ocean’s surface.
AIMS has been studying these oceanic reef systems for over 20 years, providing valuable knowledge about their plants and animals. To improve understanding of the entire region’s health over time, we are taking a coordinated approach to mapping, monitoring and assessing the resilience of these remote reef systems.
Long-Term Monitoring Program Annual Summary Report of Coral Reef Condition 2021/22
Continued coral recovery leads to 36-year highs across two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef
Components
There are many ways to measure the status of coral reefs. One of the most common is to use percent hard coral cover as an ‘indicator’ of reef condition because it describes the abundance of a critical ecosystem engineer on coral reefs. This measure describes the proportion of the seafloor that is covered in live hard coral. Percent hard coral cover is widely used by scientists worldwide and is a standard measure that applies to all locations. While it does not tell us anything about the diversity or composition of coral assemblages, it provides a simple and robust measure of reef health.
Percent hard coral cover can be estimated using various techniques. The technique used for this report is manta tow surveys, which are visual estimates of percent hard coral cover over the area covered by an observer during one 2-minute tow (~2000m2). The percent hard coral cover for a reef is then estimated as the average of the estimates from all tows around a reef and reported as broad categories (e.g., 0 = 0%, >0% – 10%, >10% – 30%, >30% – 50%, >50% – 75% and >75% – 100%; See video below).
A coral reef consists of more than just hard coral and contains a diverse array of other corals, sponges, algae, sand, rock and invertebrates. It is relatively rare for GBR reefs to have 75% to 100% hard coral cover and AIMS defines >30% – 50% hard coral cover as a high value, based on historical surveys across the GBR.
Other techniques for determining percent hard coral cover involve counting the number of points within sampling units (quadrats, photos), as used by LTMP in fixed site surveys, or the linear distance along a tape measure (line-intercept) that intersect live hard coral colonies. Adding up the total number of points of live hard coral cover and then expressing this as a percentage of the total number of points within a sample yields the estimates of hard coral cover. Data from both the fixed site and manta tow surveys conducted by the LTMP are highly correlated and show the same trends in hard coral cover estimates. However, manta tow estimates are generally lower than those obtained from fixed site surveys as they encompass the entire reef, including sandy back reef habitats that have low coral cover.
A visual guide to the different categories of coral cover used for reef surveys.
AIMS is a strategy-led organisation with research aligned to the nation’s evolving science priorities to develop globally relevant and innovative research solutions. AIMS has been a key leader in the National Marine Science Committee since its inception, and is a strong contributor to Australia’s National Marine Science Plan.
AIMS is a leading authority on the impact of pollutants on tropical marine life. Our expert ecotoxicologists study the effects of contamination caused by population growth, urbanisation, trade, industrialisation and mining on aquatic species.
AIMS scientists have access to a dedicated ecotoxicology aquarium and testing laboratory. We specialise in the impact of pollutants on tropical marine ecosystems, which is poorly studied and understood compared to temperate ecosystems.
The AIMS research fleet provides access to all of Australia's tropical marine environments. Two large purpose-built ships, the Research Vessel (RV) Cape Ferguson and the RV Solander, and a number of smaller vessels take researchers to the diverse habitats that make up our tropical marine environment.
Since 1972, AIMS has built a strong networks of partnerships with research, industry and government. Collaboration is at our core. Our world-class people, facilities, knowledge and technology and our presence and experience across tropical Australia deliver excellent capabilities to all our partnerships.
If you are seeking science-based solutions in tropical marine environments, please contact us to see how we can work together.
To maintain and strengthen its position as a world-leader in marine science, Australia needs to build a pipeline of highly skilled marine scientists with expertise in relevant areas.
More broadly, it is widely recognised that to maintain Australia’s competitive edge and reach our potential for innovation, we need to increase our numbers of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM)-trained professionals. Also, women are under represented in STEM in Australia, currently making up only 13 per cent of those employed in STEM jobs.
Pacific Island communities rely on coral reefs for food, income and coastal protection, but these ecosystems face risk of collapse under the pressures of climate change.
Preventing further degradation of coral reefs depends on the availability of timely and accurate information about reef condition to determine regional trends and inform conservation and management decisions.
