Coastal-monitoring

CSIRO-CoastalMonitoringAndMapping_Web1080p

 

 

[Music plays and an image appears of the sun rising in the distance, and then images move through of a close view of a tree at dusk, and a bird wading in some water]

 

Narrator: There is something special about humanity’s relationship with the coast.

 

[Images move through of Indigenous people in activities including, digging amongst rocks with a stick, throwing a spear, holding a handful of shells, sitting in the sand, and driving along the beach in a 4WD]

 

For tens of thousands of years Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have maintained deep cultural connections with coastal environments.

 

[Images move through of an aerial view of two 4WDs moving along the beach, an aerial view of cars moving along a road by the sea, and aerial views of a seaside town, suburb, city, and harbour]

 

We are so drawn to these places that today they are the most developed and populated zones in Australia.

 

[Images move through of waves crashing on the rocks, a dolphin jumping out of the water, a male picking up a fish, a person measuring a crab, and a person cooking fish in a pan]

 

Ocean environments close to our coasts are not only highly biodiverse but also provide important sources of protein.

 

[Images move through of a view looking down on a reef, a view of mangroves, an underwater view of seagrass, a view looking down on waterways, and waves crashing on the beach]

 

Natural habitats like reefs, mangroves, and seagrass form protective barriers against inundation and damaging storms.

 

[Camera pans along to show a person walking up the beach, and then images move through to show a close view of a surfer catching a wave, and a male throwing a net into the water]

 

And, they are beautiful, remaining an important part of our national identity.  

 

[Images move through of a female and a dog looking at the sea, two people walking along the beach, and then a close view of the waves]

 

But this connection to coasts has come at a cost.

 

[Images move through of waves crashing on the beach, and the camera pans into the shore and then over a patch of scrub to show boats in a still harbour]

 

Most of the challenges facing our marine environments didn’t start in the water.

 

[Images move through to show cars moving along a freeway, a view of high-rise buildings lit up at night, an aerial view looking down on farming land near the sea, and a view of the beach]

 

They began on shore. Population growth, urbanisation, coastal catchment development and climate change are testing the resilience of our coastal habitats.

 

[Camera moves over an area of mangroves in the water]

 

To assess these pressures we need improved coastal data collection.

 

[Image changes to show an animation of a satellite near the Earth, and the images tilts backwards, and text appears: A Multi-Scaled Challenge]

 

A Multi-scaled Challenge.

 

[Image changes to show an animation of a cross-section of the ocean and the land, and text labels appear: Cliffs, Dune, Beach, Waves, Tides, Seafloor, Features, Current]

 

Coastal zones are hydrographically and topographically complex across both space and time.

 

[Animation image changes to show a map, and text appears: 100km]

 

As we move from offshore to coastal regions the issues tend to get finer in scale, from hundreds of kilometres to hundreds of metres.

 

[Animation changes to show fish around a reef, and the image is repeated across the screen, and then the image tilts back and a molecule symbol appears below, and the satellite and Earth appear above]

 

Effective management of our coastal environments requires reliable, long-term, and real-time data collection at a range of different scales, from the molecular scale to views from Space.

 

[Image changes to show seven symbols circling around the CSIRO logo, and text appears beneath the symbols: Habitat Modelling and Mapping, Forecasting, Connectivity, Molecular Approaches, Autonomous Sensors, Remote Sensors, Working with Communities]

 

At CSIRO we are developing tools to collect data more efficiently and to integrate them in ways that are meaningful for decision making.

 

[Animation image changes to show the images of the satellite and Earth, the fish swimming around the reef, and a molecule, and then the molecule enlarges, and text appears: Scale 1 – Molecular]

 

Scale 1 – Molecular. At the very smallest end of the scale we are developing our capabilities to monitor changes at the molecular level.

 

[Image changes to show a close view looking down on a reef]

 

Counting fish is difficult.

 

[Image changes to show a close view of brightly coloured tropical fish around sea plants, and then the image changes to show a diver swimming around the fish]

 

They live in a hidden world beneath the waves and accessing that world is a costly exercise.

 

[Image changes to show a close view of a small shark swimming around the reef, and then the image changes to show a close view of a sea snake on the sea floor]

 

Once you are under water everything is in perpetual motion, and some species are cryptic and difficult to spot.

 

[Images move through to show a person adjusting a camera lens, a side view of the lens moving, two people looking at fish on a computer screen, and a diver on the sea floor recording species on a tablet]

 

A common technique has been to record hundreds of hours of video footage and manually identify biodiversity or use divers to detect species.

 

[Image changes to show a close view of the water surface sparkling in the sun]

However, a new method is solving this challenge.

 

[Image changes to show an animation of fish swimming, and then eDNA strands appear in amongst the fish, and the image shows two boxes appearing with different species inside, and text appears: Krill, Bacterioplankton, Phytoplankton, Zooplankton]

 

Seawater contains eDNA, the genetic remnants of the biodiversity it supports.

 

[Animation image changes to show a circle containing eDNA, and then boxes appear around the circle showing different species inside each, and text appears: Staghorn coral, Lionfish, Phytoplankton, Zooplankton, Shark, Manta ray, Bacterioplankton, Krill]

 

Reading eDNA means we can identify species living in an area, from plankton to sharks,

 

[Animation image changes to show a boat on the surface of the water with recording equipment extending into the water from the boat]

 

and monitor in fine detail how they change over time. All this can be done without entering the water.

 

[Image changes to show fish swimming over a reef, and then the image changes to show various views looking down on the reefs under the water]

 

eDNA can help tell us how marine ecosystems respond to climate change effects such as heat waves.

 

[Images move through to show a view looking down a waterway, the sun reflected in the water, a boat moving through the water, and then boats moving towards a sea platform]

 

We can use it to detect the presence of harmful species before they take hold and monitor environmental compliance for marine industries.

 

[Images move through of a close view of small plants at the water’s edge, a tree branch out over the water, crashing waves, and then waves crashing on the shore]

 

We can even use this data to assist our understanding of how these systems store or release carbon dioxide and how these processes might be sensitive to extreme events like floods or tropical cyclones.

 

[Image changes to show the animation of the fish swimming over the reef, and the molecule symbol appears below, and the Earth and satellite above, and text appears: Scale 2 – Human]

 

Scale 2 – Human.

 

[Image changes to show a boat dragging a circular net, and then the image changes to show a large boat deploying scientific equipment from the side]

 

Zooming out from the microscopic we arrive at the human scale. Accurate modelling requires vast amounts of data.

 

[Images flash through of a scientific equipment, monitoring equipment being deployed and brought back onto the boat, a boat moving through the water, and a wave splashing over the front of the boat]

 

Collecting that data is often challenging considering the remote and volatile nature of the marine environment.

 

[Images move through of crew members deploying an AUV into a small boat, AUVs under the water moving along the ocean floor, a sensory buoy in the water, and an AUV in the water]

 

Today, we combat these challenges by utilising autonomous and piloted observation technologies such as sensory buoys and aerial and underwater vehicles.

 

[Image changes to show an animation of an AUV moving along the ocean floor scanning the marine life and storing the data]

 

Developments in machine learning means software can now recognise different marine species and classify corals in live images or videos recorded by autonomous vehicles leading to more accurate and faster coastal surveys.

 

[Images move through to show two males looking at a towed camera on a computer screen, a towed camera being deployed, and a close view of Crown of Thorns Starfish on a reef]

 

We are currently using tow camera systems to detect the Crown of Thorns Starfish on the Great Barrier Reef,

 

[Images move through of an area of coast, a sea turtle moving through the water, a dugong surfacing, and then a dugong moving along the seabed through the sea grass]

 

and using aerial drones and camera networks to monitor sea turtles and dugong in blue carbon habitats.

 

[Image changes to show an aerial view looking down on a mangrove swampy area, and then the image changes to show water moving up and down in a mangrove area]

 

Over time these autonomous devices can build time lapse maps of the coastal habitats allowing us to monitor changes to their condition and health.

 

[Image changes to show text: Internet of Things]

 

The advancements in IOT technology

 

[Image changes to show an animation of a map with sensors in five different areas, and temperature and species graphs can be seen in each of these areas]

 

have given us the opportunity to deploy more sensors for longer with less need for maintenance. In the future we may have permanent sensors positioned in critical habitats keeping watch and providing real-time data.

 

[Image changes to show an animation of fish moving along the reef, the molecule model, and the Earth and satellite again, and the camera zooms in on the Earth and satellite, and text appears: Scale 3 – Planetary]

 

Scale 3 – Planetary.

 

[Image changes to show a close view of the world, globe and then the image changes to show a view of the Earth’s surface, and the camera pans over the surface]

 

Zooming out again we arrive at the planetary scale. Here we see the big picture.

 

[Animation images move through of Tasmania on the surface of the earth, and then the camera zooms in on a map, and then data and graphs appear on the side of the map, and text appears: Water quality, Sediment, Algal bloom]

 

By itself airborne and satellite earth observation data is incredibly useful. It supports our marine and coastal monitoring on a broad scale.

 

[Animation image changes to show another map, and the image shows an area of Algal bloom highlighted, and then an area of an oil spill highlighted, and text appears: Algal bloom detected, Oil spill detected]

 

It underpins modelling and mapping and can help detect the presence of harmful algal blooms or monitor the impact of events like oil spills. It’s also very cost effective.

 

[Image changes to show a close view of a map, and then images move through of a male deploying a piece of equipment from a boat, and then a piece of equipment below the water]

 

However, the true power of this information is realised when combined with molecular and autonomous data.

 

[Images move through to show a piece of equipment below the water being drawn to the surface and then onto the boat, people at work recording on the boat, and then waves crashing on a reef]

 

Together they create predictive modelling that can enable real-time and future focussed decision making to support sustainable use of our coastline at multiple scales.

 

[Image changes to show the sun setting behind a calm sea, and then the image changes to show the animation of the fish swimming over the reef, and text appears: Protecting the things we care about]

 

Protecting the things we care about.

 

[Images move through of two children running along the beach, a close view of the two children drawing in the sand on the beach, and an aerial view of a beachside suburb]

 

Our connection to the coast will continue for future generations who have the same right as we do to enjoy healthy, functioning coastal environments.

 

[Images move through of a male driving along by the beach, a close view of the sea, a close view of a tree at dusk, and then a view of the tree near the water]

 

With a growing population driving increased development it is crucial that we continue and expand multi-scale monitoring and mapping.

 

[Image changes to show a close view of reeds in the water, and then the image changes to show a wading bird in the shallows]

 

These systems are critical to coastal protection, carbon sequestration, and cultural connection.

 

[Images move through to show a view of a sensory buoy being set up and then deployed, different scientific experiments in a lab, a male walking in the mangroves, and people working with lab samples]

 

Utilising safer, less invasive, and efficient technology means we can be more strategic in where we spend our limited resources.

 

[Images move through of a female working with a lab sample, a research boat moving through the water, a turtle swimming underwater, and a diver swimming underwater]

 

We can invest effort in protecting coastal environments where it is needed most.

 

[Images move through to show divers taking a sea floor sample and measuring the depth, a research vessel being towed into a shed, a female giving a presentation, and a piece of equipment being lifted]

 

At CSIRO we are working with our partners to integrate multi-scale observations

 

[Images move through of a male looking at a sample in a conical flask, a group of people looking at a seagrass sample, seagrass on the ocean floor, mangrove plants, and a rocky area on the seashore]

 

to provide the information that will support decision making and help maintain healthy coastal systems for the future.

 

[Music plays and the image changes to show a view of waves crashing on a beach, and then the image changes to show waves crashing around some rocks, and then the CSIRO logo and credits appear]

 

[Image changes to show a white screen and the CSIRO logo and text appears: CSIRO, Australia’s National Science Agency]