[Music plays]
(Narrator) There is something special about
humanity’s relationship with the coast.
For tens of thousands of years
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have maintained
deep cultural connections with coastal environments.
We are so drawn to these places that today
they are the most developed and populated zones in Australia.
Ocean environments close to our coasts are not only
highly biodiverse but also provide important sources of protein.
Natural habitats like reefs, mangroves, and seagrass
form protective barriers against inundation and damaging storms.
And, they are beautiful,
remaining an important part of our national identity.
But this connection to coasts has come at a cost.
Most of the challenges facing our marine environments
didn’t start in the water.
They began on shore.
Population growth, urbanisation, coastal catchment development
and climate change are testing the resilience of our coastal habitats.
To assess these pressures we need improved coastal data collection.
A Multi-scaled Challenge.
Coastal zones are hydrographically and topographically complex
across both space and time.
As we move from offshore to coastal regions
the issues tend to get finer in scale,
from hundreds of kilometres to hundreds of metres.
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.
At CSIRO we are developing tools to collect data more efficiently
and to integrate them in ways that are meaningful for decision making.
Scale 1 – Molecular.
At the very smallest end of the scale we are developing our capabilities
to monitor changes at the molecular level.
Counting fish is difficult.
They live in a hidden world beneath the waves
and accessing that world is a costly exercise.
Once you are under water everything is in perpetual motion,
and some species are cryptic and difficult to spot.
A common technique has been to record hundreds of hours
of video footage and manually identify biodiversity
or use divers to detect species.
However, a new method is solving this challenge.
Seawater contains eDNA,
the genetic remnants of the biodiversity it supports.
Reading eDNA means we can identify species living in an area,
from plankton to sharks,
and monitor in fine detail how they change over time.
All this can be done without entering the water.
eDNA can help tell us how marine ecosystems respond
to climate change effects such as heat waves.
We can use it to detect the presence of harmful species
before they take hold and monitor environmental compliance
for marine industries.
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.
Scale 2 – Human.
Zooming out from the microscopic we arrive at the human scale.
Accurate modelling requires vast amounts of data.
Collecting that data is often challenging considering
the remote and volatile nature of the marine environment.
Today, we combat these challenges by utilising autonomous
and piloted observation technologies
such as sensory buoys and aerial and underwater vehicles.
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.
We are currently using tow camera systems to detect
the Crown of Thorns Starfish on the Great Barrier Reef,
and using aerial drones and camera networks to monitor
sea turtles and dugong in blue carbon habitats.
Over time these autonomous devices can build time lapse maps
of the coastal habitats allowing us to monitor changes
to their condition and health.
The advancements in IOT technology 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.
Scale 3 – Planetary.
Zooming out again we arrive at the planetary scale.
Here we see the big picture.
By itself airborne and satellite earth observation data
is incredibly useful.
It supports our marine and coastal monitoring on a broad scale.
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.
However, the true power of this information is realised
when combined with molecular and autonomous data.
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.
Protecting the things we care about.
Our connection to the coast will continue for future generations
who have the same right as we do to enjoy healthy,
functioning coastal environments.
With a growing population driving increased development
it is crucial that we continue and expand multi-scale
monitoring and mapping.
These systems are critical to coastal protection,
carbon sequestration, and cultural connection.
[Music plays]
Utilising safer, less invasive, and efficient technology
means we can be more strategic in where we spend our limited resources.
We can invest effort in protecting coastal environments
where it is needed most.
At CSIRO we are working with our partners to integrate
multi-scale observations to provide the information
that will support decision making
and help maintain healthy coastal systems for the future.
[Music plays]