Great Barrier Reef Common 'Live' Habitat Map: A New Project

The coral reefs of the GBR are a globally unique and essential national resource for Australia; however, no single map exists showing its extent, depth and habitat composition. Baseline mapping of the composition of an... [ view full abstract ]

The coral reefs of the GBR are a globally unique and essential national resource for Australia; however, no single map exists showing its extent, depth and habitat composition. Baseline mapping of the composition of an environment is accepted as essential information for management of terrestrial environments, in the public and private sectors. This has not been done for the GBR due to the large extent and cost of mapping its extensive and mostly submerged reefs. This presentation introduces a new method planned to map geomorphic and coral community zonation for the “shallow offshore reefs” of the Capricorn Bunker Group, and validate the results. For the purpose of this study “shallow offshore reefs” are defined as coral reefs that are visible in optical remote sensing imagery depths above 20 m. The proposed mapping and modelling of geomorphic and coral community zones combines existing and new data sets using established mapping techniques and novel spatial modelling approaches. The data to be used includes: subsurface and seafloor reflectance data and bathymetry data derived from most recent Landsat satellite imagery (30 m x 30 m pixel resolution), cyclone track data, wind and wave models, and coral community models. Mapping techniques will be based on object based image analysis for the geomorphic mapping, and benthic community mapping and modelling based on relationships between coral communities, water depth, exposure, wind, and cyclones history. The approach will adopt existing Queensland Coastal and Marine Integrated Classification Framework. Validation of the maps will be based on detailed field survey data collected from 2001-2014 across the Capricorn Bunker Group. The mapping and validation methods are being developed for future application to the whole of GBR. These approaches will use existing field data collection programs (e.g. AIMS Long Time Monitoring Program) and citizen science groups (e.g. Reef Check, Eye on the Reef) and crowd sourcing (e.g. GeoWiki). The resulting methods and digital maps will represent a significant advance in our capability to map, monitor and manage coral reefs in Australia, supporting management and science in the conservation of the Great Barrier Reef.