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| An underwater landslide, which slid 900 metres and spread 20 kilometres wide at its base. (Supplied: Dr Robin Beaman, James Cook University) |
Scientists from the CSIRO are using cutting-edge
technology to map the seafloor of the Queensland Basin to understand how
the Great Barrier Reef responded to past climate change events.
While
the reef is one of the world's most studied ecosystems, its depths
could still hold many surprises, including how resilient it might be in
the future.Scientists on the CSIRO research vessel, the RV Investigator, are on a four-week voyage to map the offshore Queensland Basin.
It uses new multi-beam echosounders to survey the seafloor to the depth of about 11 kilometres — eight kilometres deeper than scientists could reach previously.
3D map shows Kerguelen Plateau and SW Indian Ocean.
James Cook University marine geologist Robin Beaman, who heads the project, said the ship worked by constantly scanning the seabed, building a more comprehensive picture than ever before.
While it has mapped parts of the Southern Ocean, this voyage takes the researchers from Brisbane north to the Coral Sea.
"On the edge of the Great Barrier Reef there is this incredible undersea landscape," Dr Beaman said."We've got a three-dimensional picture.
"We will use this data for many, many years to come."
Fossilised, drowned reef discovered
The fossilised drowned reef, which would have grown when the sea level was lower. (Photo: Dr Robin Beamean/James Cook University) (ABC News)
So far the team has found a fossilised, or drowned reef about 100 metres down.
It would have grown when the sea level was lower.
Not able to keep pace with the high rate of sea level rise and associated environmental changes after the last ice age, about 20,000 years ago, the coral died and is now preserved at those deeper levels.
Dr Beaman said it had the potential to provide a wealth of knowledge about how best to manage the reef going forward.
"We are facing unprecedented change on the Great Barrier Reef. We look at the past to give context to what we might have in the future," he said.
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| Robin Beaman aboard the CSIRO research ship, the RV Investigator. (Supplied: CSIRO) |
University of Sydney geoscientist Jody Webster said the new information was crucial.
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| Associate Professor Webster examines a core sample drilled from the reef. (Supplied: Sydney University) |
Similar mapping laid the groundwork for a huge core drilling expedition in 2010, which revealed a mass of information about extinct reefs and organisms.
"One of the key goals is to understand what the environmental thresholds are to the life of the reef," Associate Professor Webster said.
The latest research has also turned up a huge underwater landslide on the edge of the reef shelf.
At a depth of about 120 metres, the slide drops almost a kilometre down and more than 20 kilometres wide at its base.
"It is truly huge in scale," Dr Beaman said."We know that these are old, but they generate tsunamis several metres to 10 metres [high].
"It's unlikely that humans were here in Australia at the time."
The mapping from this voyage will be further investigated next year, when the scientists join an international collaboration on board a German research ship in the Great Barrier Reef.
Links
- Does the Great Barrier Reef affect rainfall in north Queensland?
- Underwater discovery south of Melbourne 'rivals Great Barrier Reef'
- Scientists digitally map out entire Great Barrier Reef
- Google launches first underwater 'Street View' of Great Barrier Reef
- Parts of Great Barrier Reef increasing in coral: survey
- Dramatic images show bleached coral covered in slime
- Could removing seaweed save the Great Barrier Reef?
- Damselfish in distress as coral bleaching masks predator's scent
- How drinking beer could save the reef
- Next term of government will seal Great Barrier Reef's fate, report warns
- Only 7pc of Great Barrier Reef escapes bleaching: survey
- David Attenborough returns to struggling Great Barrier Reef to find answers
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