Scientists document health of Barrier Reef

23 Feb 2012, 3:53 pm   -   Source: AAP
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For the next two years scientists will document the composition and health of the Great Barrier Reef and the public can watch via Google and YouTube.

A ground-breaking scientific study looking at the effects of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef has been launched in Singapore.

The Catlin Seaview Survey is a two-year project during which scientists will document the composition and health of the reef at depths reaching 100 metres.

State-of-the-art technology, including dive robots, will be used to collect data such as coral, and take measurements and photographs.

Tiger sharks, green turtles and manta rays will also be tagged to learn more about their migratory patterns in response to rising seawater temperatures.

Australian Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, the chief scientist on the project, said on Thursday that it's the first of its kind.

"It's ground-breaking in that it's going to be using shallow-water specially designed cameras to take 360-degree panoramic shots of the reef," he told AAP from Singapore.

"It's going to do that over kilometres of seascape at each of the multiple sites down on the Great Barrier Reef."

About 50,000 images are expected to be taken and will be uploaded to Google Earth and Google Maps. Once the images are stitched together people around the world will be able to go for a virtual dive.

The public will also be able to watch live broadcasts of the expedition team from the ocean floor thanks to YouTube and Google Hangouts video technology.

The dive component of the project will be launched on the Great Barrier Reef in September.

*Findings from the Catlin Seaview Survey will be available at catlinseaviewsurvey.com and on the Google platforms.

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