Management Concern: High     Adequacy of Information: Low

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• Little is known about the status of plankton and microbes on the Great Barrier Reef.
• Climate change may cause compositional shifts in plankton due to changes in ocean circulation, nutrient regimes and ocean acidification.
• Microbes are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, but have greater capacity for adaptation than other groups.

What do we know? (relevant pages from Outlook Online)

• Vulnerability of microbes on the Great Barrier Reef to climate change
• Vulnerability of Great Barrier Reef plankton to climate change
• Phytoplankton in the Great Barrier Reef
• Ecological role of marine microbes in the Great Barrier Reef

Existing policies and management actions

• Australian Government policy on climate change
• Queensland Government climate change policies and strategies
• Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012

Future management requirements

• Biodiversity strategy

Defined research questions

• What effect is the changing physical and chemical environment having on plankton and microbe populations? 
  
• What is the adaptation potential of microbes and plankton to the predicted impacts of climate change?
• What will be the effects of climate change on microbial processes and symbioses?

Current Research and Monitoring