The Reef Rescue Marine Monitoring Program is made up of three key components:

1. Marine water quality monitoring

Monitoring of marine water quality is required to measure improvements in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef resulting from any reductions in discharge of pollutants from the river mouths. Monitoring includes measuring nutrients, water turbidity and pesticide concentrations. Sampling is carried out using traditional water sampling techniques, satellite remote sensing technologies and through deployments of state-of-the-art sensors with long-term data logging capacity.

2. Intertidal seagrass monitoring

Monitoring of seagrass is carried out on meadows between Hervey Bay and Cooktown. Both coastal meadows and meadows adjacent to Great Barrier Reef continental islands are monitored. Monitoring of intertidal seagrass meadows ensures that any change in their status is identified. Seagrass monitoring is carried out using measurements of seagrass abundance and species composition; seagrass reproductive status and assessments of local water quality conditions.

3. Coral reef monitoring

Monitoring of coral reefs is focussed on inshore reefs between the Keppels in the southern Great Barrier Reef and Snapper Island in the north. Additional monitoring is carried out by the Australian Institute of Marine Science in reefs in offshore waters. Monitoring of inshore reefs ensures that any change in their status is identified. Reef monitoring is carried out using video records of coral and benthic cover; monitoring coral recruitment rates; and community composition assessments.

Related Information

• Quality Assurance/ Quality Control Methods and Procedures [2.7 MB]
  
• Quality Assurance/ Quality Control Methods and Procedures Appendices [16 MB]
  
• Appendix B4 ACTFR water sampling input sheet [257.5 KB]