The enormous size of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park means that most of it is not easily accessible. This has implications for where research takes place. A large amount of scientific research is undertaken in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park by researchers from various institutes throughout Australia and internationally. Much of this research occurs around the five scientific research stations operating in the Marine Park. These stations and the marine habitats surrounding them provide scientists with the facilities they need to conduct their work. The five research stations are spread along the length of the Great Barrier Reef.

• Lizard Island Research Station (Australian Museum)
  
• Low Isles Research Station (University of Queensland)
  
• Orpheus Island Research Station (James Cook University)
  
• Heron Island Research Station (University of Queensland)
  
• One Tree Island Research Station (University of Sydney)

Research also takes place in many other locations on the Great Barrier Reef. For example, the locations of various monitoring programs in the Great Barrier Reef can be viewed as a downloadable KML file for Google Earth. Explore the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park with Google Maps.