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Influence of deep Great Barrier Reef research on the

Blue Economy Dr Robin Beaman

College of Science, Technology and Engineering

robin.beaman@jcu.edu.au

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Most of our understanding about the spatial extent and geomorphology of coral reefs comes from our views of reefs from the air or at the sea surface.

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Port Douglas

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Landsat7

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AUS 831

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LADS

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Reson Seabat 8101

Simrad EM3000

Atlas Fansweep20 Beaman et al. 2008

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Escape Reef

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Grafton Passage

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Why are drowned reefs important?

• Unique archive of abrupt climate change and coral reef response

• Drowned reefs are not dead reefs - provide substrate for deep fauna

• Poorly understood habitat within the Marine Park

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2007 RV Southern Surveyor GBR shelf edge reefs voyage

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Hydrographers Passage

2 km

5 km

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Submarine canyons off Cairns

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2010 RV Greatship Maya

IODP Exp 325

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Core sites on drowned reefs

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Expedition 325 Scientists, 2010. Great Barrier Reef environmental changes: the last deglacial sea level rise in the South Pacific: offshore drilling northeast Australia. IODP Expedition 325 Preliminary Report. Hinestrosa, G., Webster, J.M., Beaman, R.J., Anderson, L.M., 2014. Seismic stratigraphy and development of the shelf-edge reefs of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Marine Geology 353, 1-20.

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gbr100 draft V4

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www.deepreef.org

Value of research

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• Multiple research voyages: $2k-$35K/day • Ship/science crew transport/accom: $k • Gear logistics/sample transport: $k • Research/equipment grants: $k • 3+ PhD completion funds: $75k/person • 30+ scientific journal articles: $ • Informing reef managers: $ • Information for the public: $

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www.biopixel.tv

Natures War Zone – tiger shark tracking

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Mysteries of the Shark Coast – Osprey Reef intro

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Great Barrier Reef series – Picasso1 at Osprey Reef

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2014 MV Alucia Attenborough’s The Great Reef

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Value of productions

• Discovery Ch. Fearless Planet: $700k • NHNZ Natures War Zone: $600k • NHK Great Barrier Reef: $700k • National Geographic Strike Force: $400k • Discovery Ch. Mysteries of Shark Coast: $800k • BBC Great Barrier Reef series: $5.5mill • Attenborough’s The Great Reef: $5mill

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Slide Number 1Slide Number 2Slide Number 3Slide Number 4Slide Number 5Slide Number 6Slide Number 7Slide Number 8Slide Number 9Why are drowned reefs important?Slide Number 11Slide Number 12Slide Number 13Slide Number 14Slide Number 15Slide Number 16Slide Number 17Slide Number 18Value of researchSlide Number 20Natures War Zone – tiger shark trackingMysteries of the Shark Coast – Osprey Reef introGreat Barrier Reef series – Picasso1 at Osprey ReefSlide Number 24Slide Number 25Value of productions