Great Barrier Reef on the Internet

From Practical Fishkeeping:

Google is teaming up with researchers from the University of Queensland, Australia and their sponsor the Caitlin Group to produce an undersea version of Google’s popular ‘streetview’.

The project, known as the Caitlin Seaview Survey aims to find out as much as possible about the health of the Great Barrier Reef and its inhabitants while allowing the public to enjoy exploring the beauty of this fragile environment from the comfort of their own home. …

A shallow reef survey will be carried out using a 360° camera mounted on a motorised ‘scooter’ which will pull the diver cameraman behind it. Deep water reef surveys at depths from 30 to 100 metres will be performed by robotic mini-subs and finally a survey studying the migratory behaviours of the reefs ‘megafauna’ such as green turtles, manta rays and tiger sharks will take place with the help of satellite tagging.

It’s hoped that the data collected will be useful for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Parks Authority when the reef is damaged by ships, storms, bleaching events or pollution. Over the coming years, the survey intends to expand globally to reveal the oceans in regions of importance all over the world.

Take a look at the first sample surveys in the video below.

New threats to Great Barrier Reef: here.

Greenpeace Activists arrested Over Great Barrier Reef Protest Amid UNESCO Visit: here.

Coal and gas developments proposed in Queensland are putting Australia’s Great Barrier Reef at risk, says a report by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO): here.

Stop the Sale of Manta Ray Leather: here.