Protecting the Great Barrier Reef with eReefs, Powered by Nectar

On the late afternoon of 3 April 2010, the bulk carrier Shen Neng 1 was en route from Gladstone, Queensland to China. Carrying 650,000 tonnes of coal and nearly 1,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, it was crossing the Great Barrier Reef.^[1]

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s most extensive coral reef system^[2] and biggest living structure on Earth^[3] – ecologically crucial, undoubtedly beautiful. It’s also faced with a host of threats, one of which is potential oil spills from the thousands of vessels that move along and through it every year.

And that was what happened shortly after 5 pm, when the Shen Neng 1 hit a part of the Reef known as Douglas Shoal. With one of its fuel tanks damaged, the ship started releasing oil into the sea.^[4]

Thanks in part to the response effort, only a relatively small amount of oil was eventually spilled.^[5] But as a post-incident report points out, any oil discharge can be harmful^[6]: it can kill corals and impede their reproduction, development and behaviour, which in turn affects the other marine life that depends on the corals.^[7]

When an oil spill happens, therefore, it’s vital to be able to predict where the oil will spread to, and this requires understanding the ocean’s own movement. This was the focus of operational oceanographer Matthew Bell in a recent research project, where he used the eReefs platform, supported by the ARDC Nectar Research Cloud.

Unpacking the Dynamics of the Great Barrier Reef Waters

As part of his master’s degree in physical oceanography at UNSW Sydney, Matthew wanted to develop a method to understand the complex surface currents in the Great Barrier Reef region.

“We wanted to know what the dynamics is that’s affecting [an oil spill]. Is it a wind-driven circulation, or is it a tidally driven circulation?” Matthew explained. Based on such understanding, scientists can predict not only the dispersion of oil but also of other marine pollutants and hazardous objects like overboard containers. It also helps with ecological research, where predictions can be made of the ways biogeochemical tracers and larvae travel.

The method Matthew put to test was based on drifters, which are devices that track ocean flows as they drift along. Specifically, he deployed them in triangular formations and sought to derive the characteristics of the underlying flow from the way the triangles deform. He then contextualised the results with weather and oceanographic observations of the area to find out what was driving the flow.

“While drifters can be deployed as singles or in pairs, triads of them can reveal the shape and filamentation of a patch of pollutant, which in turn indicate its concentration, as well as its drift and spread,” said Matthew. “Triads can also minimise the amount of equipment you need to understand the environment.”

Drifters have been used around the world but not so much in the Great Barrier Reef region, let alone in such formations. To prepare for and validate this novel method, Matthew used eReefs.

Validation and Planning with eReefs – and More

eReefs models the physical, chemical and optical properties of the Reef waters, and provides access to and visualises the results and associated data. Developed by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, CSIRO, Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), and Queensland Government, it’s been supporting reporting and decision making around preservation of the Reef since 2012.

For his project, Matthew used the eReefs’ GBR1 hydrodynamic model. Prior to deploying the drifter in real life, he ran a simulation for a time and place in the past similar to that for the actual deployment. Applying GBR1’s reanalysis or hindcast of the weather and oceanographic conditions at that time and place to the simulation, Matthew was able to determine if the planned time and location for the actual deployment will lead to maximum data collection.  

Having completed the actual deployment, Matthew ran another simulation to reenact it, applying the GBR1 hindcast again. Having compared the actual and simulated results, which were in good agreement, he was confident that his method is viable.

Beyond managing oil spills and tracking particles in general, eReefs has had many more uses.

“The eReefs hydrodynamic and biogeochemical models also support the scientific consensus statement and track progress towards goals for the Reef 2050 Water Quality Improvement Plan. It also contributes to UNESCO reporting for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, and to an annual Regional Report Card for 5 Natural Resource Management areas,” said Sharon Tickell, Senior Software Engineer at CSIRO, who leads the development and support for the eReefs web platforms.

“eReefs is also used to assess the efficacy of nutrient, sediment and pesticide reduction policies for catchments adjacent to the reef, and to assess which factors control the initiation and spread of crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks on the reef.”

eReefs has so far been referenced in 89 peer-reviewed publications. In 2018, it was shortlisted for the Australian Museum Eureka Prize.

Exploring and Visualising Data with Nectar

Since eReef’s inception, the ARDC Nectar Research Cloud has hosted its data access and visualisation applications. These include the eReefs Data Explorer, which visualises key data products including model results and processed satellite imagery for oil spill detection and water quality monitoring, both delivered by CSIRO. These earth observation products are crucial to understanding and responding to pollution and the overall water quality of the Reef.

For his project, Matthew also used the eReefs Data Explorer, which saved him a lot of time.

“When I was doing my data exploration, I wanted to know where the data fit in the bigger picture before I started downloading gigabytes and gigabytes of it. The Data Explorer offered a preview of it, which told me quickly if the data was relevant to me,” he said.

For the eReefs team, Nectar has been “an incredible resource for enabling public delivery of science applications” according to Sharon.

“[Nectar] allows us to have a hosting platform that is independent of any of the partner organisations in the collaboration. Most critically, it lets us keep our applications online during gaps between funded stages of the project. Also, the Nectar support teams have always been really helpful, and the training resources they provide are just getting better and better,” she said.

The ARDC is proud to have helped enable eReefs and accelerate critical research on the Great Barrier Reef through Nectar.

Ben Chiu, Director, Services at the ARDC, said, “Nectar’s cloud infrastructure empowers Australian researchers to tackle complex challenges through platforms like eReefs. By providing scalable computing resources, Nectar enables groundbreaking science, drives insights and informs decision making for precious ecosystems such as the Great Barrier Reef. Nectar also fosters national collaboration, connecting researchers, institutions and stakeholders to share data, models and expertise, amplifying research impact and informing policy decisions across multiple research domains.”

Learn more about eReefs in our recent interview with Sharon Tickell.

Explore the ARDC Nectar Research Cloud, Australia’s national research cloud.

The ARDC is funded through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) to support national digital research infrastructure for Australian researchers.

References

1. Miller G. Shen Neng 1 Incident Response [Internet]. Slingshot Consulting; 2010 Sep [cited 2024 Sep 16]. Available from: https://documents.parliament.qld.gov.au/TableOffice/TabledPapers/2010/5310T3301.pdf Jump back
2. Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area [Internet]. dcceew.gov.au. Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water; [cited 2024 Sep 16]. Available from: https://www.dcceew.gov.au/parks-heritage/great-barrier-reef/world-heritage Jump back
3. Dive in: exploring the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem [Internet]. Queensland Government Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI). 2024 [cited 2024 Sep 16]. Available from: https://www.desi.qld.gov.au/our-department/news-media/down-to-earth/dive-in-exploring-the-great-barrier-reef-ecosystem Jump back
4. Miller. Jump back
5. Ibid. Jump back
6. Ibid. Jump back
7. How Do Oil Spills Affect Coral Reefs? [Internet]. NOAA Office of Response and Restoration. 2013 [cited 2024 Sep 16]. Available from: https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/about/media/how-do-oil-spills-affect-coral-reefs.html Jump back