Program Leader: Dr Julian Caley, Australian Institute of
Marine Science
Program 5i addresses specific information gaps of direct
relevance and importance to users of the Great Barrier Reef and
those charged with its sustainable management. The Program
will address high priority issues for climate change impacts on the
Great Barrier Reef, including:
-
an evaluation of possible futures for the Great Barrier Reef
ecosystem on the basis of our present knowledge and forecasted
climate variations;
-
an early warning and assessment system for thermal stress on the
Great Barrier Reef;
-
an evaluation of the resilience of coral reef ecosystems to
climate change; and
-
tools to support resilience-based management in the face of
climate change.
Understanding the potential impacts of climate change on the
Great Barrier Reef and management options for minimising its
impacts is critical to the long-term sustainable use of this
valuable natural asset. Program 5i will incorporate a
large-scale, integrated approach to understanding how environmental
conditions will change in the near future, how these changes will
impact the species that make up the reef, how resilient these
species are likely to be to such impacts, and what are the best
management options for minimising the risks of climate change to
these reef communities.
Program 5i involves four Projects:
Project
2.5i.1 - Regional climate scenarios (Research Providers:
CSIRO, AIMS)
Project
2.5i.2 - Early warning and assessment system for thermal stress on
the Great Barrier Reef (Research Providers: AIMS, UQ)
Project
2.5i.3 - Resilience to climate change (Research
Providers: JCU, AIMS)
Project
2.5i.4 - Tools to support resilience-based management in the face
of climate change (Research Providers: AIMS, CSIRO,
CQU)
