How do you manage a unique natural resource like the Great Barrier Reef when it’s threatened on so many fronts? Coral bleaching caused by rising water temperatures due to climate change, is possibly the biggest and most immediate threat.
Coral bleaching – one of many threats to the reef
(image: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority)
But then there’s also coral disease; sediment, fertiliser and pesticide pollution from mainland run-off; and the growing spectre of acidification. The reef ecosystem is already susceptible to the effects of climate change; pollution only makes the problem worse. Each of these threats comes from a different source, operates at a different scale and interacts in a variety of ways.
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WSN in Australian Rainforest
December 15th, 2008
Scientists in Australia have developed an innovative wireless sensor network (WSN) to monitor the environment and potentially restore endangered rainforests. The group has deployed 10 wireless solar-powered sensors in the Springbrook National Park, to measure such environmental factors as temperature, humidity, light, soil moisture and wind speed, and to relay that information to a central database located in Brisbane, Queensland.
Springbrook is part of the Gondwana Rainforest, which is included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List for areas with outstanding heritage value. Up to 200 wireless sensors will be deployed over the next three years, including models with video and sound recorders, to provide details regarding the health of the ecosystem, fauna and flora.
More info here.
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