XL CATLIN SEAVIEW SURVEY
2012 – 2016
Science Report
Since the XL Catlin Seaview Survey began in 2012, it has mapped more than 1000km of reef scape across 22 countries and collected more than 600,000 images for scientific analysis.
CHIEF SCIENTIST REPORT One of the major hurdles for ocean conservation is the inability for many to see and treasure what is at stake. Only a lucky few will ever get the opportunity to witness our beautiful ‘underwater cities’ with their own eyes. Even less will have the ability to study them and understand why the world’s reefs are in a dramatic state of decline. In response, Global Change Institute (GCI) researchers, are revealing the world’s coral reefs, in high-definition 360-degree vision, through the XL Catlin Seaview Survey. The scientific images our researchers have captured form the basis of the XL Catlin Global Reef Record, a research tool enabling change to be clearly monitored over time and helping scientists, policy makers, and the public to see and understand the issues facing coral reefs. This will enable policy makers to work out what needs to be done to best protect coral reefs now and into the future. Since the XL Catlin Seaview Survey began in 2012, it has mapped more than 1000km of reef scape across 22 countries and collected more than 600,000 images for scientific analysis. The project exemplifies the pursuit of excellence in research and engagement. It currently has numerous research papers associated with it, demonstrating The University of Queensland’s (UQ) credibility in coral reef science and providing immense academic opportunities for researchers and students.
The team’s world-class researchers collaborated with international institutions to foster shared learning opportunities, and to access cutting edge technology. Our researchers are accessing advanced computer-based methods of analysing data to inform conservation plans, achieving in 12 months what would have previously taken 30 years. The team is also leading positive change through education and building capability in the communities it interacts with around the world. This is done both at the local community scale as well as the government level. An important part of the project is returning critical information to local organisations in an effort to provide better science to inform policy and educate communities on the health of their coral reefs. GCI, in this respect, has become a trusted advisor providing scientific excellence to influence change. As well as imparting information, our researchers are educating local organisations, enabling them to improve their understanding and practical application of research methodology. As the founding and lead science partner in the survey, the Institute is delivering enormous scientific impact, outreach and engagement activities to highlight ocean research. The large scope of the project and its unique imagery has led to more than $200 million media exposure around the world in top end publications. When it comes to informing policy and management decisions, this project provides easy to access, rigorous, scientific analysis from UQ experts that helps inform decision making processes globally. With only a tiny fraction of the world’s population having ever scuba dived, it is a monumental challenge convincing people that coral reefs are degrading and in need of conservation. One of the greatest impacts of this project is bringing the reef to billions of people without even leaving their homes through Street View in Google Maps. All of this would not have been possible without the determination of our partners Richard Vevers, Lorna Parry, and Christophe Bailhache of not-for-profit The Ocean Agency, and the vision and sponsorship of Stephen Catlin, through global insurance company, XL Catlin Group Ltd. Thanks to this high-profile global project we now have more ‘eyes’ on the reef than ever before demanding that our leaders step up and protect these precious ecosystems for generations to come. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg Director, Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland and Chief Scientist, XL Catlin Seaview Survey
XL CATLIN SEAVIEW SURVEY | 2012 – 2016
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A BASELINE SURVEY OF THE WORLD’S CORAL REEFS
Five hundred million people rely on coral reefs for their food and livelihoods, yet we have lost more than 40 per cent of coral reefs over the past 30 years due to human activities and a changing climate. Good baseline data is key to understanding the health and recovery potential of coral reefs in the face of this change. This information is essential for scientists planning and implementing strategies to arrest the decline of coral reefs around the world. Using a purpose-built panoramic camera system mounted on an underwater scooter (SVII ), the XL Catlin Seaview Survey has created the largest publicly accessible baseline data set for coral reefs. In just four years, the survey has captured more than 600,000 geo-referenced 360-degree images across 1000km of reef scape. The survey started on Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef in late 2012. Since this time the survey team has visited reefs in the Central and Western Pacific, the Caribbean, the Coral Triangle, and the Central Indian Ocean.
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XL CATLIN SEAVIEW SURVEY | 2012 – 2016
This effort includes repeat surveys of the Great Barrier Reef and Hawaii before and after the third global bleaching event in 2015/16. The survey is revolutionary in terms of innovation, allowing the science team to capture, analyse and assess the state of coral reefs in weeks rather than decades. Using a powerful combination of computer learning techniques and advanced image recognition software, researchers are analysing these ecosystems to accelerate coral reef conservation. The images and data form part of the XL Catlin Global Reef Record. This publicly accessible global database is available to multiple stakeholders, including researchers, resource managers, students and community groups. To date, there has been positive uptake in the use of the information from resource managers and policy makers in their attempts to understand change and build resilience to manage their reefs into the future. As well as benefiting marine science, the survey and the XL Catlin Global Reef Record are available to students undertaking open-access learning programs, leading to positive change through education, engagement, and capacity building through partner countries.
AIM
IN FOUR YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITIONS
SUCCESS
$1.6m
Create a broad-scale baseline record of the global reef system Study the reef’s full depth range down to
125m
Researchers even discovered reef coral at greater depths than ever known for the Great Barrier Reef and in the Coral Sea.
1000km
In scholarship and fellowship funding
5 4
OF REEF SCAPE has been mapped
Post Doctoral scientists
22
PhD students
COUNTRIES EXPLORED
Attracting total project funding of
COVERAGE
$ 5.9m
In 2015 the project was featured over 8 pages in Time Magazine’s special edition on 100 New Scientific Discoveries
4.5
and collected more than
600,000 + IMAGES
Professional UQ staff
for scientific analysis
Anyone with internet access can self-navigate a ‘virtual dive’ in stunning highresolution on Google Maps. More people went virtual diving in the first week of the project on Google Street View than have ever been diving in person. The imagery is the most viewed underwater imagery in history (with views in the billions).
8000 + coral specimens collected
50
Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) deployments
The public can learn about the oceans by engaging with the project and its
4.3 million followers on Google+
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NEW CORAL
species discovered
450 + dive hours
FEATURED IN SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH SERIES
NUMEROUS RESEARCH PAPERS
he large scope of the project and the T unique imagery has led to more than
$200 million
media exposure XL CATLIN SEAVIEW SURVEY | 2012 – 2016
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SURVEYING THE WORLD’S CORAL REEFS
CARIBBEAN & BERMUDA
2013 14 COUNTRIES 200,000 GEO-REFERENCED IMAGES
2015 / 16
HAWAII
3 EXPEDITIONS CAPTURED BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE 2015 /16 GLOBAL BLEACHING EVENT 88,000 GEO-REFERENCED IMAGES
LARGEST PUBLICLY AVAILABLE CORAL REEF RECORD The XL Catlin Global Reef Record hosts hundreds of thousands of geo-referenced 360-degree survey images overlaid with standardised scientific data across important coral regions worldwide. The record enables scientists and policy makers from around the world to collaborate on understanding changes to coral reefs and related marine environments. Underpinning the scientific success of this project is a revolutionary leap in semi-automated coral image analysis. Through GCI’s collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Center the team has analysed coral images across large areas of reef scape 900 times faster than previous methods with accuracy matching a human expert. Such technology allows marine scientists to assess the health of coral reefs at unprecedented rates. The wealth of information on the XL Catlin Global Reef Record provides unprecedented access to scientific data. Repeat surveys will add rigour by updating the baselines and enhancing the understanding of coral reef dynamics at varying spatial and temporal scales.
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XL CATLIN SEAVIEW SURVEY | 2012 – 2016
Most importantly, the XL Catlin Global Reef Record provides a powerful tool for researchers, managers, policy makers, and community groups to make informed decisions regarding their highly important coral reef resources.
This new tool is spectacular as it provides detailed mapping and analysis of coral distribution on reefs, coupled with the XL Catlin Seaview Survey images. This will be an invaluable tool, especially for the large number of formerly unmapped reefs around the world. Mark Eakin Coordinator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch
2016
TAIWAN
LARGEST CORAL REEF SURVEY EVER UNDERTAKEN IN TAIWAN 8,000 GEO-REFERENCED IMAGES
2015 8 KEY SURVEY LOCATIONS
MALDIVES
30,000 GEO-REFERENCED IMAGES
SOUTH EAST ASIA
5 EXPEDITIONS IN 4 COUNTRIES 100,0 00 GEO-REFERENCED IMAGES
AUSTRALIA
2015 CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS VIRTUALLY UNTOUCHED BY HUMAN ACTIVITY
2014
CHAGOS ARCHIPELAGO
27,000 GEO-REFERENCED IMAGES
STRONG RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS The Global Change Institute has a strong track record of working with research organisations, industry, government, and non-government organisations worldwide. Through the XL Catlin Seaview Survey, the Institute worked with global partners The Ocean Agency, XL Catlin, and Google to create the largest baseline record of the world’s coral reefs. The survey team worked with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the University of California, Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Center to dramatically boost the team’s capacity in computer learning and advanced image recognition.
Partnerships are critically important for understanding the impacts of worsening storms, pollution and bleaching on the world’s coral reefs by enabling us to revisit our baseline survey locations over the coming months and years. This is about science and outreach on a truly global scale. Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg Chief Scientist, XL Catlin Seaview Survey
A key factor in the project’s success has been involvement, engagement, and collaboration with key partners around the world. For example, the scientific team partnered with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Australian Department of the Environment, NOAA, the Living Oceans Foundation, the Waitt Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
XL CATLIN SEAVIEW SURVEY | 2012 – 2016
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CORE TEAM
The Global Change Institute has a proven track record managing large-scale international research programs. The project could not have been as successful without such a diverse and talented support team, in addition to the core science group. The hard work and dedication of these team members were instrumental in the successful and incident-free execution of the project across multiple geographical locations and legislative jurisdictions.
CHIEF SCIENTIST
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg Chief Scientist Professor Hoegh-Guldberg is internationally recognised for his work on the impact of climate change on oceans, particularly the Great Barrier Reef. He is UQ’s Professor of Marine Studies and Director of the UQ Global Change Institute. Professor Hoegh-Guldberg is a coordinating lead author for the Oceans Chapter in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2014). His work has been recognised with a ARC Laureate Fellowship, and the Prince Albert II of Monaco’s Climate Award (2014).
Dr Tyrone Ridgway Program Manager, Healthy Oceans Dr Ridgway manages the Healthy Oceans Program at the Global Change Institute.
Dr Gonzalez-Rivero Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Manuel Gonzalez-Rivero is lead scientist for the Shallow Reef Component of the XL Catlin Seaview Survey. RESEARCHERS
Dr Pim Bongaerts Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Bongaerts is the lead scientist for the Deep Reef Component of the XL Catlin Seaview Survey.
Dr Oscar Beijbom Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Beijbom specilaises in automated quantification of scientific image-data using deep learning.
Dr Alberto Rodriguez-Ramirez Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Rodriguez-Ramirez manages post-processing of coral reef images and quantitative analysis.
PhD STUDENTS
6
Veronica Radice
Dominic Bryant
Anjani Ganase
Kristen Brown
Catherine Kim
Norbert Englebert
XL CATLIN SEAVIEW SURVEY | 2012 – 2016
COLLABORATORS
XL CATLIN SEAVIEW SURVEY | 2012 – 2016
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THE GLOBAL CHANGE INSTITUTE Meeting the challenge of a changing world Established in 2010, the Global Change Institute is The University of Queensland’s vehicle to undertake multidisciplinary ‘big picture’ research to address the biggest challenges facing our generation. The Global Change Institute works to address the impacts of climate change, technological innovation and population growth through four research themes.
Clean Energy
• Projects
Food Systems
worth > $22 million.
• Projects
• Operates
the largest experimental solar array in the Southern Hemisphere. The 3.275MW array comprises 37,000 thin-film photovoltaic (PV) panels, and produces energy to power 1000 homes annually. to Australia’s largest and most powerful rooftop flat-panel array (1.22MW). The system underpins research in physics, economics and sustainability.
• A
whole-of-process approach meeting production, access and nutrition needs of a growing population.
• Transforming
African agriculture by enabling small scale farmers to develop high performing plant varieties.
• Home
• Leading
groundbreaking research that will change the future of power generation and storage as well as create a cleaner energy outlook.
worth > $11 million.
• Understanding
food systems, and creative solutions for people and communities.
• Improving
THE GLOBAL CHANGE INSTITUTE
community health and wellbeing, and sustaining coastal ecosystems in the east Asia-Pacific though the Capturing Coral Reef & Related Ecosystem Services (CCRES) project.
Healthy Oceans
• Projects
worth > $17 million.
• Researching
coral reefs globally to improve reef monitoring, management and protection.
• Unlocking
natural assets to ensure long-term livelihoods for half a billion coastal residents.
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XL CATLIN SEAVIEW SURVEY | 2012 – 2016
Sustainable Water
• Projects
worth > $2 million.
• Addressing
the complexities of the global water challenge through innovation, education and engagement.
• Coordinating
water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) research in the Asia-Pacific.
Understanding the challenges that coral reefs face is an important mission itself. Equally important is bringing as many people as possible on the scientific journey through outreach and engagement. Without that, science may have little impact. Dr Manuel Gonzalez-Rivero Lead Scientist, XL Catlin Seaview Survey
Global Change Institute The University of Queensland St Lucia | QLD 4072 | Australia
T +61 7 3443 3100 E gci@uq.edu.au W gci.uq.edu.au
XL Catlin Seaview Survey Partners
XL Catlin Seaview Survey Sponsor