Resources

If you need some help with articles or teaching stimulus for classes, or you just want to find out more about The Coral Sea and why it should be declared a large, world-class, fully protected marine park then this is where you'll find it. We’ll keep updating the materials here, so it’s worth stopping by to check out what’s new.

• Australia's Coral Sea: A Biophysical Profile by Dr Dani Ceccarelli (report) and fact sheet (PDFs)
• A two page scientific description of the Coral Sea on the e-Atlas website of the Australian Institute of Marine Science by Dr Dani Ceccarelli.
• The value of oceanic marine reserves for protecting highly mobile pelagic species: Coral Sea case study by Dani Ceccarelli (PDF)
• Overview of the above pelagics report by Dani Ceccarelli (PDF)
• Overview of Coral Sea Management Costs Report
• Coral Sea Management Costs Report
• An Australian Coral Sea Heritage Park (PDF 5.3mb)
• Map of Proposed Australian Coral Sea Heritage Park (PDF)
• Coral Sea Conservation Zone Map, Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts - May 2009 (PDF)
• Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts -  Fact sheet
• Q&A
• Flythrough of Australia’s marine environment  -    http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/discovery/flythrough/index.html
• Rob Beaman  - www.deepreef.org
• View coral sea on Google Maps
• Protect Our Coral Sea Campaign DL flyer (PDF 5.3mb)
• Global Ocean Legacy Website

 

Coral Sea in 3D!

James Cook University researcher, Dr. Robin Beaman, has spent many hours traversing the Coral Sea to gather data to produce a three-dimensional bathymetry (depth) model of the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef. The model covers three million square kilometers including the entire Queensland Coast and extending almost to New Caledonia.

Over 900 million individual depth points were used to develop the model, providing an unprecedented level of resolution.

Beaman's depth model, for the first time ever, gives people a clear understanding of the complex features that lie beneath the ocean surface. Dozens of submarine canyons that plunge over two kilometers deep are scattered along the continental slope. In the Coral Sea, evidence is found of vast underwater landslides.

Go to:

• Deepreef Explorer
• More information about Project 3DGBR

Videos from the deep

In May 2010, scientists from the University of Queensland ventured out to Osprey Reef, 350 kilometers northeast of Cairns in the Coral Sea, with sophisticated deep-sea cameras and instrument platforms, never before used in Australian waters. Prehistoric six gilled sharks, giant oil fish, swarms of crustaceans and many as yet unidentified fish were caught on camera 1,400m below sea level. These videos are a sample of some of the incredible footage captured by their special low-light sensitive cameras. It may take years to analyse all of the film footage, and we eagerly await the amazing discoveries it will unveil.

 

Deep Down Under Expedition

In December 2009, a team of scientists from Germany and Australia undertook an expedition to four reefs in the Coral Sea – Osprey, Shark, Bougainville and Holmes. They took with them a remote operated vehicle – ROV – that descended to 1,000 m. Their aim was to find to investigate the deep sea animals living there. Many of these animals were previously thought to be extinct but have persisted almost unchanged on the deep reef slopes since the late Mesozoic period more than 65 million years ago – when the dinosaurs walked the Earth. Read about their amazing trip here.