BARRIER REEF REVISITED: AN APPRAISAL OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION REPORT

1975 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Bob Foster
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Royal Commission ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Public Concern ◽  
Acanthaster Planci ◽  
Real Risk ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
Commission Report ◽  
First Time ◽  
Petroleum Drilling

A CONTROVERSY arose in the late 1960s regarding the effect of the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci (Lamarck) on the Great Barrier Reef. At that time of public concern, oil exploration was announced in the vicinity of the reef. In response to public outcry, the Federal and Queensland governments created the Great Barrier Reef Petroleum Drilling Royal Commissions.The Commissions acted as one Commission and sat for the first time on 22 May, 1970. Their terms of reference related to risks involved and effects of leaks if drilling for petroleum was allowed in the Barrier Reef province; areas where drilling could be allowed and conditions to be imposed; and probable benefits of drilling. Hearings continued intermittently until 3 July, 1972, and a summary of findings was released on 22 November, 1974.The Commission found a small but real risk of blowouts, but were unable to predict the effect of unweathered oil on corals and associated organisms; they found that drilling could take place within certain areas of the province remote from reefs, with appropriate safety precautions; they were not able to quantify the potential benefits of drilling.

scholarly journals Characterization of the Particle Emission from Ships Operating at Sea Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tommaso F. Villa ◽  
Reece Brown ◽  
E. Rohan Jayaratne ◽  
L. Felipe Gonzalez ◽  
Lidia Morawska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Co2 Concentration ◽  
Emission Factors ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Ship Emissions ◽  
Optimal Position ◽  
Exhaust Plume ◽  
Aerial Vehicle ◽  
First Time

Abstract. This research demonstrates the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to characterize the gaseous (CO2) and particle (10–500 nm) emissions of a ship at sea. The field study was part of the research voyage The Great Barrier Reef as a significant source of climatically relevant aerosol particles on-board the RV Investigator around the Australian Great Barrier Reef. Measurements of the RV Investigator exhaust plume were carried out while the ship was operating at sea, at a steady engine load of 30 %. The UAV system was flown autonomously using several different programmed paths. These incorporated different altitudes and distances behind the ship in order to investigate the optimal position to capture the ship plume. Five flights were performed, providing a total of 27 horizontal transects perpendicular to the ship exhaust plume. Results show that the most appropriate altitude and distance to effectively capture the plume was 25 m above sea level and 20 m downwind. Particle number (PN) emission factors (EF) were calculated in terms of number of particles emitted (#) per weight of fuel consumed (Kg fuel). Fuel consumption was calculated using the simultaneous measurements of plume CO2 concentration. Calculated EFPN were between 9.19 × 1014 and 5.15 × 1015 #∙(Kg fuel)−1. These values are in line with those reported in the literature for ship emissions ranging from 0.2 6.2 × 1016 #∙(Kg fuel)−1 to 6.2 × 1016 #∙(Kg fuel)−1. This UAV system successfully assessed ship emissions to derive emission factors (EFs) under real world conditions. This is significant as, for the first time, it provides a reliable, inexpensive and accessible way to assess and potentially regulate ship emissions.

scholarly journals The genus Lanocira Hansen, 1890 (Corallanidae: Isopoda: Crustacea) in tropical Australian waters

Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2793 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
NIEL L. BRUCE ◽  
CONNI SIDABALOK
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Dorsal Surface ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Australian Species ◽  
Timor Sea ◽  
First Time

The genus Lanocira Hansen, 1890 is recorded from the southwestern Pacific for the first time. Lanocira grebarree sp. nov. from the Great Barrier Reef is described, and Lanocira gardineri Stebbing, 1904 and Lanocira sp. cf. anasicula Jones, 1982 are recorded from the Great Barrier Reef and Hibernia Reef, in the Timor Sea off Western Australia, respectively. Lanocira grebarree sp. nov. can be identified by the anteriorly rounded, upturned and short rostral process in males in combination with the lack of stiff setae on the dorsal surface of the pleotelson. The similar L. gardineri Stebbing, 1904 is distinguished from L. grebarree sp. nov. by the presence of stiff hyaline setae on the dorsal surface of the pleotelson. A key is provided to the Australian species of Lanocira.

Distribution of Acanthaster planci outbreaks on the Great Barrier Reef between 1966 and 1989

Coral Reefs ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Reichelt ◽  
R. H. Bradbury ◽  
P. J. Moran
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Acanthaster Planci

Predation on soft corals (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia

1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 1281 ◽  
Author(s):  
JK Griffith
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Soft Coral ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Soft Corals ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Bite Marks ◽  
First Time ◽  
Predation Rates

Quantitative evidence on predation rates on soft corals is presented for the first time. These measured predation rates were low. Less than 1% of the soft coral colonies present in mapped areas at Heron Island and Beaver Reefs had bite marks. Evidence suggests that over 51% of these bite marks were more than two months old. Predators included the mollusc Ovula ovum and two species of chaetodontid fishes that have not been recorded before as feeding on soft corals.

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