Wireless ocean monitoring

The Smart Environment Monitoring and Analysis Technology developed by University of Queensland (UQ)-led research will enable environmental managers and researchers to use real-time information sent to their laptops from underwater sensors, and to command the system remotely so it is adapted to their immediate needs.

The Great Barrier Reef and other sensitive environments could, in future, be managed with the help of the $2.7 million marine wireless network.

Early work will include a pilot network of underwater sensors at Heron Island and Moreton Bay in Queensland, and Lake Como and Portofino in Italy. The pilot will be the basis of a more elaborate network as the three-year project proceeds.

Project leader Associate Professor Ron Johnstone, of UQ's Centre for Marine Studies, said fist-sized sensors will report initially on marine or coastal habitat health, light, temperature, turbidity and salinity.

The sensors would later report on coral pigment levels and biofilms on underwater surfaces – such as rocks and dead corals.

“Central to this project is the use of radio underwater. These signals will relay data and user dialogue between the underwater sensors and the surface network. The surface network will connect to the internet which will carry the data to users, allowing them to interact with the sensors in the field from their desktops,” Johnstone said.

“This technology could also apply to dams, transport networks, power distribution networks, industrial processes and other complex process systems that currently involve substantial costs for monitoring.

“We'll develop a wireless system that is cost effective and simple to set up and use. We won't reinvent existing technologies or methods, but will instead build on and complement relevant work that is already underway in areas such as the Great Barrier Reef.”

Queensland Premier Anna Bligh announced a $1.1 million boost for the project — which includes researchers from Australia and Italy — from the National and International Research Alliances Program.

The project team is from UQ's Centre for Marine Studies and School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering; Politecnico di Milano; Politecnico di Torino; Torino Foundation; Danish Hydraulics Group Australia; the Queensland Cyber Infrastructure Foundation; and James Cook University. It is also supported by the Australian Research Council Research Network on Intelligent Sensors, Sensor Networks and Information Processing.