Rob’s Blog
Recent ocean mapping events within Australia’s marine region.
RV Sonne expedition along the GBR margin
The German RV Sonne is one of the world’s largest deep ocean research vessels. She was built in 2014 with a length of 118 m, breadth of 23 m and gross tonnage of 8554. She sails the world's oceans in search of cutting-edge science and we have just completed an...
Yongala 3D wreck photogrammetry
The SS Yongala sank in 1911 during a cyclone near Cape Bowling Green in the central Great Barrier Reef. The wreck is about 100 m long lying on a flat seafloor in 26 m of water. The Yongala is one of the world's top dive destinations as the wreck provides a complex...
Largest undersea landslide revealed on the Great Barrier Reef
James Cook University scientists have helped discover the remnants of a massive undersea landslide on the Great Barrier Reef, approximately 30 times the volume of Uluru. 3D view of the Gloria Knolls SlideJCU’s Dr Robin Beaman said the remains of the slip, known as the...
MH370 search data will be treasure trove for scientists
It cost A$200 million (S$215 million) - and ended in apparent failure - but experts say the two-year search for the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 aircraft was not in vain. According to marine scientists, the 120,000 sq km search for the Boeing 777 has produced an...
Reef mapping by Kathy McLeish ABC
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's most studied ecosystems, but its depths still hold many surprises. Some of those could help scientists understand how the reef could have responded to past climate change events, and how resilient it might be in the future....
On board the ‘super science ship’ uncovering secrets of the deep
Take a tour of Australia's newest research vessel—the 94-metre-long, 10-storey, $120 million RV Investigator. Read the full story "On board the 'super science ship' uncovering secrets of the deep", published by the ABC on 26 September 2016. RV Investigator, courtesy...
Navy data reveals the reef behind the Reef
James Cook University, University of Sydney and Queensland University of Technology scientists working with laser data from the Royal Australian Navy have revealed a vast reef behind the familiar Great Barrier Reef. bioherms near Bligh Reef, Cape YorkJCU’s Dr Robin...
Ocean floor to be mapped by 2030
The first Forum for Future of the Ocean Floor Mapping was held in Monaco from 15 to 17 June 2016. Some 200 delegates gathered, under the flag of General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO), to discuss the future of the mapping of the ocean floor, aiming to come up...
How deep are the oceans?
In the beginning, systematic mapping of ocean depth was conducted mainly for the safety of shipping routes and remained very limited in its scope. Now, however, better maps of the ocean floor are needed for a wide variety of applications, including coastal protection,...