Abstract:
Existing monitoring efforts for carbonate chemistry within the GBR were successfully continued for a further one year period. The monitoring program continuously measures pCO2, pH, DIC, total alkalinity, and other chemical components using sophisticated instrument packages across large swathes of the GBR onboard the RV Cape Ferguson and at Davies Reef in the central GBR. The data is being stored continuously, and is also being used to estimate inorganic and organic carbon fluxes within the northern, central and southern GBR.
During the past year, we have upgraded the instrument packages on both the ship and at Davies Reef, improved the publicly accessible website of the project at www.aims.gov.au, and have continuously maintained the equipment and conducted day-to-day maintenance of the database management system and data quality. We have also completed a long-term data acquisition plan and a review and gap analysis. These analyses indicate that the monitoring needs to continue, especially of rivers and the outer sections of the GBR, in order at acquire sufficient data for successive dry and wet seasons.
These data are now being used to complete a carbon mass balance model of the GBR.
