A pictorial and geochemical history of Great Barrier Reef changes

该项目旨在确定自欧洲人定居以来，珊瑚礁平坦环境中珊瑚群落发生巨大变化的时机和相关驱动因素。它将使用铀-钍测年、古生态和地球化学技术以及空间海拔测量来确定近岸珊瑚群落生态过渡的时间和原因。该项目将提供有关列入世界遗产名录的大堡礁近岸珊瑚礁珊瑚覆盖率急剧下降的时间和机制的基线知识，并为有效监测提供坚实的科学基础。

This project aims to determine the timing and associated drivers behind dramatic changes in coral communities on reef flat environments since European settlement. It will use Uranium-Thorium dating, palaeoecological and geochemical techniques, as well as spatial elevation surveys to determine the timing and cause of ecological transition for inshore coral communities. This project will contribute baseline knowledge on the timing and mechanisms associated with dramatic declines in coral cover on inshore reefs of the world heritage listed Great Barrier Reef, and provide a robust scientific foundation for effective monitoring.