Scientists and Indigenous Rangers Map Ancient Dry-Land Landscape Beneath Great Barrier Reef
A team led by University of Queensland professor Helen Bostock spent 24 days aboard CSIRO’s RV Investigator sampling seabed sediments to reconstruct the Great Barrier Reef’s former landforms when sea levels were much lower.
Professor Helen Bostock returned from a 24-day CSIRO voyage on the RV Investigator, where she and Indigenous rangers examined seabed deposits off the Central Queensland coast. The team targeted the area between Swain Reef and the Capricorn Bunker Group, sampling sediments that act as time capsules of past environments. Each core’s stratigraphy reveals changes in grain size, chemistry and embedded microfossils, allowing scientists to map ancient rivers, estuaries, lakes and beaches that existed when sea levels were about 80 metres lower.
The research integrates Western scientific methods with traditional knowledge shared by elders such as Auntie Sally Vea Vea, aiming to link cultural stories with physical evidence. Oceanographic measurements collected during the cruise will help predict how sediment movement and water temperature affect the reef’s future resilience. Results on the ocean data are due within the next year, while the detailed sediment work will continue beyond that timeframe.
Why it matters
Understanding the reef’s ancient landscape informs both cultural heritage and future conservation strategies.
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