The Chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, Dr John Schubert AO recently launched the Marine Water Quality Dashboard at a function held in Brisbane.

The Great Barrier Reef will be the beneficiary of this Dashboard which gathers information on water quality in the Marine Park, allowing the information to be at everyone’s finger tips.

Dr John Schubert, said the release of the Marine Water Quality Dashboard represented a significant step forward in the provision of a range of visually displayed water quality indicators in near real-time, with broad-ranging applications

“In the same way that people access real-time weather information on the Bureau’s website, the Marine Water Quality Dashboard will make information on the Great Barrier Reef publicly available, said Dr Schubert.

“Government agencies, policy makers, environmental managers, researchers, industry groups and local communities stand to benefit from this vital information – and all have a role in caring for Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef.

"The World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef remains one of the world's greatest natural wonders – a vast area of more than 340,000 square kilometres – but it is also a fragile ecosystem, identified as being at risk from a range of threats.

“Timely and accurate access to sea surface temperatures and other water quality information is essential for researchers and reef managers to better manage the impacts of coral bleaching events or sediment plumes as a result of flooding on the reef.

"The eReefs Project will provide vital tools for decision-makers across the entire spectrum – from the paddock to the Reef."

The launch of the Marine Quality Dashboard was the result of a collaboration with Australia's leading operational and research agencies in the Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO, and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.