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Follow changes in Great Barrier Reef corals from 1980 to 2000. You mark what you see and answer two simple questions and classify the 'thing' (optional)
Learn moreWe ask you to simply mark what you see in an area of about 1 square meter, and score its abundance into one of four ranges:
1,
2-5,
6-10, or
More than 10.
Then, to give us an indication of how much of the reef that type of thing covers, simply tell us how many of five circles on the screen intercept that type of thing.
There are sometimes several distinct types to mark on any single scene, but there may be none at all in damaged sites.
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By the numbers
Message from the researcher
This project will allow me to compare last century's reefs with the current situation. I get real data on changing coral abundance and sizes to compare with the present situation, and to help me build my models of coral reef recovery.
Follow the coralAbout Follow the coral
Reef-building corals come in many shapes and sizes, building mighty coral reefs, and providing habitats for thousands of species or marine life, from tiny worms, snails, urchins and shrimps, to fishes of amazing variety.
Artist: Geoff Kelley
This project is a chance for you to help our team’s scientists do research on ‘coral community resilience’, (ability to bounce back after disturbances). This work requires us to keep track of corals and other stuff on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) over the years 1980 to 2000. We have digitized some old photography that will allow us to compare changes taking place now with those we observed back then.
You will mark an image and our team will identify the things you score using AI software that we have trained to recognize the main groups of corals, sponges and other life growing on the site you have marked for us.
With each coral scene, we include, for your information, a diagram illustrating the time, place and environmental setting of that scene.
By staying engaged over the course of the project, and refering to these diagrams, our tutorials and field guides, you can learn what's what and where's where across the diverse environments of the Great Barrier Reef, and how their fortunes waxed and wained at the end of the 20th Century.