SYDNEY, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Scientists in Australia have returned from a landmark research voyage that combined modern science and Indigenous knowledge to shed new light on the evolution, history and future of the southern Great Barrier Reef.
Led by Australia's University of Queensland (UQ), the expedition used advanced sonar systems to map the seafloor and sub-seafloor, revealing submerged rivers, lakes, estuaries and beaches "in stunning detail" that formed part of an ancient coastal landscape, according to a UQ statement released on Thursday.
Research conducted aboard the research vessel Investigator, operated by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia's national science agency, has revealed landscapes where First Nations people lived before the region was submerged as sea levels rose to present levels around 7,000 years ago.
"First Nations people arrived in Australia over 65,000 years ago when sea levels were 80 meters below present day," said UQ Professor Helen Bostock, chief scientist for the voyage, adding the Great Barrier Reef area was then "a vast coastal plain bordered by towering forests that stretched inland."
The team also collected more than 20 sediment cores from the seabed that act as "time capsules" to reconstruct past climate, sea levels, vegetation and reef development. Ocean dynamics were also examined during the voyage, including investigating how the powerful East Australian Current interacts with the reef.
Data collected will contribute to CSIRO's eReefs model, helping researchers understand past and present ocean conditions, predict how future changes may affect the reef, and identify potential refuges for reef species from climate-driven heat. ■