While most Gladstone residents are praying for rain, marine scientists from the Coastal CRC are hoping for clear skies to undertake their research this week. Remote sensing scientists from CSIRO Land and Water, Vittorio Brando and Paul Daniel, are currently in Gladstone to study Port Curtis from above. Images obtained from satellites and light aircraft will be analysed using water quality data collected in port waters during an intensive field campaign, which is now underway. The CSIRO scientists are working with CQU\'s Centre for Environmental Management on a project funded by the CRC for Coastal Zone, Estuary and Waterway Management to see if remote sensing tools can be used to monitor our port. “Remote sensing technology offers exciting new opportunities for monitoring waterways, without actually getting your feet wet” said CSIRO scientist Dr. Vittorio Brando. “We can use data collected from field missions like this one to transform images taken from satellites and aircraft into monitoring information. Local managers and researchers could potentially monitor the water quality of the harbour using the latest satellite imagery from their office computers,” he said. CASI airborne hyperspectral images are being collected over several areas of Port Curtis. These data will be analysed to retrieve water quality parameters such as chlorophyll, suspended sediments and optical properties. This will allow the development of complex mathematical algorithms to interpret satellite imagery in the future.

Research Officer, Samantha Fox from the Centre for Environmental Management said it was fantastic to see scientists using the latest technology in Port Curtis. “We are very keen to work with scientists from the CSIRO and other research organisations now and in the future to ensure that high quality, innovative research is undertaken in our region,” she said.

Further information can be obtained from Ms Fox at the Centre for Environmental Management, CQU Gladstone on 49707289.