Australian Researchers Use AI and ML to Create a Real-Time Monitoring System to Protect Coral Reefs

Australian researchers are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to design a global, real-time monitoring system to help curb the decline of the world’s coral reefs, which are increasingly threatened by bleaching due to rising ocean temperatures.

Great Barrier Reef, Queensland Australia, aerial view.

Image Credit: Cynthia A Jackson/Shutterstock.com

Coral reefs worldwide are in crisis, with 75 % experiencing bleaching-level heat stress in the past two years alone. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR), a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Australia’s most vital ecological and tourism assets, has suffered severe bleaching events since 2016. This damage has been compounded by outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish and ongoing coastal development.

A collaborative project led by the University of South Australia (UniSA), alongside researchers from Queensland and Victoria, is working to change that. By integrating remote sensing technology with machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the team aims to monitor reef health and slow further degradation of these fragile marine ecosystems.

The project’s multimodal platform will consolidate a vast array of research data—including underwater videos and photographs, satellite imagery, text files, and time-sensor readings—into a single, centralised dashboard, allowing for real-time global monitoring.

UniSA data analyst and lead researcher Dr. Abdullahi Chowdhury explains that a unified model will bring together all critical factors affecting coral reefs, providing environmental scientists with real-time predictions.

At the moment we have separate models that analyze substantial data on reef health – including bleaching levels, disease incidence, juvenile coral density, and reef fish abundance – but these data sets are not integrated, and they exist in silos.

Dr. Abdullahi Chowdhury, Study Lead Researcher and Data Analyst, University of South Australia (UniSA)

Consequently, it is challenging to see the ‘big picture’ of reef health or to conduct large scale, real-time analyses,” said Chowdhury.

The integrated system will offer a comprehensive approach, tracking bleaching severity and trends over time, monitoring crown-of-thorns starfish populations and their impact, detecting disease outbreaks, and assessing reef fish abundance, diversity, and biomass.

By centralizing all this data in real time, we can generate predictive models that will help conservation efforts, enabling earlier intervention.

Musfera Jahan, Ph.D Candidate and Data Expert, Geographic Information Systems, Central Queensland University

Our coral reefs are dying very fast due to climate change – not just in Australia but across the world – so we need to take serious action pretty quickly,” said Ms. Jahan.

Often called the “rainforests of the sea,” coral reefs cover just 1 % of the ocean but support 25 % of all marine life. Their survival is critical to marine biodiversity.

The new monitoring technology will integrate datasets from leading research organisations, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), the Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL), and Australia’s CSIRO.

The future of coral reef conservation lies at the intersection of technology and collaboration. This research provides a roadmap for harnessing these technologies to ensure the survival of coral reefs for generations to come,” concluded the researchers.

Can we save the Great Barrier Reef?

Can we save the great barrier reef? Video Credit:  University of South Australia

Journal Reference:

Chowdhury, A., et al. (2025) Coral Reef Surveillance with Machine Learning: A Review of Datasets, Techniques, and Challenges. Electronics. doi.org/10.3390/electronics13245027

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