This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A team of Australian researchers has woven together modern science and Indigenous knowledge to reveal new insights into the evolution, history and future of the southern Great Barrier Reef. The 24-day voyage, led by The University of Queensland, returned to Brisbane today aboard research vessel (RV) Investigator, operated by CSIRO, Australia's national science agency.
The research was co-designed with the Darumbal Traditional Owners of Sea Country and their close neighbor, the Woppaburra people, and has revealed landscapes where First Nations people lived on the southern Great Barrier Reef before the region was submerged as sea levels rose to present-day levels around 7,000 years ago. Voyage chief scientist Helen Bostock from The University of Queensland said the research team has produced intricate maps of the seafloor and sub-seafloor using RV Investigator's advanced sonar systems, revealing images of the ancient landscapes. "First Nations people arrived in Australia over 65,000 years ago when sea levels were 80 meters (262 feet) below present-day levels," Bostock said.
"At that time, the Great Barrier Reef area was a vast coastal plain bordered by towering forests that stretched inland. Our research has revealed submerged rivers, lakes, estuaries and beaches in detail and helps tell the story of the First Nations people who lived on this land in times past." The voyage team included Land and Sea Country Rangers from the Darumbal and Woppaburra Traditional Owner groups. They worked with other researchers to connect scientific findings with their cultural knowledge and songlines, the pathways of knowledge that cross the landscape, linking important sites and stories for First Nations people.
Land and Sea Country Ranger Nataliah Backo from the Darumbal people said the research gives them a deeper connection to their history, ancestors and the stories held beneath the ocean. "We hope this journey makes our families, ancestors and the Darumbal people proud, while creating stronger pathways for our younger generations to continue caring for and protecting our Land and Sea Country," Backo said. Echoing these words, Land and Sea Country Ranger Tshinta Barney from the Woppaburra people emphasized the importance of the shared experience and weaving together Indigenous knowledge and modern science.
"Being surrounded by such beautiful people, sharing knowledge and learning from one another has made this experience a very special and memorable one for me," Barney said. "I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to learn about the different aspects involved in mapping and understanding the evolution of Sea Country." To reconstruct past conditions, the research team collected more than 20 sediment cores from the seabed to investigate the submerged landscapes. These cores will be examined for the types of sediments and fossils they contain.
This analysis allows researchers to reconstruct the historical climate, sea-level rise, vegetation and evolution of the southern Great Barrier Reef in a process called paleoenvironmental reconstruction. "Seafloor sediments act like time capsules and allow us to reconstruct the history of the region, from its past as a wide coastal plain to the development of the modern Great Barrier Reef, and connect this with the cultural stories of the Darumbal people and their close neighbors, the Woppaburra people," Bostock explained. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly.
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