Australia Puts Water Quality Sensors in Great Barrier Reef
2023-09-25
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1Australia's government has placed sensors in parts of the Great Barrier Reef in an effort to record water quality.
2The Great Barrier Reef covers about 344,000 square kilometers of area off Australia's northeast coast.
3It contains hundreds of islands and thousands of natural structures, known as reefs.
4The sensors measure levels of sediment and carbon materials flowing from the Fitzroy River into Keppel Bay in Queensland state.
5The area sits within the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef.
6Such substances can damage sea life.
7The Australian government agency Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) operates the program.
8The agency says the effort uses the sensors and satellite data to measure changes in water quality.
9Experts say the quality of Australia's coastal and inland waterways is being threatened by warming temperatures, urbanization, deforestation and pollution.
10The reef is one of seven test areas of CSIRO's AquaWatch Australia Mission.
11The research team hopes to establish 15 testing areas by 2026.
12Alex Held leads the program.
13He told VOA that sediments can be harmful to ocean life because they can block sunlight from the seafloor.
14The lack of sunlight can hurt the growth of sea plants and other organisms.
15Sediments can also settle on the tops of coral reefs, affecting sea life there as well.
16Held said the sensors and satellites will be used to measure the effectiveness of programs meant to reduce the flow, or runoff, of river sediment into the sea.
17Held noted that the Australian government already operates a series of programs aimed at reducing the effects of sediments on sea life.
18These include efforts to keep plants growing along riverbeds and other bodies of water to help keep sediments out.
19Environmentalists have warned that the Great Barrier Reef faces a number of threats.
20These include climate change, pollution and runoff of agricultural products.
21The reef - which runs about 2,300 kilometers - has been on the United Nations World Heritage List since 1981.
22I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Australia's government has placed sensors in parts of the Great Barrier Reef in an effort to record water quality. 2The Great Barrier Reef covers about 344,000 square kilometers of area off Australia's northeast coast. It contains hundreds of islands and thousands of natural structures, known as reefs. 3The sensors measure levels of sediment and carbon materials flowing from the Fitzroy River into Keppel Bay in Queensland state. The area sits within the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef. Such substances can damage sea life. 4The Australian government agency Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) operates the program. The agency says the effort uses the sensors and satellite data to measure changes in water quality. 5Experts say the quality of Australia's coastal and inland waterways is being threatened by warming temperatures, urbanization, deforestation and pollution. 6The reef is one of seven test areas of CSIRO's AquaWatch Australia Mission. The research team hopes to establish 15 testing areas by 2026. 7Alex Held leads the program. He told VOA that sediments can be harmful to ocean life because they can block sunlight from the seafloor. The lack of sunlight can hurt the growth of sea plants and other organisms. Sediments can also settle on the tops of coral reefs, affecting sea life there as well. 8Held said the sensors and satellites will be used to measure the effectiveness of programs meant to reduce the flow, or runoff, of river sediment into the sea. 9Held noted that the Australian government already operates a series of programs aimed at reducing the effects of sediments on sea life. These include efforts to keep plants growing along riverbeds and other bodies of water to help keep sediments out. 10Environmentalists have warned that the Great Barrier Reef faces a number of threats. These include climate change, pollution and runoff of agricultural products. The reef - which runs about 2,300 kilometers - has been on the United Nations World Heritage List since 1981. 11I'm Bryan Lynn. 12Phil Mercer reported this story for VOA News. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English. 13______________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15sediment - n. materials that collect at the bottom of a liquid 16urbanization - n. the process by which more and more people leave the countryside to live in cities 17coral - n. a hard, usually pink or white substance produced by a type of very small sea animal