CANBERRA, Dec 11 (NNN-AAP) – Australia’s national science agency, has successfully tested a world-first monitoring and forecasting system for water quality, in the country’s “seafood basket.”
The AquaWatch Australia Mission, at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), today announced its technology that acts as a weather service for water quality, by combining data from water sensors and satellites, has completed initial testing in the Spencer Gulf in South Australia (SA).
A large bio-rich inlet on Australia’s south coast, the Spencer Gulf provides much of Australia’s seafood.
It was chosen as the first trial site for the AquaWatch technology, because of its aquaculture industry, which is worth 238 million Australian dollars (156.4 million U.S. dollars) every year.
The technology applies artificial intelligence (AI) and computer models to environmental data to deliver real-time water quality monitoring and forecasting, with the CSIRO team planning to use it in seafood farms to boost productivity.
Nagur Cherukuru, a senior CSIRO scientist, said in a media release that, following the successful trial, the team is now shifting focus to gathering data from the aquaculture industry, to help provide early warnings of harmful marine events, such as algal blooms.
“The Spencer Gulf is called ‘Australia’s seafood basket’ for good reason,” he said.
“We’re reaching out to the industry to be early adopters of AquaWatch, allowing them to monitor and forecast water quality as we build the system.”
According to government agency, Water Quality Australia, blue-green algal blooms caused by cyanobacteria can lead to a deterioration of water quality and production of toxins by some species.
Kirsten Rough, a research scientist at the Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association, said, they cause major losses for seafood farm operators, which could be abated with an effective early warning system.
The AquaWatch Mission was established by the CSIRO in Mar this year, with a goal of delivering a ground-to-space water quality monitoring system for Australia and the globe.– NNN-AAP
