Studying our coastlines from the sea and the sky
Drones, remotely operated underwater vehicles, advanced sonar, and a purpose-built research vessel are just some of the high-tech tools Deakin University’s Marine Mapping group are using in their work to map and monitor coastal areas of Victoria and beyond.
Daniel Ierodiaconou, Associate Professor of Marine Science in Deakin’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences, is the group’s leader.
‘We have maps of the land, but when we get to the coast we hit an information void,’ Associate Professor Ierodiaconou explains.
‘Our team use some of the latest advances in marine science technology to collect information of the distribution of plants and animals and the physical structure of the seabed and coastal zone.
‘This allows us to model the distribution of important assets such as areas supporting fisheries as well as monitor changes through time such as the impact of storm events on our coasts.’
