To address challenges presented by coastal change, a cross-NCRIS (National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy) collaboration, CoastRI, is being proposed to provide national-scale coastal observing and modelling capability for Australia. The program will partner with stakeholders across the entire coastal observation value chain including establishing partnerships with First Nations people, to collect and deliver valuable coastal data to meet current and future needs of Australian researchers, industry, government, communities, and the public.
For the purposes of this program “coastal” will include oceanographic processes on the shelf and near-shore waters, estuarine/freshwater systems and terrestrial environments extending to 10 km inland from the shoreline as well as associated cities, communities, and infrastructure.
This scalable program is designed to maximise the delivery of coastal observations to create significant national opportunity and benefit. The collected data will provide critical inputs into coastal modelling, inform risk assessments and mitigation efforts, improve our understanding of patterns and trends in weather and climate, and help inform industry operations and coastal infrastructure investments. Ultimately, CoastRI will provide sustainable benefits for our economy, communities, and the environment.
Simplified diagram of the elements and application of CoastRI
CoastRI will produce the data we need to help ensure the environment we want in the future.
The CoastRI proposal is being led by the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) and builds on collaboration across up to 13 NCRIS capabilities (listed below). The NCRIS consortium is working to develop a program aimed at understanding coastal change and providing insights for adaptation, mitigation, and decision-making. This integrated effort will represent a step-change for Australia in how we operate and connect essential research infrastructure in coastal regions and what can be delivered to other partners and end-users. CoastRI will provide integrated national-scale environmental and coastal climate capabilities not currently available.
More information about CoastRI partners can be found through the links included below:
National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS)
Australian Community Climate and Earth System Simulator (ACCESS)
Australian Research Data Commons
Atlas of Living Australia (ALA)
Australian Access Federation (AAF)
Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS)
National Computational Infrastructure (NCI)
Population Health Research Network (PHRN)
Southern Coastal Research Vessel Fleet