One of the biggest challenges facing scientists in Australia is trying to protect and save a national treasure, the Great Barrier Reef. To do that, though, they need to understand it better.

But this is not just a problem for ecologists and marine biologists to tackle. Mathematical and data scientists are heavily involved in the effort to save the reef. In this episode, we explore some of the questions they are tackling, what we’re learning because of them, and what the future might hold.

Our guests are Dr Juan Ortiz from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Professor Michael Bode from QUT’s School of Mathematical Sciences.

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VIDEO: Dr Juan Ortiz – Great Barrier Reef: How maths can help translate observed patterns into management-ready information

Publication in Journal of Applied Ecology: Identification of two-phase recovery for interpretation of coral reef monitoring

Publication in Conservation Letters: Important ecosystem function, low redundancy and high vulnerability – the trifecta argument for protecting the Great Barrier Reef’s tabular Acropora