Long Term Monitoring - Heron Reef

The basis of our research has revolved around local long term monitoring of coral at Heron Reef since 2002 annually using field and satellite imagery.

See below publications, data and code.

Locations
Heron Reef, Australia

People
Chris Roelfsema (PI), Nick Hammerman, Kirsten Golding, Faye Diederiks, David Carrasco Rivera, Joanna Smart, Dylan Cowley, Kathryn Markey, Mitchell Lyons, Meredith Roe, Paul Tudman, Emma Kennedy, Rodney Borrego, Javier Leon, Emily Shaw, Julie Vercolinie, Stuart Phinn, Eva Kovacs, Denise Perez, Megan Saunders, and Robert Canto

Timeframe
1998 - ongoing

Funding
Various

Summary

Since 2002 annually high spatial resolution airborne and satellite imagery, and geo-referenced photoquadrats have been acquired for Heron Reef. This to develop our understanding of benthic community changes over time and space, and how best to monitor such habitats in the water and from space.

We have developed and improved field methods to collate information on benthic composition, abundance and structure as well as optical properties of the water column and bottom type. This work also involved collecting other physical properties such as wave climate and rugosity.

Additionally, we have integrated data through citizen science-based programs such as: CoralWatch, Reef Check Australia and the Eye on the reef program.

Read about:

Heron Island Research Station Research.

Thousands of Queensland reef photos lead to worldwide change

Satellites a solution for tracking coral reef health

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of Heron Island and surrounding reef and waters, the Bailai, the Gooreng Gooreng, the Gurang and the Taribelang Bunda peoples and the sea country we are mapping and monitoring. We pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.

We also acknowledge the University of Queensland Heron Island Research Station.

Heron Reef, southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Location of photoquadrat transect surveys on Heron Reef collected annually since 2002 and ongoing. (Roelfsema et al 2021, Scientific Data)

Heron Reef, southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Location of photoquadrat transect surveys on Heron Reef collected annually since 2002 and ongoing. (Roelfsema et al 2021, Scientific Data)

Benthic composition created by integrating field photo quadrate with world view 2 imagery and object based analysis for 2007. (Phinn et al 2012)

Benthic composition created by integrating field photo quadrate with world view 2 imagery and object based analysis for 2007. (Phinn et al 2012)

Annual satellite imagery and georeferenced photoquadrats (clipped to the west side of the reef, outer reef flat and reef slope) for Heron Reef, Australia, from 2002 to 2023. (Carrasco et al., 2025)

Annual satellite imagery and georeferenced photoquadrats (clipped to the west side of the reef, outer reef flat and reef slope) for Heron Reef, Australia, from 2002 to 2023. (Carrasco et al., 2025)

Annual classification of satellite imageries showing the benthic composition of the west portion of the outer reef flat and the reef slope of Heron Reef, Australia. (Carrasco et al., 2025)

Annual classification of satellite imageries showing the benthic composition of the west portion of the outer reef flat and the reef slope of Heron Reef, Australia. (Carrasco et al., 2025)

Publications

Scientific journals

  • Cowley D., F.F. Diederiks, K.M. Golding, D.E. Carrasco Rivera, and C.M. Roelfsema (In Review) What’s in a coral pixel? Spatial variability in co-occurrence patterns for coral reef benthic communities. Remote Sensing Applica􀀁ons: Society and Environment

  • Hammerman N.M., T. Staples, K.M. Golding1, F.F. Diederiks, D.E. Carrasco-Rivera, D. Cowley, and C.M. Roelfsema (In Review) Recovery Trajectories Following Recent Disturbances on Heron Reef (Great Barrier Reef, Australia) Ecology and Evolution

  • Roelfsema C.M., C.A. Lawson, H. Middleton, D. Gifford, S. Kininmonth, and K. L. Cheney (2026)Heron Island Research Station: six decades of experimental biology on a remote coral reef. Journal of Experimental Biology https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.252417

  • Rowell, D.A., N.M. Hammerman, K.M. Golding, T.M. Kenyon, Z. Meziere, C. Morgans, K.T. Brown, F.F. Diederiks, D.E. Carrasco Rivera, K. Eigeland, R. Paewai-Huggins, K. Markey, M. Beger, F. Chong, G. Donno, A. Dutton, W. Victoria Hsiao, S. Kininmonth, C.A. Lawson, H. Middleton, G. Eyal and C. Roelfsema (2025). Multi-scale observations during the 2024 mass coral bleaching event on Heron Reef, Australia. Marine Biology https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-025-04759-5

  • Diederiks F., N.K. Browne, D.E. Carrasco Rivera, N.M. Hammerman, J. Vercelloni, E. Kovacs, K. Markey, C.M. Roelfsema (2025), Two decades of coral carbonate production within and across geomorphic zones. Coral Reefs. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-025-02736-4

  • Carrasco Rivera, D.E.; Diederiks, F.F.; Hammerman, N.M.; Staples, T.; Kovacs, E.; Markey, K.; Roelfsema, C.M. (2025) Remote Sensing Reveals Multidecadal Trends in Coral Cover at Heron Reef, Australia. Remote Sensinghttps://doi.org/10.3390/rs17071286

  • Vercelloni J, C.M. Roelfsema, E.M. Kovacs, M Gonzalez-Rivero, M Moores, and K Mengersen (2023) “Fine-scale interplay between decline and growth determines the spatial recovery of coral communities within a reef.” Ecography https://doi.org/10.1111/ecog.06818

  • Roelfsema, C., Kovacs, E.M., Vercelloni, K. Markey, A. Rodriguez-Ramirez, S. Lopez-Marcano, M. Gonzalez-Rivero, O. Hoegh-Guldberg & S.R. Phinn (2021). Fine-scale time series surveys reveal new insights into spatio-temporal trends in coral cover (2002–2018), of a coral reef on the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Coral Reefs. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-021-02104-y

  • Roelfsema, C. M., E. Kovacs, K. Markey, J. Vercelloni, A. Rodriguez-Ramirez, S. Lopez-Marcano, M. Gonzalez-Revero, O. Hoegh-Guldberg and R. S. Phinn (2021). "Benthic and coral reef community field data for Heron Reef, Southern Great Barrier Reef, Australia, 2002-2018." Scientific Data. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-021-00871-5

  • Roelfsema C.M., E. Kovacs, J.C. Ortiz, S.R. Phinn, P. Mumby, D. Callaghan, M. Ronan, N. Wolf, S. Hamylton and M. Wettle (2018) Characterise Geomorphic Zonation And Benthic Habitat Type in the Southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) through Ecological Modelling And Remote Sensing Remote Sensing of the Environment, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2018.02.005

  • Roelfsema, C., Kovacs, E., Roos, P., Terzano, D., Lyons M., & Phinn, S. (2018). Use of a semi-automated object-based analysis to map benthic composition, Heron Reef, Southern Great Barrier Reef. Remote Sensing Letters, https://doi.org/10.1080/2150704X.2017.1420927

  • Perez, D. I., Phinn, S. R., Roelfsema, C. M., Shaw, E., Johnston, L., & Iguel, J. (2018). Primary production and calcification rates of algae-dominated reef flat and seagrass communities.Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 123, 2362–2375. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JG004241

  • Borrego-Acevedo, R., C. M. Roelfsema, S. R. Phinn and A. R. Grinham (2014). "Predicting Distribution of Microphytobenthos Abundance on a Reef Platform by Combining in Situ Underwater Spectrometry and Pigment Analysis." Remote Sensing Letters, https://doi.org/10.1080/2150704X.2014.922723

  • Leiper I., S.R. Phinn, C.M. Roelfsema, K.E. Joyce and A.D. Dekker (2014), Mapping Coral Reef Benthos, Substrates, and Bathymetry, Using Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) Data data and Spectral Angle Mapper. Remote Sensing. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs6076423

  • Joyce, K.E., S.R. Phinn, and C.M. Roelfsema (2013) Live Coral Cover Index Testing and Application with Hyperspectral Airborne Image Data. Remote Sensing, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs5116116

  • Roelfsema, C.M., S.R. Phinn and W.C. Dennison (2003) Spatial Distribution of Benthic Microalgae on Coral Reefs Determined by Remote Sensing.Coral Reefs https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-002-0242-9

Scientific Data

  • Golding, K.M., Smart, J.N., Cowley, D., Carrasco Rivera, D.E., Hammerman, N.M., Markey, K., Kovacs, E., Diederiks, F.F., Passenger, J., and Roelfsema, C.M.(2026). Georeferenced benthic photo quadrats and benthic cover data derived from a time series of transect surveys for Heron Reef flat and slope areas, Great Barrier Reef, 2019 - 2025. The University of Queensland. Data Collection. https://doi.org/10.48610/7df1430

  • Roelfsema, CM; Phinn, SR (2012): GPS linked photos of benthic cover transect surveys in Heron Reef 2002-2018. Pangae Data Collection,https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.792619

  • Roelfsema, CM (2012): Benthic and substrate cover data derived from photo-transect surveys in Heron Reef 2002-2018 , Pangae Data Collection, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.790775

  • Phinn, SR; Joyce, K; Roelfsema, CM (2012): Airborne hyperspectral image data of Heron Reef, Australia, Pangae Data Collection, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.788686

  • Hedley, J; Roelfsema, CM; Phinn, SR (2012): Bathymetric map of Heron Reef, Australia, derived from airborne hyperspectral data at 1 m resolution, Pangae Data Collection, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.779522

  • Phinn, SR; Roelfsema, CM; Mumby, PJ (2012): Benthic cover map of Heron Reef derived from a high-spatial-resolution multi-spectral satellite image using object based image analysis, Pangae Data Collection, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.789968

Scientific Software or Code

  • GPS-Photo Linking Software GITHUB, Josh Passenger, Simple tool for positioning photos along GPS tracks using linear interpolation.

  • Time Series Analysis Code GITHUB, D. Carrasco Rivera and D. Cowley. The series of R and Google Earth Engine (GEE) scripts allows users to create benthic composition maps for their area of interest by integrating field data and satellite imagery.

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