Innovation isn’t a product we offer, it’s who we are and it’s built into how we approach each new mission. Together with our clients we create lasting community benefit.
Mission
To capture coral in unforgettable detail.
As climate change continues to impact the world’s precious coral reefs, the way we go about protecting them requires an increasingly precise approach. More precise than the human eye is capable of recording.
Most traditional coral surveying techniques typically rely on divers swimming along the reef and recording observed data on a slate. A fundament issue with observed data is that it can vary from diver to diver. Being able to monitor and measure vital signs of change consistently, in intricate detail, is crucial to identifying exactly where to focus efforts and what plans need to be put in place at an early stage.
Coral health indicators are key to enabling us to understand their ability to survive during natural or human-induced stress events. Having both a holistic and accurate archive of data is invaluable in understanding current and predicting future coral survivorship trends.
Challenge
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is just one part of the world where more sophisticated measuring techniques were urgently needed. Extensive monitoring and research, designed to assess the harmful effects of climate change as well as the impacts of marine construction projects, revealed a disturbing picture and the true extent of ‘coral bleaching’ in the region.
Bleaching is the process of coral turning white due to the expulsion of the algae that lives within its tissue (and provides the vibrant colours coral reefs are known for). This happens when coral is exposed to prolonged stress events such as high water temperature, sewage water, sedimentation due to dredging or reclamation work. If the stress conditions do not subside, the coral can die.
Recovery is possible. Understanding the structural complexities of a coral reef plays a vital role in its recovery. In the UAE, mass bleaching events have been on the rise, with more than 65% of coral reefs in the region wiped out due to rising water temperatures1 in the last 30 years, with the remaining coral on the edge of survival.
Our challenge was to engineer a more holistic and accurate monitoring of these foundational coral reefs to safeguard the biodiverse ecosystem they provide life to.
Response
We developed a virtual 3D monitoring tool that brings UAE’s coral reefs to dry land, so marine biologists can ‘visit’ them whenever they need to.
This pioneering approach uses 3D modelling technology to deliver data-rich and visually stunning accurate digital replications of these threatened natural wonders.
"It's a little bit like the concept of Google Street View," explains GHD’s UAE-based marine biologist Prasanna Wijesinghe. "We're using increasingly powerful and flexible 3D modelling technology to develop incredible digital representations of underwater coral reefs that can be navigated and explored, similar to a virtual reality game."
"With the 3D modelling approach, we still use divers, but much more effectively. It's a case of taking a number of overlapping still images of a coral, and then letting the advanced software 'knit' everything together to render it in 3D," says Prasanna.
"Currently, we’re focused on obtaining extremely accurate models of singular coral colonies. We’re rapidly mastering the basics, and have already started trialling up-scaling these models to whole sections of breakwater reefs. It’s a very exciting time as advanced underwater drone technology will allow us to overcome diver related limitation, whilst enhancing the safety aspect.”
Once the model is rendered in 3D, it's as if the reef is "frozen in time", explains Prasanna. "The key point is we can go back later and extract whatever data we want, which is close to impossible with conventional surveying methods.”
Outcome
The result of this new 3D technology is a more accessible underwater world, which is not just more visually appealing but is also easier for everyone to understand. Even if you’re not a marine biologist yet.
For those whose job it is today to keep those precious reefs safe, they can now make more comprehensive conservation and management plans.
Prasanna Wijesinghe concluded, "I'm excited by the possibilities, as I truly believe imagination is the only limit, and I’m proud to be leading this pioneering work with our clients and communities to safeguard our reefs for future generations."
Meet Prasanna
Prasanna Wijesinghe is a Marine Biologist and Environmental Scientist based in Abu Dhabi. He specialises in underwater 3D coral modelling, and his experience includes projects ranging from bioremediation of water, gathering of marine baseline data for marine protected areas, relocation works, and ecological and offshore surveys.
For more information, you can contact Prasanna on +971 2 696 8700 or email him at Prasanna.Wijesinghe@ghd.com
