Coral reefs are among the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth – but they’re also among the most vulnerable.

Thanks to climate change, pollution, and other human impacts – coral reefs are in crisis.  The need for fast, coordinated action has never been greater.

One of the biggest challenges is getting accurate, up-to-date data, especially from remote or isolated reef systems. Without that data, it’s hard to know where the damage is happening, how fast it’s progressing, or what actions might help.

That’s where ReefCloud comes in. ReefCloud is a digital platform that brings together the world’s coral reef monitoring community. It combines artificial intelligence, statistical analysis, and data visualisation to help scientists and decision makers to understand reef changes and respond to them faster and more effectively.

In this episode, we talk to Dr Manuel Gonzalez-Rivero, a Research Team Leader with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). He also leads ReefCloud.

Our host is Dr Julie Vercelloni, a research scientist at AIMS.

• Episode webpage:  https://www.therandomsample.com.au/podcast/reefcloud/