Protecting the Great Barrier Reef for our future

Equipped with our automation technology, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) is undertaking groundbreaking research and conservation work to protect and regenerate the Great Barrier Reef.

Simulating life under the sea

The Great Barrier Reef, Australia’s national treasure, is a vast underwater ecosystem that not only supports diverse marine life but also plays a significant role as a blue carbon sink, meaning it absorbs and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. With the help of our automation technology, scientists at AIMS’ National Sea Simulator (SeaSim) are carrying out groundbreaking research and restoration work on the reef, advancing capabilities that were previously not possible in Australia.

$65B Economic value

The Great Barrier Reef is valued at over US$65 billion.

137M Tons of stored carbon

The Great Barrier Reef's seagrass meadows and mangrove forests store 137 million tons of carbon, the equivalent of 13% of Australia's blue carbon reserves.

2300km Length of coastline

The Great Barrier Reef spans 2300km of coastline, the equivalent to the world's 64th-largest nation geographically.

Furthering science with leading technology

A man holds a blue starfish, overlaid with a transparent digital interface displaying scientific data and diagrams.<br/>

The SeaSim project required a complete plant/process automation system to run high-quality marine experiments. Our SIMATIC PCS 7 package was chosen by SeaSim due to its impressive history of accuracy and industrial applications. PCS 7 also integrates a number of package units for individual experiments, automated with our SIMATIC S7-1200/1500 controllers.

Our technology provides AIMS research teams with absolute control over temperature, acidity, salinity, sedimentation and contaminants in the large seawater tanks. High availability, reliability and scalability are essential features to conduct multiple experiments simultaneously – some of which will run for years.

Through the unprecedented level of control we now have thanks to the Siemens control system, we are now able to undertake experiments we could only dream of in the past.

Craig Humphrey, Director, National Sea Simulator

The SIMATIC PCS 7's precision has enabled over 350 groundbreaking experiments at SeaSim in the past decade. A notable achievement has been the facility's work with coral larvae spawning, where the system maintains exact environmental conditions crucial for reproduction studies. By precisely controlling ocean temperatures, light cycles and water chemistry, researchers can study coral resilience and develop new reef restoration techniques, establishing SeaSim as a world-leading center for marine science and coral reef preservation.

Siemens Xcelerator beyond 1%:

Accelerating digitalization for sustainability

The world has entered a perfect storm. Challenging net zero targets have been set, energy prices have risen rapidly and labor and skills shortages have grown. How can digitalization help Australia punch above its weight in the global net zero race?

The rapid deployment of digitalization technologies and skills into our industrial, energy and infrastructure sectors is critical to support climate goals and to make businesses more competitive. It is also essential to allow Australia to take a leading role in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions: beyond the 1% of emissions we are responsible for today.

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