The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's most remarkable ecosystems, supporting extraordinary biodiversity while playing a vital role in the planet's natural carbon cycle. Protecting this natural wonder requires a deeper understanding of how climate change is impacting reef environments today and into the future.
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
$65B Economic value
The Great Barrier Reef is valued at over US$65 billion.
137M
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
2300km Length of coastline
The Great Barrier Reef spans 2300km of coastline, the equivalent to the world's 64th-largest nation geographically.
Science and technology for reefs
Protecting the Great Barrier Reef with innovation
At the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), researchers are leading groundbreaking marine research at the SeaSim facility, one of the world's most advanced experimental aquariums. By recreating real reef conditions with exceptional precision, scientists can study coral responses to environmental pressures and develop solutions to support reef resilience and restoration.
Through Siemens industrial automation and PCS 7 technology, SeaSim can monitor and control complex experimental processes, enabling research at an unprecedented scale. Together, AIMS and Siemens are helping generate critical insights that could contribute to protecting marine ecosystems not only in Australia, but around the world.
Furthering science with leading technology
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.
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.