Armchair scuba divers across the world and marine
conservationists will soon be able to immerse themselves in the
most spectacular survey of the Great Barrier Reef ever
undertaken, thanks to a new research project unveiled by
conservationists and backed by Google on Thursday. Tens of
thousands of 360-degree, high-definition panoramas of underwater
forests, grasslands and crags will be taken by robot cameras,
mapped and made available on the internet as a result of the
collaboration, which will seek help from a global audience to
assess the health and composition of the 2,300km-long reef. The
scientists and conservationists behind the Catlin Seaview Survey
hope the attraction of "virtual diving" will also raise
awareness about climate change, coral bleaching, deepwater
ecology and the breeding habits of invertebrates that may only
be able to spawn once a month by the light of the full moon. The
survey, which is sponsored by the UK-based insurance company
Catlin and backed by NGOs, research institutes and the U