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SMARTER, SAFER PONTOONS FOR REEF TOURISTS15 October 2002 CRC Reef researchers have released guidelines for planning and designing structures on the Great Barrier Reef that will help to make new structures safer for tourists and the Reef. CRC Reef researchers, Professor Tom Hardy and his team based at the School of Engineering at James Cook University, worked in collaboration with engineers, tourism operators and managers from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to produce the guidelines. “The guidelines will help to ensure that tourism pontoons on the reef perform well during operational conditions as well as survive with little environmental damage during extreme weather conditions, such as cyclones,” said Professor Hardy, co-author of the guidelines. The guidelines will be used together with an atlas of waves that the researchers have already published online. The wave atlas contains information about waves that are encountered during cyclones at thousands of places along the Great Barrier Reef. “Tourism operators can use the atlas to search for suitable sites for pontoons,” said Professor Hardy. “It will also help engineers to design mooring systems that are appropriate for extreme conditions.” “Improved engineering resulting from the guidelines, and more sophisticated design inputs available from the atlas do not necessarily mean making heavier, more intrusive mooring systems but will often result in smarter, lighter engineering,” said Professor Hardy. “The guidelines and wave atlas will assist the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority manage and monitor future pontoon projects on the Great Barrier Reef,” said Mr Martin Robinson, Manager of the Environmental Impact Management Unit of the GBRMPA. The guidelines Reef infrastructure guidelines: tourist pontoons by Ross Kapitzke, Michael Matheson and Tom Hardy are published on CD as CRC Reef Technical Report No 39. Chapter 1 is available online at the CRC Reef website. The wave atlas is available online at the CRC Reef website.
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