Over 85% of Australians live within 50 km of the coast, relying on its ecosystems and associated services for industry, recreation, and cultural identity. Climate change is altering our coastline at unprecedented rates, with sea level rise, erosion, inundation, and weather changes compounding habitat loss from human activity. These changes also impact the built environment, natural resource systems, and infrastructure planning. Despite these challenges, Australia lacks a national, cohesive approach to monitor, understand, predict, and adapt to coastal change.
CoastRI, a cross-NCRIS (National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy) collaboration involving 13 NCRIS capabilities, aims to establish a national coastal observing and modelling capability to support research, industry, and government. By delivering scalable coastal observations, CoastRI will enhance predictions of coastal change, improve risk assessments, and support informed decision-making.
Stage 1, funded in the 2023 NCRIS round, included national consultations to identify research and stakeholder needs, establish First Nations co-design partnerships, and initiate investments in coastal observation and modelling capabilities. This included establishing a coastal modelling and data commons, deploying infrastructure to monitor coastal waves and estuarine water quality, expanding a surface elevation table network for tidal wetland elevation monitoring, aggregating urban infrastructure datasets, and expanding drone and fixed camera monitoring for erosion and habitat assessment.
Proposed Stage 2 will build on these foundations by expanding observation networks, enhancing modelling capabilities, and integrating new and existing data streams. Priority focus areas include erosion, inundation, water quality, habitat condition, biodiversity, community well-being, and impacts on settlements, infrastructure, and industry. First Nations co-design, data stewardship, and sovereignty are central to CoastRI.
CoastRI will leverage collaboration among NCRIS capabilities, and national and state partners to create an integrated, national-scale coastal research infrastructure. Through synthesis and coordination, CoastRI will drive a step-change in Australia’s ability to address coastal challenges, ensuring sustainable coastal management for future generations.