Engaging with New Caledonia on water quality

In April 2024, CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, through its Centre for Earth Observation (CCEO) and AquaWatch Australia, joined forces with CNES (Centre National D’Etudes Spatiales) – France’s Space Agency, and the undeniable support of local stakeholders and partners (ART GEO-DEV NC, organisers of the Oceania Geospatial Symposium (2023), to deliver a joint workshop in Noumea (New Caledonia) on water quality monitoring.

The New Caledonian archipelago is one of the closest neighbours to Australia. Lying 1500 kilometers to the east coast (less than a 2-hour flight from Brisbane, Queensland), New Caledonia’s Main Island (with Noumea as the capital) boasts an incredible diversity of landscapes from mountainous areas in the centre, splitting the west from a more tropical East, to a southern area home to abundant mineral resources (nickel).

Water (lagoon, and freshwater systems with permanent and seasonal rivers, streams, creeks, and lakes) is a vital element for the islands yet facing increasing challenges (e.g. climate change impacts). From an aquatic perspective, New Caledonia’s coastal ecosystems, extremely rich and complex, benefit to local society and economy (including tourism).

Nestled in the South Pacific Ocean, the Lagoons of New Caledonia are a bucket list destination for divers and marine lovers from all over the world. The endless ribbon of the barrier reef encircles the Main Island, at a distance of a few nautical miles from the coast. The 1,600 km long barrier reef ( the second longest in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef), shelters a lagoon covering a total area of 24,000 km², of which most are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a stunning marine life, including a wide range of corals and fish, and several iconic and endangered marine species such as turtles, whales and dugongs, all supported by a vast network of seagrass meadows.

CNES and CSIRO share common interests in contributing to the preservation of the unique environment. The meeting provided a vibrant forum for French and Australian remote sensing (Earth observation data from satellite, airborne, drone, etc.) and/or water quality experts, researchers and end-users to initiate discussions.  As a direct implementation of the high-level agreement (Letter of Intent, LOI) on Earth observation (EO) signed between CSIRO and CNES in 2019, this collaborative event echoed the Australia-France dialogue [1] on scientific collaborations in the South Pacific region, both countries recognizing the strategic and climate challenges that the region is facing, and thus aiming to use their partnership to advance ‘regional peace, stability^, and prosperity’^[2], The Australian Space Agency and CNES also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in 2018.

During this three-day workshop in Noumea, around 25 in-person participants including researchers, representatives from local agencies, industry, and two Ministers from the government of New Caledonia , engaged in technical and scientific discussions on local water quality issues, stressing the importance of EO-based information complemented by in-situ data (water-based) for an improved water management.

Day One

The attendees provided a valuable overview of the range of environmental issues that New Caledonia is facing (e.g. bushfires events impacting water quality reservoirs, climate change impacts) and existing environmental monitoring capabilities (in-situ sampling, remote sensing). CNES and CSIRO presented key activities and capabilities of their respective Earth Observation program and AquaWatch, highlighting mutual interests in collaborating in New Caledonia on water quality issues. These insights led to further discussions to identify partner opportunities for a potential AquaWatch pilot site in New Caledonia.

Day Two

A limited number of participants held technical discussions on possible collaborations with CSIRO and CNES. The group listed six suitable locations for such a project, while leveraging CSIRO’S AquaWatch program and reinforcing calibration/validation activities of current/upcoming SWOT and TRISHNA CNES space Missions.

Day Three

A small group of attendees visited the site of La Coulee, highlighted as a potential pilot site for this project, followed by round-table discussions with IRD (French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development), CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and Ifremer (French national institute for ocean science and technology) researchers hosted at the IRD New Caledonia office.

Our international team (Australia/France/New Caledonia) planned and delivered a successful workshop in Noumea, as evidenced by compelling interest and support from local stakeholders in a collaborating with CSIRO’s AquaWatch programme and CNES. It demonstrated the importance and value of combining in-situ, EO data and analytics through AquaWatch to advance water quality monitoring and forecasting in New Caledonia. While co-organisers, including our local partners from Data Terra/ART GEO-DEV NC (mainly represented by INSIGHT NC) and the director of Data Terra, were pleased with the workshop outcomes, CNES and CSIRO invite New Caledonia’s interested parties to progress discussions, build collaborations and consider the most suitable pilot site(s) (among the five pre-selected) to benefit all parties. 

With the recent events impacting New Caledonia in mind, our team would like to deeply thank and acknowledge again our local hosts for the successful delivery of the workshop. When safety resumes in Noumea, CSIRO and CNES look forward to progressing discussions on water quality projects with local partners in New Caledonia, and to a larger extent, in the South Pacific region.