Emily Shaw, 21, of Griffith University, examined how dust storms caused by erosion and drought in outback Australia affected algae thousands of kilometres away on the reef.

"I was finishing my Bachelor of Science (Marine Biology) when I won a summer scholarship to work on the project at Griffith's Australian Rivers Institute," she said.

"I studied the link between dust and the growth of tiny algae or phyto- plankton that form the bottom of the food chain on which all larger ocean animals depend."

Emily analysed satellite data to follow the blooms of phytoplankton across the reef following a severe dust storm.

Emily's study was so successful, her findings have been accepted for publication in a leading marine science journal.

The Smart Women awards will be announced on September 2.