Classification of Tasmanian Estuaries with Benthic and Fish Survey Data

A total of 111 Tasmanian estuaries were classified into nine groups based on physical attributes like salinity and tidal data. Baseline information on macrobenthic invertebrates was collected from 55 sites in 48 estuaries, covering 390 taxa and over 100,000 individuals. Data on the distribution of 101 fish species from surveys of 75 estuaries were also incorporated.

Use Cases

• Classifying estuarine ecosystems based on physical attributes like salinity and tidal data.
• Analyzing the abundance and biomass of macrobenthic invertebrate species across intertidal and subtidal zones.
• Mapping the distribution of fish species across Tasmanian estuaries for conservation assessment.
• Correlating catchment characteristics (geomorphology, geology, hydrology) with estuarine biological data.

Strengths

• Classification is based on a field sampling program covering 111 moderate or large estuaries.
• Biological data includes over 100,000 individual macrobenthic invertebrates from 390 taxa sampled at 55 sites.
• Fish distribution data incorporates surveys of 75 estuaries covering 101 species.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified; last updated metadata indicates a future date (2026-07-13).

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au.

Collection Method

Field sampling program for physical attributes, quantitative sampling for macrobenthic invertebrates, and seine net surveys for fish distribution.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 21:08:18.245745; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Tasmania and associated Bass Strait islands.