East Antarctic Surface Sediment Data on Grain Size, Biogenic Silica, and Carbonate

472 sediment grain size samples and 304 biogenic silica samples provide a multi-decadal view of the Antarctic seabed. This compilation from Geoscience Australia incorporates data analyzed from the 1950s to 2012 for the region south of 60°S between 30-150°E. Sedimentary properties are mapped against bathymetry and geomorphic features to illustrate habitat variations for benthic communities.

Use Cases

• Model benthic habitat suitability based on sediment grain size and composition data.
• Analyze correlations between seabed geomorphology and sediment type distributions.
• Assess environmental variability within proposed East Antarctic Marine Protected Areas using mapped sediment properties.
• Study long-term sediment deposition patterns from the 1950s to 2012.

Strengths

• Includes 472 quantitative grain size samples and an additional 192 Folk classification samples.
• Provides compositional data for 255 calcium carbonate and 304 biogenic silica samples.
• Covers a significant temporal range, incorporating data from the 1950s to 2012.
• Data is geospatially referenced and overlain on maps of bathymetry and geomorphic features.

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 as the last update is listed as 2026-05-14.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Compilation of data collected and analyzed from various sources.

Time Range

1950s to 2012

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 04:55:33.393629; freshness should be verified.

Geography

East Antarctic region (30-150°E) south of 60°S