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

472 sediment grain size samples and 304 biogenic silica measurements from East Antarctic seabeds provide a multi-decadal environmental record. This compilation from Geoscience Australia incorporates data analyzed from the 1950s to 2012, overlaying sedimentary properties with bathymetry to illustrate seabed habitat variations. The data maps fine-grained biosiliceous material in deep troughs and coarser sediments on exposed shelf banks, informing the assessment of seven proposed Marine Protected Areas.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic habitat suitability based on sediment grain size and composition data.
• Analyzing seabed sediment distribution patterns relative to bathymetric troughs and shelf banks.
• Correlating high carbonate content with known hydrocoral occurrence areas at the shelf break.
• Assessing habitat variability within proposed Marine Protected Areas using sedimentary and geomorphic property maps.

Strengths

• 472 quantitative grain size samples provide a substantial core dataset.
• Data spans over six decades, from the 1950s to 2012, offering historical context.
• Includes 304 biogenic silica and 255 calcium carbonate measurements for compositional analysis.
• Data is integrated with maps of bathymetry and geomorphic features for spatial context.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count for the compiled dataset is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to sampling campaigns in the East Antarctic region.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Compilation of data collected and analyzed from various sources and campaigns.

Time Range

1950s to 2012

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 18:51:23.252762; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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