High-Resolution Bathymetry Model for Australia's North West Shelf

A bathymetry compilation for Australia's North West Shelf integrates multi-source data with assessed accuracy. The model combines publicly available multibeam echosounder data, satellite-derived bathymetry from over 1000 images (2017-2019), and seismic-derived bathymetry from 100+ surveys (1981-2015). It was prepared by the University of Western Australia and published with permission from Geoscience Australia.

Use Cases

• Compare depth accuracy between seismic-derived bathymetry (1 m + 2% of water depth) and satellite-derived bathymetry (1 m + 5% of water depth) layers for regional analysis.
• Integrate the satellite-derived bathymetry layer, based on 1000+ Sentinel-2 images, with other marine datasets for coastal change studies.
• Analyze the seismic-derived bathymetry layer extracted from 100+ historical surveys to study seabed evolution over decades.
• Fuse the high-resolution bathymetry grid with SRTM topography data for seamless land-sea terrain modeling.
• Validate new sonar surveys against the publicly available MBES datasets incorporated in this compilation.

Strengths

• Integrates four distinct data sources with documented vertical accuracy assessments.
• Satellite-derived bathymetry uses over 1000 images acquired between 2017 and 2019.
• Seismic-derived bathymetry incorporates data from more than 100 surveys spanning 1981 to 2015.
• Methodology and accuracy metrics are detailed in a published, peer-reviewed paper (Lebrec et al., 2021).

Limitations

• Primary data sources are historical, with the latest integrated surveys ending in 2019.
• Not suitable for navigation purposes, as explicitly stated by the author.
• Spatial coverage is limited to the specific region between Cape Range and Dampier Peninsula.

Provenance

Source

University of Western Australia, published with permission of Geoscience Australia.

Collection Method

Compilation of multibeam echosounder data, satellite imagery, seismic surveys, and historical topography grids.

Time Range

Source data acquired between 1981 and 2019.

Freshness

Last updated in March 2026, though underlying source data ranges from 1981 to 2019.

Geography

North West Shelf of Australia, between Cape Range and Dampier Peninsula.