10 square kilometers of Macrocystis pyrifera kelp forest were mapped along the east Tasmanian coastline from Musselroe Bay to South East Cape. The survey, conducted from a light aircraft and digitized using MapInfo, estimates a total harvestable biomass of 12,300 tonnes based on historical yield data. Australian Ocean Data Network hosts this record of a 1986 survey that notes past harvest fluctuations linked to ocean temperature and storm events.
Use Cases
- Model historical kelp forest extent based on aerial survey mapping.
- Estimate potential biomass yield for commercial harvesting based on the provided 5 ton/acre figure.
- Analyze environmental impacts on kelp stocks based on noted fluctuations from high water temperatures and storms.
- Georeference historical marine habitats using the digitized bed outlines on 1:100,000 maps.
Strengths
- Provides a concrete total area estimate of 10 km² for the kelp forest.
- Includes a specific biomass yield estimate of 1.23 kg/m² derived from company records.
- Describes a clear methodology involving aerial survey and map digitization.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Data is from a single survey year (1986); freshness should be verified for current applications.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analysis.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Aerial survey from a light aircraft, with bed outlines digitized from 1:100,000 maps using MapInfo. Quadrat sampling at coastal sites supplemented biomass estimates.
- Time Range
- Survey conducted in 1986, with reference to historical records from 1965-1972.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-06-04 08:41:54.268535; freshness should be verified
- Geography
- East coast of Tasmania, from Musselroe Bay to South East Cape.