Macrocystis Pyrifera Kelp Bed Survey on Tasmania's East Coast, 1999

A survey of Macrocystis pyrifera (giant kelp) stocks was conducted by the Australian Ocean Data Network in 1999. The survey used aerial observation from a light aircraft, with bed boundaries marked on 1:100,000 maps and tracked using a Trimble GPS unit. The data covers the coastline from Eddystone Point to South East Cape.

Use Cases

• Map historical distribution of giant kelp beds based on aerial survey boundaries.
• Analyze coastal habitat changes over time using the 1999 geospatial baseline.
• Model kelp bed proximity to landmarks using the GPS-tracked boundary data.
• Assess marine conservation areas by comparing historical kelp coverage to modern data.

Strengths

• Survey conducted with GPS tracking for precise geospatial data.
• Coverage spans a significant portion of Tasmania's east coast from Eddystone Point to South East Cape.
• Data is hosted by the authoritative Australian Ocean Data Network.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Freshness should be verified; the underlying survey is from 1999.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Aerial survey from a light aircraft, with boundaries marked on 1:100,000 maps and tracked via Trimble GPS.

Time Range

1999

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 17:59:41.043112; freshness should be verified

Geography

East coast of Tasmania, from Eddystone Point to South East Cape.