Arafura Marine Park Survey: Backscatter Mosaics for Benthic Habitat Mapping

Two 32-bit geotiff files of backscatter mosaics for Money Shoal and Pillar Bank areas in the Arafura Sea, collected from November 2 to 15, 2020. The data was acquired by Geoscience Australia and the Australian Institute of Marine Science using an EM2040C Dual Head multibeam system and processed with specialized software. This survey builds baseline information for benthic habitats to support a 10-year environmental monitoring plan (2018-2028) for the North Marine Park Network.

Use Cases

• Map seafloor composition and texture based on processed backscatter data.
• Establish baseline conditions for benthic habitats to support long-term monitoring plans.
• Integrate backscatter mosaics with concurrent seabed samples and underwater imagery for habitat classification.

Strengths

• Data was collected during a dedicated 14-day survey in November 2020 using an EM2040C Dual Head multibeam system.
• Includes two distinct geospatial products covering the Money Shoal and Pillar Bank areas.
• Associated with a detailed post-survey report providing methodological context.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific survey areas in the Arafura Sea.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Collection Method

Multibeam bathymetry and backscatter data collected aboard the RV Solander and processed with the CMST-GA MB Process toolbox.

Time Range

November 2 – 15, 2020.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 01:57:08.114131; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arafura Marine Park (Arafura Sea), specifically Money Shoal and Pillar Bank.