GBR30: High-Resolution Bathymetry Grid for the Great Barrier Reef Shelf

A high-resolution bathymetry grid with approximately 30-meter pixel spacing covering the Great Barrier Reef shelf area. The dataset was generated by integrating multiple bathymetry sources, including multibeam and singlebeam echo sounder data, electronic navigational charts, and airborne lidar. It was produced under the NESP TWQ 3.1.1 project and is intended to support crown-of-thorns starfish control and other marine applications.

Use Cases

• Modeling crown-of-thorns starfish habitat suitability based on high-resolution bathymetry.
• Conducting hydrodynamic simulations for the Great Barrier Reef shelf using the detailed depth model.
• Assessing natural hazards and planning offshore infrastructure based on seabed topography.
• Supporting tourism and fishing activities through improved spatial mapping of reef structures.

Strengths

• Integrates multiple authoritative bathymetry sources, including data from the Australian Hydrographic Office and Geoscience Australia.
• Provides a high-resolution grid with approximately 30-meter pixel spacing, offering finer detail than previous models.
• Includes derived spatial datasets and descriptive statistics for 22 selected 'super spreader' and tourism reefs.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific analytical tasks.
• Data may reflect geographic or source bias inherent to the contributing surveys.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, integrating data from the Australian Hydrographic Office, Geoscience Australia, and other authorities.

Collection Method

Integration and editing of multibeam echo sounder, singlebeam echo sounder, electronic navigational chart, and airborne lidar bathymetry data using specialized software (QPS Fledermaus, Caris HIPS&SIPS).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 14:43:54.255342; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Great Barrier Reef shelf area.