Australia's Maritime Jurisdiction Map for the Arafura and Coral Seas

One of 27 constituent maps in the 'Australia's Maritime Jurisdiction Map Series' (GeoCat 71789). The map depicts Australia's extended continental shelf, approved by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in April 2008, along with treaties and various maritime zones. Background imagery combines bathymetric data from a 2009 9 arc-second grid and a 1997 grid by Smith and Sandwell, with land imagery from NASA's Blue Marble.

Use Cases

• Analyze maritime boundary claims based on the depicted extended continental shelf and treaty lines.
• Study bathymetric features of the Arafura and Coral Seas using the background grid data.
• Reference jurisdictional zones for marine spatial planning and resource management activities.
• Verify historical maritime agreements and continental shelf limits as of the 2008 Commission approval.

Strengths

• Part of a standardized series of 27 maps providing consistent coverage of Australia's maritime jurisdiction.
• Integrates authoritative bathymetric data from a 2009 9 arc-second grid and a 1997 scientific source.
• Based on the legally recognized continental shelf limits approved by the UN Commission in April 2008.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data freshness should be verified; the map's underlying legal and bathymetric data sources are from 2008 and earlier.
• The description metadata is limited; actual data quality and detail require manual inspection of the downloadable PDF.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Likely compiled from official legal documents, treaties, and scientific bathymetric surveys.

Time Range

The continental shelf limits are based on a 2008 approval; background bathymetry sources are from 2009 and 1997.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 02:19:13.681296; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arafura and Coral Seas, within Australia's maritime jurisdiction.