Australia's Seabed Map 2023: 250m Resolution Bathymetry Grid

Australia's Seabed Map 2023 provides a three-dimensional picture of the seafloor across a vast area from 92°E to 172°E and 8°S to 60°S, including areas adjacent to the Australian continent, Tasmania, and several island territories. The map is based on the AusBathyTopo 250m grid, compiled from 1582 individual surveys using multibeam echosounders, LiDAR, satellite data, and other sources, representing decades of data collection and collaboration. It was produced by the Australian Ocean Data Network and represents a significant improvement over the 2009 revision.

Use Cases

• Modeling seafloor topography for offshore infrastructure planning based on the 3D bathymetry data.
• Supporting area-based environmental management decisions using the regional-scale seabed context.
• Conducting scientific research on continental shelf morphology based on the high-resolution compilation.
• Enhancing public education materials with a seamless land-sea transition map.

Strengths

• Compiled from 1582 individual surveys using multiple technologies (multibeam echosounders, LiDAR, satellite-derived bathymetry).
• Represents decades of data collection, analysis, investment, and collaboration from Australia's seabed mapping community.
• Provides a significant improvement and complete 3D picture of the seafloor since the last revision in 2009.

Limitations

• The 250m resolution is only supported where direct bathymetric observations are sufficiently dense; in many regions, the grid size exceeds the optimal resolution of the input data.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The map is not suitable for use as an aid to navigation or to replace products from the Australian Hydrographic Office.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Compiled from 1582 individual surveys using multibeam echosounders, single-beam echosounders, LiDAR, 3D seismic first returns, regional compilations, Electronic Navigation Charts, and satellite-derived bathymetry.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 08:05:07.640340; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Area from 92°E to 172°E and 8°S to 60°S, including areas adjacent to Australia, Tasmania, Macquarie Island, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, and Cocos (Keeling) Islands.