Australia's Seabed Map: 2023 Bathymetry Grid

1582 individual surveys underpin this 2023 revision of Australia's continental-scale seabed map, representing decades of data collection. The AusBathyTopo 250m grid provides a three-dimensional picture of the seafloor from 92°E to 172°E and 8°S to 60°S, incorporating satellite-derived bathymetry for seamless land-sea transitions. It is compiled from multibeam echosounders, LiDAR, 3D seismic returns, and Electronic Navigation Charts.

Use Cases

• Planning offshore infrastructure based on detailed seafloor depth and topography.
• Conducting scientific research on seabed geomorphology using the 3D bathymetric model.
• Supporting area-based environmental management with regional-scale marine context.
• Enhancing public education materials with a national-scale visual map of the seabed.
• Improving coastline definition for nautical charts using integrated satellite observation data.

Strengths

• Integrates data from 1582 distinct surveys using multiple technologies (multibeam, single-beam, LiDAR, 3D seismic).
• Represents a significant improvement over the previous 2009 revision, incorporating new satellite-derived data.
• Provides a continental-scale compilation covering a vast longitudinal and latitudinal range around Australia.

Limitations

• The nominal 250-meter resolution is not uniformly supported; grid size exceeds data density in many regions.
• Metadata for row count, file size, license, and specific columns is missing from all provided sources.
• Excludes Australia's marine jurisdiction offshore from Heard and McDonald Islands and the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data, based on the AusBathyTopo 250m (Australia) 2023 grid (Beaman, 2023).

Collection Method

Compilation from direct bathymetric surveys, higher-resolution regional compilations, Electronic Navigation Charts, and satellite-derived bathymetry.

Time Range

Surveys represent decades of collection; the grid revision date is 2023.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 according to the most recent platform entry.

Geography

Covers areas adjacent to the Australian continent, Tasmania, Macquarie Island, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, and Cocos (Keeling) Islands (92°E to 172°E, 8°S to 60°S).