Lord Howe Island Seafloor Backscatter Grid

A 1034 sq km backscatter grid of the Lord Howe Island shelf, produced from processed EM300 sonar data collected during a 2008 marine survey. Geoscience Australia conducted the survey using the RV Southern Surveyor, merging bathymetric data with pre-existing datasets. The survey characterized benthic environments through sediment sampling, video observation, and oceanographic measurements.

Use Cases

• Analyze backscatter intensity values to classify seafloor sediment types across the 1034 sq km grid.
• Map sediment thickness and shelf stratigraphy by correlating backscatter data with sub-bottom profile information.
• Characterize benthic habitats by integrating backscatter patterns with colocated underwater video observations.
• Study oceanographic processes by linking backscatter data to tide and current measurements from a 6-month mooring deployment.

Strengths

• Grid covers a 1034 sq km area of the Lord Howe Island shelf.
• Data integrates multiple survey methods including sonar, video, coring, and oceanographic moorings.

Limitations

• Specific row/column counts, resolution, and data formats for the grid are unknown.
• Primary data collection occurred in 2008, with potential temporal staleness for current conditions.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Processed from EM300 backscatter data collected during the SS062008 marine survey aboard the RV Southern Surveyor.

Time Range

Survey conducted in 2008, incorporating some data from a separate 2007 mooring deployment.

Freshness

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Geography

Lord Howe Island shelf, New South Wales, Australia.