Backscatter Grid of Lord Howe Island Shelf from 2008 Marine Survey

Geoscience Australia's 2008 marine survey (SS062008) produced a backscatter grid covering 1034 sq km of the Lord Howe Island shelf. Data was acquired using the RV Southern Surveyor and merged with pre-existing bathymetry, with supporting oceanographic data from a 6-month mooring deployment in 2007-2008. The lh_back_8m grid was generated from processed EM300 backscatter data using the CMST-GA MB Process.

Use Cases

• Map seabed sediment types based on backscatter intensity.
• Characterize benthic environments by correlating backscatter with video and sampling data.
• Analyze shelf stratigraphy by integrating backscatter with subbottom profile data.
• Study oceanographic processes using the colocated current and tide measurements.

Strengths

• Grid covers a defined area of 1034 sq km.
• Data integrates multiple survey methods including bathymetry, sediment sampling, video, and oceanographic moorings.
• Processed using a specific methodology (CMST-GA MB Process).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic/temporal bias inherent to data_gov_au.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Marine survey using RV Southern Surveyor, with EM300 multibeam sonar and colocated sampling.

Time Range

Primary survey in 2008, with mooring data from 2007-2008.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 18:03:00.920425; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Lord Howe Island shelf, New South Wales, Australia.