Biogeochemical Baseline Data from Australia's Continental Margin, 2007-2014

Surficial seabed samples from over 350 locations across Australia's western, northern, and eastern continental margins were collected during federal government surveys from 2007 to 2014. The dataset, published in 2017, includes parameters analyzing organic matter source, concentration, and bioavailability. It aims to provide a baseline for understanding processes governing nutrient concentrations in marine sediments.

Use Cases

• Modeling links between water column productivity and seabed organic carbon based on MODIS and OC:SA data.
• Assessing the role of nitrogen fixation in marine productivity based on δ15N values from the Timor Sea.
• Classifying sediment organic richness and freshness based on parameters like chlorin indices and TOC percentages.
• Investigating benthic production and pockmark formation influences on organic-rich sediments.

Strengths

• Samples collected from over 350 locations across three major Australian continental margins.
• Data collection spans a 7-year period from 2007 to 2014, providing temporal context.
• Analysis includes multiple parameters for organic matter source, concentration, and bioavailability.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Seabed samples collected during federal government marine surveys.

Time Range

2007-2014

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 21:45:45.575796; freshness should be verified

Geography

Australia's western, northern, and eastern continental margins