Bathymetry of the Western Australian Margin for the MH370 Search

Geoscience Australia provided bathymetric data to support the underwater search for Malaysia Airlines flight 370. The data was gathered by survey vessels using multibeam sonar to map the sea floor in the southern Indian Ocean, revealing many seabed features for the first time. The dataset was last updated on 2026-06 23.

Use Cases

• Modeling underwater terrain for navigation safety based on high-resolution bathymetric data.
• Identifying and classifying seabed features like canyons or seamounts based on sonar mapping.
• Planning future underwater search or exploration missions based on the detailed sea floor map.

Strengths

• Data was gathered using detailed, high-resolution multibeam sonar.
• The survey revealed many seabed features in the search area for the first time.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, via Geoscience Australia.

Collection Method

Collected by bathymetry survey vessels scanning the sea floor with multibeam sonar.

Time Range

Likely corresponds to the period of the MH370 search operation.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 05:38:19.184908; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Indian Ocean, specifically the western margin of Western Australia.