Beagle Marine Park Seafloor Backscatter Grids at 1-Meter Resolution

Multibeam sonar backscatter data for Beagle Marine Park in Bass Strait, collected in June 2018. The dataset comprises 11 grids at 1-meter spatial resolution, covering a combined area of 364 square kilometers. It was collected by Geoscience Australia and the University of Tasmania to build baseline information for benthic habitats.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic habitat distribution based on backscatter intensity data
• Establishing environmental baselines for marine park management based on the 10-year plan mentioned
• Integrating seafloor maps with other survey phases (AUV imagery, BRUVs) for holistic habitat analysis
• Monitoring changes in seafloor characteristics over time using the high-resolution baseline

Strengths

• High spatial resolution of 1 meter for detailed seafloor analysis
• Covers a substantial mapped area of 364 square kilometers
• Data collection is documented in a detailed 2019 post-survey report

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia and the Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies (University of Tasmania)

Collection Method

Collected via multibeam sonar from the RV Bluefin during a survey voyage.

Time Range

17 – 26 June 2018

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 18:15:44.958526; freshness should be verified

Geography

Beagle Marine Park, Bass Strait, Australia