Beagle Marine Park Seabed Depth Grids at 1-Meter Resolution

Eleven bathymetry grids detail seafloor depth across 366 square kilometers of the Beagle Marine Park in Bass Strait. Geoscience Australia and the University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies collected the data via multibeam sonar in June 2018. The survey establishes a baseline for benthic habitats to support a 10-year marine park management plan.

Use Cases

• Model benthic habitat types by analyzing depth and terrain derivatives from the 1-meter resolution bathymetry grids.
• Assess seafloor complexity for biodiversity studies using slope and rugosity metrics calculated from the gridded depth data.
• Establish a baseline topographic map for change detection in future seabed surveys within the marine park boundaries.
• Support marine park zoning and management by integrating high-resolution bathymetry with other biological or physical oceanographic datasets.

Strengths

• High spatial resolution of 1 meter for detailed seafloor analysis.
• Covers a combined survey area of 366 square kilometers.
• Data collection is documented in a detailed 2019 post-survey report.

Limitations

• Dataset is a static snapshot from June 2018, with no subsequent updates provided.
• Specific columnar data structure, row counts, and file sizes within the ZIP archive are unknown.
• Limited to Phase 1 (multibeam sonar) data; imagery and video from later phases are separate datasets.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Multibeam sonar seabed mapping from the TV Bluefin vessel.

Time Range

17-26 June 2018.

Freshness

null

Geography

Beagle Marine Park, Bass Strait, Australia.