Benthic Biota of Northern Australia: ROV and Sled Specimens from 2012 Survey

261 voucher specimens of benthic marine life were collected during a 9-day transit between Darwin and Cairns in October 2012. The survey, conducted by Geoscience Australia, focused on sessile invertebrates like sponges and octocorals for biodiversity and biodiscovery research. Sponges were the most abundant group, with approximately 139 kg of biomass and 93 voucher specimens collected.

Use Cases

• Analyze benthic community composition based on voucher specimen counts and biomass data mentioned in the description
• Identify potential sources of marine natural products based on the collection of sponges and cnidarians for biodiscovery
• Study habitat distribution patterns based on the described features of a bank top, terrace, and deep hole
• Support conservation planning for the proposed Wessel Islands CMR based on the ecological survey data

Strengths

• 261 voucher specimens collected in less than 24 hours of sampling effort
• Biomass data provided for key groups (e.g., ~139 kg of sponges, 30 kg of cnidarians)
• Clear survey aim and methodology described, including use of ROV and benthic sled

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data files are in DOCX, PDF, and HTML formats, which may require extraction for analysis

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Biological data acquisition program using an ROV and benthic sled during a ship transit.

Time Range

15-24 October 2012

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04 00:51:48.978486; freshness should be verified

Geography

Northern Australia, between Darwin and Cairns, including a bank (Area I) and terrace/hole feature within the proposed Wessel Islands CMR (Area II)