Benthic Habitats of the Lord Howe Rise Plateau from 2003 and 2007 Surveys

Australia's exclusive economic zone contains 1.6 million km² of submarine plateaus, representing about 13.8% of the world's known inventory. This dataset presents results from two major marine surveys on the Lord Howe Rise plateau in 2003 and 2007, collecting benthic biological and geological samples, underwater photographs, video, and multibeam sonar bathymetry data. The work was published by Geoscience Australia Data.

Use Cases

• Identify ecologically significant areas based on criteria like uniqueness and vulnerability mentioned in the description
• Map hard/rocky benthic substrates and volcanic seamounts based on the described geological and sonar data
• Study epifaunal assemblages dominated by suspension feeders based on the described biological samples and imagery
• Assess the global significance and distribution of submarine plateau habitats based on the described 13.8% global statistic

Strengths

• Data originates from two dedicated marine surveys conducted in 2003 and 2007, providing a focused temporal snapshot
• Includes multiple data modalities: biological samples, geological samples, photographs, video, and multibeam sonar bathymetry
• Covers a region of significant global importance, representing a disproportionate 13.8% of the world's known submarine plateaus

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to the 2003 and 2007 survey dates

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Results from two major marine surveys involving sample collection, photography, video, and sonar mapping.

Time Range

2003, 2007

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 03:30:23.264945; freshness should be verified

Geography

Lord Howe Rise plateau within the Australian exclusive economic zone.