Benthic Habitats of Yanyuwa Sea Country: Seagrass Surveys and Interpolation

A 2023 project mapping intertidal habitats in the Yanyuwa Indigenous Protected Area, Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. The dataset includes 3 GIS layers: a point shapefile with seagrass presence/absence at 3248 sites, a meadow shapefile describing 180 intertidal seagrass meadows, and a GeoTiff interpolation of seagrass biomass. It was produced through a partnership between li-Anthawirriyarra rangers, Charles Darwin University, James Cook University, and the Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Indigenous Corporation.

Use Cases

• Modeling seagrass biomass distribution across meadows based on the interpolation GeoTiff layer.
• Analyzing the relationship between seagrass presence/absence and other benthic cover (e.g., coral, algae) using the site point data.
• Mapping and monitoring the extent and attributes of 180 intertidal seagrass meadows for conservation planning.
• Studying spatial patterns of benthic macro-invertebrates and algae functional groups mentioned in the site layer description.

Strengths

• Includes 3248 surveyed sites with detailed seagrass, invertebrate, and algae information.
• Describes attributes for 180 distinct intertidal seagrass meadows.
• Integrates multiple data sources: field surveys, helicopter aerial photography, and rectified satellite imagery from Allen Coral Atlas and ESRI.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count for the primary site data is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-07-10 13:31:41.434269; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Partnership between li-Anthawirriyarra rangers, Charles Darwin University, James Cook University, and Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Indigenous Corporation, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Surveys conducted by small vessel and helicopter, with data entered into an ArcGIS 10.8 system. Methods were developed by the TropWATER Seagrass Group and tailored to the location.

Time Range

Surveys likely conducted around or before 2023, as per the referenced report.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-10 13:31:41.434269

Geography

Yanyuwa Sea Country, Barni - Wardimantha Awara Indigenous Protected Area, Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, Australia.