Carnarvon Shelf Reef Polygons Digitized from 2008 Multibeam Survey

August/September 2008 reef polygons were manually digitized from multibeam echosounder data collected on marine survey GA0308. The dataset defines reef areas as exposed, hard substrate raised above the surrounding seafloor, mapped at a scale of 1:10,000. It is published with the permission of the CEO, Geoscience Australia and aggregated by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Map and analyze the distribution of hard substrate reef habitats based on the manually digitized polygons.
• Model seafloor geomorphology and habitat suitability based on bathymetry and backscatter data derivatives.
• Conduct change detection studies of reef structures using the 2008 survey as a historical baseline.
• Integrate reef polygon data with other marine spatial datasets for conservation planning.

Strengths

• Features were mapped at a detailed scale of 1:10,000.
• Data is derived from a specific, documented marine survey (GA0308) conducted in August/September 2008.
• Polygons were created using multiple data sources including bathymetry, backscatter, slope, hillshading, and contours.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data reflects a specific geographic and temporal bias from a single 2008 survey.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Manual digitization from multibeam echosounder datasets.

Time Range

August/September 2008.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-28 13:48:26.663159; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Carnarvon Shelf, Australia.