Carnarvon Shelf Reef Polygons Digitized from 2008 Multibeam Survey

Reef polygons were manually digitized from multibeam echosounder datasets collected on marine survey GA0308 in August/September 2008. Features were mapped at a scale of 1:10,000 using bathymetry, backscatter data, and derivatives like slope and contours. This dataset is published with the permission of the CEO, Geoscience Australia.

Use Cases

• Map the distribution of hard substrate reef habitats based on the digitized polygon features.
• Analyze seafloor geomorphology using the bathymetry and slope derivatives mentioned in the description.
• Model potential marine biodiversity hotspots by correlating reef locations with other ecological data.
• Conduct change detection studies by comparing these 2008 reef maps with more recent surveys.

Strengths

• Features were mapped at a detailed scale of 1:10,000.
• Data collection is attributed to a specific marine survey (GA0308) in August/September 2008.
• Derived from multibeam echosounder datasets, which suggests a direct measurement source.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Manual digitization from multibeam echosounder datasets collected on survey GA0308.

Time Range

August/September 2008

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 02:46:26.640733; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Carnarvon Shelf, Australia