Carnarvon Shelf Marine Biodiversity Survey Data from 2008

A 2008 survey of the Carnarvon Shelf, Western Australia, conducted by the CERF Marine Biodiversity Hub aboard the RV Solander. The survey collected co-located physical and biological data across three primary study areas: Mandu, Point Cloates, and Gnaraloo. Datasets include multibeam sonar bathymetry, sediment samples, underwater video, and plankton samples for analyzing benthic biodiversity surrogates.

Use Cases

• Testing physical parameters as surrogates for biodiversity patterns based on co-located data collection.
• Mapping benthic community distributions based on towed underwater video and stills photography.
• Analyzing seabed morphology and composition based on multibeam sonar bathymetry, backscatter, and sediment grab samples.
• Studying near-bottom plankton communities in relation to physical oceanographic measurements like waves and currents.

Strengths

• Data was collected for the specific purpose of robust testing of biodiversity surrogates, suggesting a structured experimental design.
• Survey focused on three strategically selected study areas on the southern Carnarvon Shelf, representative of broader benthic environments.
• High-quality, accurately co-located physical and biological datasets were a stated goal of the survey program.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The report indicates additional processing of most data is required before comparative analysis can commence.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, from a collaboration between the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and Geoscience Australia (GA).

Collection Method

Field survey aboard RV Solander, part of the CERF Marine Biodiversity Hub's Surrogates Program.

Time Range

August and September 2008

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-16 18:51:22.970231; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Carnarvon Shelf, Western Australia, specifically areas at Mandu, Point Cloates, Gnaraloo, and near the Muiron Islands.