Darwin Harbour Seabed Sand Content Predictions at 10-Meter Resolution

2011-2017 survey data underpins this predicted seabed sand content grid for Darwin and Bynoe Harbour. The dataset was created by Geoscience Australia, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and the Northern Territory Government's Department of Environment and Natural Resources. It provides spatially continuous predictions of seabed %sand content in 10-meter resolution raster grids.

Use Cases

• Create thematic habitat maps based on predicted seabed sand content.
• Underpin marine resource management decisions using spatially continuous environmental data.
• Model sediment distribution patterns based on seven environmental variables derived from multibeam sonar.
• Compare predictive accuracy of sand content models against common interpolation methods.

Strengths

• Predictions are based on 395 physical samples, providing a ground-truthed foundation.
• Predictive accuracy for sand is reported as high, with a VEcv of 39%.
• The predictive method shows an 84.8% improvement for sand compared to a commonly used baseline (IDW).
• Data supersedes previous predictions with demonstrated improvements in accuracy.

Limitations

• Absences in predictions occur due to non-availability of associated predictive variables.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Northern Territory Government Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Collection Method

Predictions derived from a compilation of multiple surveys between 2011 and 2017, using seven environmental variables from high-resolution multibeam sonar data.

Time Range

Survey data collected between 2011 and 2017.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 03:07:59.616392; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Greater Darwin Harbour and Bynoe Harbour region, northern Australian marine margin.