Predicted Seabed Sand Content for Darwin Harbour, 10m Resolution

A predicted seabed sand content grid for the greater Darwin and Bynoe Harbour region in northern Australia. 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, using data from surveys conducted between 2011 and 2017. It provides spatially continuous predictions of seabed %sand content at a 10-meter resolution, based on 395 samples and seven environmental variables derived from multibeam sonar data.

Use Cases

• Modeling marine habitat distribution based on predicted seabed substrate composition.
• Informing coastal development and dredging decisions using high-resolution sediment maps.
• Creating thematic habitat maps for marine conservation planning in the Darwin Harbour region.
• Validating and improving sediment prediction models based on the described 84.8% accuracy improvement over IDW methods.

Strengths

• Predictive accuracy for sand content is reported as high, with a VEcv of 39%.
• Predictive accuracy was increased by 84.8% for sand compared to a commonly used interpolation method.
• Data is presented at a 10-meter spatial resolution, suggesting a detailed grid.
• Predictions are based on 395 physical samples and seven environmental variables.

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 Data, Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), Northern Territory Government's Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NTG-DENR).

Collection Method

Derived from a compilation of multiple marine surveys (GA0333, GA0341, GA0351/SOL6187, GA4452/SOL6432, GA0356, GA0358, GA0359) undertaken between 2011 and 2017.

Time Range

Survey data from 2011 to 2017.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 14:59:49.343188; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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