Darwin Harbour Seabed Habitat Maps from 2015-2018 Multibeam Surveys

Between 2015 and 2018, collaborative seabed mapping surveys were conducted in the Darwin-Bynoe Harbour region by Geoscience Australia, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and the Northern Territory Government. The data package covers 1978 km², including 1754 km² mapped with multibeam echosounders over 247 survey days. This baseline environmental data provides insights into tropical marine environments to inform resource management and future assessments.

Use Cases

• Create habitat maps for marine resource management based on multibeam echosounder data.
• Analyze seabed features and processes in tropical environments using sub-bottom profiler and grab sampler data.
• Inform future environmental assessments in the Greater Darwin region using the acquired baseline data.
• Study the correlation between physical seabed characteristics and biological habitats using combined mapping and sampling data.

Strengths

• Covers a large spatial area of 1978 km², with 1754 km² mapped using multibeam echosounders.
• Data was collected over four marine surveys spanning 247 days, suggesting temporal depth.
• Collaborative program involving multiple authoritative institutions: Geoscience Australia, AIMS, and the Northern Territory Government.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific Darwin-Bynoe Harbour region.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, aggregating data from Geoscience Australia, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and the Northern Territory Government.

Collection Method

Data acquired through marine surveys using multibeam echosounders, sub-bottom profilers, underwater cameras, and grab samplers.

Time Range

2015 to 2018

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 17:07:22.313716; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Darwin-Bynoe Harbour region, Northern Territory, Australia.