Deep-Sea Bio-Physical Survey Data from Lord Howe Rise

A marine survey collected 3,413 seabed characterisations from 42 video stations, 6,229 photographs, and 36 sediment and biological samples on the Lord Howe Rise. The dataset links physical variables like substratum type and depth to benthic assemblage composition for predictive surrogate modeling. Research was conducted by Geoscience Australia.

Use Cases

• Model benthic assemblage composition using substratum type and depth as predictive surrogates.
• Analyze the distribution of suspension feeding invertebrates like cold water corals and sponges across different seabed characterisations.
• Correlate levels of bioturbation in soft-sediment environments with other physical mapping variables.
• Examine faunal diversity patterns across the 250 to 2,200 m depth gradient covered by the survey.

Strengths

• Contains 3,413 detailed seabed characterisations of physical and biological variables.
• Integrates multiple data types: 32 hours of seabed video, 6,229 still photographs, and samples from 36 stations.
• Survey spans a significant depth range from 250 to 2,200 meters on the Lord Howe Rise.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to 42 video stations and 36 sampling stations across a vast deep-sea area.
• Data is specific to the northern Lord Howe Rise and Gifford Guyot, limiting geographic generalizability.
• Primary data format is HTML, which may require extraction and conversion for analytical use.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data.

Collection Method

Multibeam acoustic surveys, towed-video stations, sediment and biological sampling.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Western flank of Lord Howe Rise and Gifford Guyot in the southern Pacific Ocean.