Dungeness Reef Seagrass Surveys: Site, Meadow, and Biomass Layers

104 sites were surveyed for seagrass presence, species composition, and biomass on Dungeness Reef in September 2023. The dataset consists of three GIS shapefiles detailing site-level observations, meadow community structure, and interpolated biomass variation. This is part of an annual monitoring program for the reef that has been conducted since at least 2016, providing data for dugong and turtle management plans.

Use Cases

• Mapping seagrass meadow extent and community composition based on the meadow shapefile.
• Analyzing spatial variation in seagrass biomass across the reef using the interpolation layer.
• Assessing long-term trends in seagrass health by comparing site-level data across survey years.
• Informing marine spatial planning and shipping risk assessments with precise geospatial data.

Strengths

• Provides data from a consistent annual monitoring program, with explicit site counts for specific surveys (e.g., 104 sites in Sep 2023, 113 sites in Feb 2023).
• Includes multiple, complementary geospatial data products (site, meadow, interpolation layers) derived from standardized TropWATER methods.
• Data is explicitly linked to published scientific report cards (e.g., Carter et al. 2024, Carter et al. 2023).

Limitations

• Column names and precise data schema are not provided in the metadata, limiting immediate understanding of all variables.
• Conflicting 'last updated' timestamps (2026) on the platform suggest potential metadata errors.
• License and author information are consistently missing from the platform records.

Provenance

Source

Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, in collaboration with Torres Strait Regional Authority Land and Sea Rangers.

Collection Method

Helicopter-based surveys using visual estimates of seagrass biomass and species composition within quadrats; data processed in ArcGIS 10.8.

Time Range

2019 to 2023 (specific surveys from February 2019, February 2023, and September 2023).

Freshness

Platform records list a last updated date of 2026-06-05, but the most recent survey described is from September 2023.

Geography

Dungeness Reef, Torres Strait, Australia.