Eastern Torres Strait Intertidal Benthic Survey with 404 Sites, March 2022

Three GIS shapefiles summarise an intertidal benthic survey of Ugar, Campbell, and Nepean Islands in the Torres Strait from March 2022. The data includes seagrass presence, species composition, algae cover, and macro-invertebrate cover at 404 sites. The dataset was produced by the TropWATER Seagrass Group at James Cook University.

Use Cases

• Map seagrass meadow distribution and biomass based on GIS interpolation layers.
• Analyze benthic community composition based on percent cover data for algae, coral, and invertebrates.
• Assess habitat health and sediment types based on site-level survey details.
• Model spatial variation in seagrass biomass across intertidal zones.

Strengths

• Data from 404 surveyed sites provides detailed spatial coverage.
• Includes three distinct GIS layers (site, meadow, interpolation) for different analytical purposes.
• Methods are documented by the TropWATER Seagrass Group and referenced in publications.

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 islands surveyed.

Provenance

Source

Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University.

Collection Method

Field surveys using TropWATER Seagrass Group methods, with data processed in ArcGIS 10.8 using satellite imagery and aerial photographs.

Time Range

March 2022

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-17 01:50:37.843343; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Ugar, Campbell, and Nepean Islands, Eastern Torres Strait.