Australian Marine Sediment Database and Seafloor Maps

A national database contains approximately 25,000 seafloor sediment samples with 138,000 recorded properties. The project was a collaboration between the National Oceans Office and Geoscience Australia, culminating in a final report. It represents the first critical national assessment of Australia's seafloor sediment data quality and coverage.

Use Cases

• Map sediment classification based on the Folk scheme and carbonate content for regional analysis.
• Model sediment mobility in waters less than 300m depth using mean grain size data from six marine domains.
• Analyze the distribution of measured grain size data, including weight percent gravel, sand, and mud.
• Identify gaps in seafloor data coverage to guide future sampling, particularly in the South-west and West-central Marine Domains.

Strengths

• Database contains about 25,000 sediment samples with 138,000 recorded properties.
• Includes validated quantitative data mapped for the Northern Planning Area and the entire Australian Marine Jurisdiction.
• First project to critically assess seafloor sediment data quality and coverage on a national scale for Australia.

Limitations

• Approximately 70% of the total marine domain remains unmapped with measured sediment data.
• Significant data gaps exist on the continental shelf, especially in the South-west and West-central Marine Domains.
• Primary deliverables are report documents (PDF, HTML); raw sample data accessibility is unclear.

Provenance

Source

Collaboration between the National Oceans Office and Geoscience Australia.

Collection Method

Identification, collation, and critical assessment of existing marine sediment data from various sources.

Time Range

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Freshness

Project completed and reported; platform record last updated 2026-04-04.

Geography

Australian Marine Jurisdiction, excluding external territories, with detailed focus on the Northern Planning Area.