FK200930: Northern Great Barrier Reef Bathymetry Survey (2020)

Northern Great Barrier Reef bathymetry data acquired during a 47-day survey from September 30 to November 17, 2020. The survey used Kongsberg EM302 multibeam sonar on the RV Falkor to map the seabed of the Cape York Peninsula region, the Swain slide, and reefs in the eastern Coral Sea Marine Park. This dataset contains fifteen geotiff files at resolutions from 4m to 32m, published by Geoscience Australia via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Mapping submarine canyons and drowned reefs based on high-resolution bathymetry data.
• Analyzing the extent and nature of underwater landslide debris fields, such as the Swain slide.
• Filling data gaps between existing LIDAR and multibeam surveys around steep reef slopes.
• Studying seabed features in frontier marine regions with previously limited data coverage.

Strengths

• Data was collected over a 47-day dedicated survey voyage, providing systematic coverage.
• Utilized Kongsberg EM302 multibeam sonar, and backscatter and water column data were also collected.
• Covers a frontier marine region with very little previously collected multibeam data.
• Includes data at multiple resolutions (4m, 9m, 10m, 16m, 32m) in geotiff format.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset explicitly states it is not to be used for navigational purposes.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, published with permission of Geoscience Australia.

Collection Method

Geophysical mapping using Kongsberg EM302 multibeam sonar system on RV Falkor.

Time Range

Survey conducted from September 30, 2020 to November 17, 2020.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 03:40:56.645218; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Great Barrier Reef, Cape York Peninsula, Swain Reefs, and eastern Coral Sea Marine Park (Saumarez, Frederick, Kenn, Wreck, Cato Reefs).