Northern Great Barrier Reef Bathymetry Survey Data from RV Falkor

Fifteen geotiff files contain processed bathymetry data from a 47-day survey conducted by RV Falkor from September 30 to November 17, 2020. The survey mapped submarine canyons, drowned reefs, and an underwater landslide in the Cape York Peninsula region and Coral Sea Marine Park using Kongsberg EM302 multibeam sonar. This dataset is published with the permission of Geoscience Australia.

Use Cases

• Mapping submarine canyon distribution based on bathymetry data.
• Analyzing the extent and nature of underwater landslide debris fields.
• Identifying drowned reef structures and other significant seabed features.
• Filling data gaps between existing LIDAR and multibeam surveys for slope mapping.

Strengths

• Data covers a frontier marine region with previously limited multibeam coverage.
• Survey spanned 47 days and targeted specific geological objectives.
• Includes backscatter and water column data alongside bathymetry.

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.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

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

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 05:15:03.107813; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Great Barrier Reef, Cape York Peninsula, Swain Reefs, and eastern Coral Sea Marine Park.