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 dataset includes fifteen geotiff files at 4m, 9m, 10m, 16m, and 32m resolution, produced from Kongsberg EM302 multibeam sonar data collected by the RV Falkor. This data is published with the permission of Geoscience Australia.

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 Coral Sea reef slopes.
• Exploring frontier marine regions with previously limited multibeam data coverage.

Strengths

• Data was collected over a 47-day dedicated survey voyage, providing systematic coverage.
• Includes backscatter and water column data from two multibeam sonar systems (EM302 and EM710).
• Covers a frontier region with very little previously collected multibeam data.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is explicitly not to be used for navigational purposes.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, collected by RV Falkor.

Collection Method

Geophysical mapping using Kongsberg EM302 and EM710 multibeam sonar systems, typically in Dual Swath mode.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 17:05:51.244712; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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