Multibeam Sonar Survey of Cape Hawke Seabed Bathymetry and Backscatter, 2019-2022

A 32-bit floating point geotiff dataset provides 5-meter resolution bathymetry and backscatter maps for the Forster Pacific Palms Cape Hawke area in New South Wales. The NSW Department of Planning and Environment collected this data using an R2Sonic 2022 multibeam sonar aboard the Research Vessel Bombora between March 2019 and August 2022. This survey establishes a baseline dataset and maps seabed type distribution as part of the SeabedNSW program.

Use Cases

• Modeling seabed morphology and habitat distribution based on high-resolution bathymetry and backscatter data.
• Establishing environmental baselines for coastal management based on the described baseline dataset purpose.
• Analyzing spatial patterns of seabed types based on the stated mapping objective.

Strengths

• Data was collected using a specific R2Sonic 2022 multibeam sonar system.
• Processed outputs are provided as 32-bit floating point geotiff files at a 5-meter resolution.
• Standard operating procedures and a survey report are referenced for methodological details.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The description explicitly states the data is 'Not to be used for navigational purposes', limiting its application.

Provenance

Source

NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE)

Collection Method

Acquired via multibeam survey from the Research Vessel Bombora, processed with Hypack, R2Sonic GUI, POSView, POSPac, Qimera, and FMGT software.

Time Range

01/MAR/2019 – 12/AUG/2022

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 07:18:06.452492; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Forster Pacific Palms Cape Hawke, New South Wales, Australia