Marine Survey 282: Shallow Gas and Benthic Habitat Mapping in the Arafura Sea

Geoscience Australia's Marine Survey 282 report details shallow gas presence and benthic habitat correlations in the Arafura Sea. The analysis confirmed microbial gas origins in Holocene mud-filled channels and identified pockmark fields with densities around 350 per square kilometer. The survey also mapped sea bed substrates, correlating harder areas with high biodiversity of sea whips, fans, soft corals, and other sessile benthos.

Use Cases

• Model shallow gas migration pathways based on links between deep Proterozoic faults and sea bed pockmarks.
• Analyze benthic habitat biodiversity based on correlations with sea bed sediment type and substrate hardness.
• Map pockmark field distribution and density based on relationships with sediment type and fluid supply from depth.
• Investigate microbial gas production based on analysis of core material from Holocene mud-filled channels.

Strengths

• Includes confirmed gas presence from core material analysis, establishing microbial origins.
• Reports specific pockmark field densities of approximately 350 per square kilometer.
• Correlates geophysical data with conventional seismic data to identify fault linkages.
• Provides detailed sea bed mapping showing habitat and biodiversity correlations.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files are in PDF and HTML formats, which may require extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Marine survey involving geophysical data collection and core material analysis.

Time Range

Survey period not specified; report likely reflects a specific survey timeframe.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06 04 06:22:37.283989; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Arafura Sea