Geoscience Australia Survey 267: Hydrocarbon Seepage Detection on the Yampi Shelf

Northwestern Australia's Yampi Shelf was surveyed from March 3 to 18, 2004, aboard the vessel Parmelia K. Geoscience Australia conducted the survey to test techniques for detecting natural hydrocarbon seepage, directly observing plumes and gas bubbles. Data includes multi-beam bathymetry, side-scan sonar, sediment samples, and acoustic doppler current profiler measurements.

Use Cases

• Validate remote sensing interpretations of hydrocarbon seepage based on direct observations of plumes and bubbles.
• Model tidal influences on seepage activity based on observations of activity variation with low and high tide.
• Correlate seepage sites with geological features based on data associating seeps with hydrocarbon-related diagenetic zones (HRDZs).
• Analyze sea surface hydrocarbon concentration using data from a towed fluorometer mentioned in the description.
• Study macro-biotic distribution in active seep zones based on grab and dredge sample findings.

Strengths

• Includes direct, in-situ observations of hydrocarbon seepage plumes and gas bubbles, a finding noted as significant in the description.
• Multi-beam swath bathymetry data reveals channel depths between 2 and 20 meters on the Yampi Shelf.
• Survey employed multiple complementary techniques including echosounder, side-scan sonar, fluorometer, ADCP, and sediment sampling.

Limitations

• Survey length was curtailed by unfavourable weather from tropical cyclones Evan and Fay.
• Gravity coring was largely unsuccessful due to carbonate hard-grounds over seepage sites.
• Significant down-time occurred due to poorly functioning leased equipment and staff inexperience, as noted in the report.
• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Marine survey aboard the Parmelia K, utilizing echosounders, sonar, fluorometers, ADCP, and sediment grabs.

Time Range

March 3, 2004 to March 18, 2004

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 13:49:08.278890; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Yampi Shelf, Timor Sea, Northwestern Australia