GBRDEM: Great Barrier Reef Depth and Elevation Model, 2000

176,000 depth soundings from the Royal Australian Navy form the core of this regional-scale terrain model. The Great Barrier Reef Depth and Elevation Model (GBRDEM) presents Mean Sea Level data interpolated to a regular 250-meter lattice, covering the reef, its catchments, and areas beyond the continental shelf. It was produced by the CRC Reef Research Centre and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Use Cases

• Modeling ocean currents and wave propagation based on regional-scale bathymetry.
• Analyzing habitat suitability for marine species based on depth-dependent processes.
• Planning marine infrastructure or conservation zones using interpolated terrain data.
• Studying sediment transport from catchments into the reef lagoon using elevation data.

Strengths

• Core data originates from 176,000 depth soundings from the Royal Australian Navy Hydrographic Survey Office.
• Data is interpolated to a regular 250-meter lattice, providing a consistent regional-scale grid.
• Model integrates multiple data sources, including LASER Airborne Depth Sounder and multi-beam echo-sounder data.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Depth soundings in the northern and southern ends of the GBR are described as extremely sparse.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

CRC Reef Research Centre, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Primary data from Royal Australian Navy depth soundings, digitized hydrological charts, LASER Airborne Depth Sounder, multi-beam echo-sounder, and remotely sensed data, interpolated to a 250m lattice.

Time Range

2000

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-10 13:41:15.058898; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Great Barrier Reef, its catchments, and areas beyond the continental shelf.