Tasmanian Seafloor Habitat and Kelp Coverage Maps from 2021 Acoustic Surveys

Tasmania's east coast seafloor habitats were mapped in 2021 using multibeam acoustic imagery. The data includes detailed substrate type and kelp coverage maps, and predicts the location of urchin barrens. This dataset is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network and is available for visualization and download via the Seamap Australia portal.

Use Cases

• Map fine-scale spatial distribution of abalone habitat based on substrate type and kelp coverage.
• Predict and monitor the extent of urchin barrens using the described acoustic water column technique.
• Support strategic decision-making for marine ecosystem management based on the 2021 habitat snapshot.

Strengths

• Data provides a snapshot of seafloor habitat distribution for a specific year (2021).
• Maps detail specific substrate types: Pavement Reef, Megaclast Reef, Mixed Consolidated Sediment/Reef, and Sand.
• Data is split by fishing blocks (22-24, 27-30) for targeted analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Freshness should be verified as the last metadata update is dated 2026-07-13.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Collected via multibeam acoustic imagery surveys.

Time Range

2021

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 20:05:27.265261; freshness should be verified

Geography

East coast of Tasmania, in waters less than 25 meters deep.