IMCRA Mesoscale V4: Australian Coastal Marine Regions to 200m Isobath

IMCRA Mesoscale V4 is a regionalisation of Australian coastal waters to the 200-meter isobath, derived from biological and physical data such as coastal geomorphology, tidal attributes, and oceanography. The dataset was compiled for Version 3.1 from the most up-to-date data available as of 7 March 1997 by Environment Australia, with information supplied by state, territory, and Commonwealth agencies. It includes named regions and their locations within provinces, with its seaward extent defined by the 200m isobath or the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone boundary.

Use Cases

• Marine conservation planning based on defined biogeographical provinces and regions.
• Coastal habitat modeling based on integrated physical and biological attributes.
• Spatial analysis of marine ecosystems based on the 200-meter isobath boundary.
• Regional environmental reporting based on named coastal regions and their locations.

Strengths

• Data integrates multiple physical and biological attributes, including coastal geomorphology, tidal attributes, and oceanography.
• Spatial coverage is defined by a clear, consistent boundary (the 200m isobath or the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone).
• Compilation involved multiple authoritative sources, including state, territory, and Commonwealth marine agencies.

Limitations

• The core data compilation date is 7 March 1997; ecological conditions may have changed.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset scale are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (via data.gov.au), compiled by Environment Australia.

Collection Method

Compiled from information supplied by relevant State, Northern Territory, and Commonwealth marine research and management agencies.

Time Range

Data compiled from sources up to 7 March 1997.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-09 07:36:48.397060; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australian coastal waters to the 200-meter isobath, within the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone.