Over 3,000 sediment samples from Geoscience Australia's MARS database inform this regional synthesis of inter-reefal seabed environments, which comprise 95% of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park area. The dataset provides a quantitative analysis of surface sediments and geomorphic features, updating models since pioneering work in the late 1960s to 1980s. It was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network and last updated in June 2026.
Use Cases
- Characterizing seabed habitats for marine park management based on regional sediment and geomorphology data.
- Analyzing the distribution of sediment grain sizes (gravel, sand, mud) across the continental shelf.
- Mapping geomorphic features to understand the mixed carbonate-siliciclastic margin of the Great Barrier Reef.
- Identifying local-scale sedimentary facies patterns within broader regional trends.
Strengths
- Contains over 3,000 sediment samples, substantially improving data coverage for inter-reefal areas.
- Provides a regional synthesis covering 95% of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park area.
- Offers quantitative data on sediment grain size concentrations (gravel, sand, mud) and their spatial distribution.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to data_gov_au, focusing on Australian marine data.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network and Geoscience Australia's MARS database.
- Collection Method
- Spatial analysis synthesizing sediment samples and geomorphic feature datasets.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-06-16 20:58:07.027678; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia.