Seabed Geochemistry and Infauna Clusters from the Eastern Bonaparte Gulf, 2009-2010

Geoscience Australia collected 124 seabed samples with 74 physical and geochemical variables in the eastern Bonaparte Gulf. The data, used in a 2014 GEOHAB presentation, reveals clusters that discriminate infauna better than geomorphic features and links patterns in organic matter and geochemistry to biodiversity. Major variations include a cross-shelf transition in authigenic element enrichments and associations between raised features and high reactive organic matter concentrations.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic biodiversity patterns based on physical and geochemical seabed variables.
• Identifying unique or sensitive benthic habitats from clusters of organic matter reactivity and geochemical processes.
• Assessing the influence of seabed features like pockmarks on sediment chemistry and organic matter pools.
• Studying cross-shelf environmental gradients, such as energy levels and sediment oxygen status, using geochemical signatures.

Strengths

• Data integrates 74 physical and geochemical variables for 124 seabed samples.
• Analysis links specific geochemical clusters (e.g., based on grainsize, authigenic elements) to infauna biodiversity patterns.
• Survey was designed to support both marine biodiversity conservation and offshore infrastructure development.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files are in PDF and HTML formats, which may require extraction for computational analysis.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Seabed mapping surveys involving sample collection and laboratory analysis of physical and geochemical properties.

Time Range

2009-2010

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 15:21:48.128169; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern Bonaparte Gulf, Australia