Seabed Geochemical and Physical Variables from the Eastern Bonaparte Gulf, 2009-2010

Geoscience Australia collected 124 seabed samples in the eastern Bonaparte Gulf during 2009/2010. The dataset comprises 74 physical and geochemical variables describing organic matter and sediment properties, analyzed to understand biodiversity patterns and geohazards. The research was presented at the GEOHAB conference in Lorne, Australia, in May 2014.

Use Cases

• Classifying seabed habitats based on geochemical variables like chlorin indices and C:N ratios.
• Modeling biodiversity patterns based on physical variables such as grain size and sediment redox status.
• Identifying potential geohazards like pockmarks and their influence on seabed chemistry.
• Analyzing cross-shelf transitions in geochemical enrichments (e.g., authigenic-Mn/As to authigenic-P).

Strengths

• Includes 124 distinct seabed samples providing spatial coverage.
• Analyzes 74 physical and geochemical variables per sample for a multidimensional view.
• Data is validated by correlation with independent infauna observations.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from a specific 2009/2010 survey; temporal relevance for current conditions may be limited.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Seabed mapping surveys involving sample collection and laboratory analysis.

Time Range

2009-2010

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 19:26:42.073692; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern Bonaparte Gulf, Australia