Bonaparte Gulf Seabed Physical and Geochemical Variables for 124 Samples

124 seabed samples from the eastern Bonaparte Gulf, collected by Geoscience Australia in 2009/2010, comprise 74 physical and geochemical variables. The dataset links sediment properties like organic matter reactivity and grain size to biodiversity patterns and ecosystem processes. Different clustering methods were applied to discriminate infauna communities and identify seabed habitats.

Use Cases

• Clustering seabed samples based on 74 physical and geochemical variables to identify distinct benthic habitats.
• Modeling the influence of sediment oxygen status and energy levels on infauna community composition.
• Investigating links between organic matter sources, such as Trichodesmium input, and seabed geochemistry.
• Assessing geohazards and environmental baselines for offshore infrastructure development using integrated seabed property data.

Strengths

• Dataset includes 74 distinct variables per sample, describing organic matter, geochemistry, and physical properties.
• Samples were collected through a dedicated seabed mapping survey with objectives to characterize biodiversity and geohazards.
• Analysis includes validation using infauna data to assess the biological relevance of geochemical clusters.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia / Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Seabed mapping surveys involving sample collection and laboratory analysis.

Time Range

2009/2010

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 08:15:28.143897; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern Bonaparte Gulf, Australia