High-Resolution Seafloor Bathymetry from MH370 Search in Southeast Indian Ocean

Over 279,000 km² of high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) data was acquired in the remote southeast Indian Ocean to assist the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. This dataset provides the first large-scale MBES coverage of the region, revealing geomorphic features like seamounts, ridges, and pockmarks, and comparing its accuracy against global satellite-derived bathymetric models.

Use Cases

• Compare MBES bathymetric measurements against SRTM15_plus satellite-derived depth estimates to analyze vertical uncertainty and discrepancies exceeding 100 m.
• Analyze the extent and distribution of geomorphic features such as abyssal plains, hills, mountains, and the fourfold increase in seamounts identified compared to the Global Seafloor Geomorphic Features Map.
• Study modern sedimentary processes documented by features like sediment mass transport deposits and pockmarks south of the Diamantina Trench, indicative of gas or fluid discharge.
• Map and characterize large ridge series and rift blocks along the Broken Ridge – Diamantina Escarpment to understand seafloor spreading processes and volcanism.

Strengths

• Covers an extensive area of over 279,000 square kilometers, providing unprecedented high-resolution mapping of a remote region.
• Enables detailed geomorphic analysis, revealing a 20% increase in hills and mountains and four times more seamounts than previous global maps.
• Data was acquired with a high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES), offering superior accuracy for seafloor feature identification.

Limitations

• The dataset is focused on a specific search area and time period related to the MH370 event, limiting generalizability to other ocean regions.
• Primary data format is HTML, which may not be immediately usable for standard geospatial analysis without extraction and conversion to raster or point formats.
• Sample data and a structured column schema are unavailable, requiring users to interpret the raw descriptive and analytical content.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Acquired via high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) survey.

Time Range

Data acquisition linked to the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared on 8 March 2014.

Freshness

null

Geography

Southeastern Indian Ocean, specifically the MH370 search area.