Merri Marine Sanctuary Bathymetry Survey from 2014

A 2014 bathymetry survey of the Merri Marine Sanctuary seafloor, conducted over four days in March and April. The data were collected by Deakin University's Marine Mapping lab using a Kongsberg EM2040c sonar system onboard the Motor Vessel Yolla. The project was commissioned by Parks Victoria to associate southern rock lobster populations with seafloor habitats.

Use Cases

• Modeling seafloor topography based on bathymetric survey data.
• Associating marine species distributions with habitat features based on the survey's stated purpose.
• Analyzing underwater terrain for conservation planning within a marine sanctuary.
• Validating or supplementing broader regional bathymetry datasets with localized, high-resolution data.

Strengths

• Survey conducted with a Kongsberg EM2040c multibeam sonar, a professional-grade instrument.
• Data collection dates are precisely documented (10/03, 11/03, 30/03, 01/04 in 2014).
• Project purpose is clearly stated: to associate southern rock lobster with seafloor habitats.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and data volume are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description metadata is limited; actual data quality and resolution require manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Deakin University Marine Mapping lab, commissioned by Parks Victoria.

Collection Method

Survey acquired onboard the Motor Vessel Yolla using a Kongsberg EM2040c multibeam sonar.

Time Range

2014 (specifically 10/03, 11/03, 30/03, 01/04).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 14:44:59.543414; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Merri Marine Sanctuary and several locations outside the sanctuary.