Multiple field-based methods to assess the potential impacts of seismic surveys on scallop

A 2006-2016 study by the Australian Ocean Data Network used three field-based methods to assess the potential impacts of marine seismic surveys on scallops in the Bass Strait. The research combined dredging and Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) imagery of scallop beds before and after a 2015 survey with MODIS satellite-derived sea surface temperature data. Results showed no direct scallop mortality from the 2015 survey but linked a 2010 mortality event to a coinciding thermal spike.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between seismic survey activity and scallop mortality based on paired before/after field observations.
• Analyzing long-term sea surface temperature anomalies and their correlation with marine mortality events using MODIS satellite data.
• Comparing sub-lethal effects on marine benthos using data from dredging and autonomous underwater vehicle imagery.
• Informing regulatory assessments for marine seismic survey applications based on ecologically realistic, field-based data.

Strengths

• Data collection paired field-based methods (dredging and AUV imagery) as a failsafe against field challenges.
• Study design includes temporal comparisons: before, two months after, and ten months after a 2015 seismic survey.
• Incorporates a decade (2006-2016) of MODIS satellite data for sea surface temperature analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic/temporal bias inherent to the Bass Strait, Australia study area.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, based on research published in Marine Pollution Bulletin (2018).

Collection Method

Field-based methods: scallop dredging, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) imagery, and MODIS satellite remote sensing.

Time Range

Primary field study in 2015; satellite data covers 2006-2016.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 21:52:06.158079; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bass Strait, Australia.