NESP D3 Hunter Marine Park Bathymetry: Multi-beam Sonar Surveys 2015-2019

Hunter Marine Park off the coast of New South Wales, Australia, is the focus of this gridded multi-beam echosounder (MBES) bathymetry dataset. Data was acquired by the NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment aboard the RV Bombora, funded by the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Biodiversity Hub in 2015 and 2018. The surveys aimed to map seabed habitats, focusing on areas containing the Key Ecological Feature 'Continental Shelf Reef'.

Use Cases

• Modeling seafloor terrain and habitat complexity based on gridded bathymetry data.
• Characterizing fish and sessile invertebrate assemblages by correlating bathymetry with video survey data mentioned in the description.
• Monitoring changes in marine biodiversity assets on the continental shelf over time.
• Planning marine conservation efforts within the Hunter Marine Park's Special Purpose Zones.

Strengths

• Data collection was funded and conducted by government and national science program entities (NSW DPIE and NESP).
• Surveys in 2018 aimed for 100% coverage over previously identified key ecological areas.
• Associated reports by Davies et al (2016) and Williams et al (2020) detail the methodology and context.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and data size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description explicitly states the data is not to be used for navigational purposes.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data, via data_gov_au.

Collection Method

Acquired using a multi-beam echosounder (MBES) system aboard the RV Bombora.

Time Range

Surveys conducted in 2015 and 2018, with focused mapping in 2018-19.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 03:08:49.924836; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Hunter Marine Park, Australia, specifically areas east/south-east of Seal Rocks, Outer Gibber, and east/north-east of Broughton Island.