Seagrass Survey of Orman Reefs, Torres Strait, November 2018

Intertidal benthic survey data from Kai and Gariar Reefs in the Torres Strait, collected in November 2018. The dataset includes 124 survey sites and is structured into three GIS shapefiles describing seagrass presence, species composition, community meadows, and biomass interpolation. This monitoring project was conducted by TropWATER at James Cook University to support dugong and turtle management plans.

Use Cases

• Mapping seagrass meadow distribution and biomass based on the interpolation shapefile.
• Analyzing species composition and percent cover at specific survey sites.
• Monitoring long-term changes in reef-top seagrass habitats by comparing with the 2017 baseline survey.
• Informing marine spatial planning and protected species management based on described seagrass communities.

Strengths

• Data is structured into three distinct GIS shapefiles for site, meadow, and interpolation analysis.
• Surveys cover 124 specific sites across two major reefs, providing localized detail.
• Biomass estimates are calibrated using observer-specific linear regressions against harvested values, as described in the methodology.

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 and temporal bias inherent to a single survey period in 2018.

Provenance

Source

TropWATER Seagrass Group at James Cook University, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Helicopter-based intertidal surveys using visual estimates of biomass and species composition within quadrats, following established TropWATER methods.

Time Range

November 2018

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 01:57:51.554619; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Kai (Koey Maza) and Gariar Reefs, part of the Orman Reef complex in the Torres Strait.