Outer Darwin Harbour Marine Survey 2015: High Resolution Backscatter Grid

A 2015 marine survey collected multibeam sonar backscatter data for Outer Darwin Harbour and Shoal Bay. The data was gathered by Geoscience Australia, the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and the Northern Territory Government aboard the RV Solander from 28 May to 23 June 2015. This dataset supports a four-year program (2014-2018) to create thematic habitat maps for marine resource management.

Use Cases

• Characterize seabed substrates based on acoustic backscatter properties mentioned in the description
• Create thematic habitat maps for marine resource management based on collated baseline data
• Analyze sediment grain size and chemistry distributions based on physical sample data referenced in the survey objectives
• Model tidal influences on seabed morphology based on collected tidal data

Strengths

• Data collected during a dedicated survey from 28 May to 23 June 2015
• Project involves collaboration between three authoritative institutions: Geoscience Australia, AIMS, and the Northern Territory Government
• Survey objectives explicitly include high-resolution geophysical data and substrate characterization

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Northern Territory Government

Collection Method

Multibeam sonar survey aboard RV Solander (survey SOL6187/GA0351), supplemented by physical sediment samples, underwater photography, video, and oceanographic data.

Time Range

28 May 2015 to 23 June 2015

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 07:46:26.304938; freshness should be verified

Geography

Outer Darwin Harbour and Shoal Bay, Australia