Rig Seismic Survey 112: Marine Pollution and Sediment Geochemistry Offshore Sydney

Survey 112 was a twelve-day research cruise aboard the RV Rig Seismic conducted in 1991. The joint program between the Australian Geological Survey Organisation and the Water Board (Sydney) aimed to assess the environmental impact of urban pollution, particularly from deep-water sewage outfalls. The survey focused on sedimentology, contaminant accumulation, and geochemical tracers in the coastal waters offshore Sydney.

Use Cases

• Mapping contaminant accumulation in sediments based on the described focus on metals and organic toxicants.
• Analyzing nutrient cycling processes based on the described study of nitrogen and phosphorus.
• Tracing sewage effluent plumes based on the described use of light hydrocarbons as geochemical tracers.
• Establishing baseline environmental conditions for coastal management strategies mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data originates from a joint scientific program between two government agencies, suggesting institutional rigor.
• The survey addressed three specific, multi-disciplinary issues: sedimentology, geochemistry, and tracer studies.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files are in PDF and HTML formats, which may require extraction for quantitative analysis.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

A twelve-day marine survey aboard the research vessel Rig Seismic, combining facilities from the Water Board's Environment Management Unit and AGSO's Marine Geoscience Program.

Time Range

1991

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 03:15:40.142079; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Continental shelf offshore Sydney, Australia.