RV Investigator IN2018_V04: Southern Ocean Seafloor Bathymetry and Backscatter

11.1 GB of multibeam echosounder data from the RV Investigator's 2018 voyage IN2018_V04, focusing on iron cycling in the East Australian Current extension. The Kongsberg EM710 MKII system acquired seafloor bathymetry, backscatter, and watercolumn backscatter data across a nominal frequency range of 40 to 100 kHz. Data are stored in raw .all/.wcd formats and processed .gsf/GeoTIFF formats by CSIRO.

Use Cases

• Map seafloor bathymetry based on processed bathymetry grids in GeoTIFF format.
• Analyze seafloor composition and texture based on backscatter information.
• Study water column acoustic targets based on watercolumn backscatter data stored in .wcd format.
• Apply motion and position corrections to bathymetry data based on the *.all format files.

Strengths

• 23 raw data files totalling 11.1 GB provide substantial coverage.
• Data acquisition applied sound velocity profiles and corrected bathymetry for motion and position.
• Processed data is available in multiple formats (.gsf, ascii, GeoTIFF) with outliers removed.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The description notes that tide corrections may or may not have been applied to the processed data.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au.

Collection Method

Collected using a Kongsberg EM710 MKII multibeam echosounder aboard the RV Investigator.

Time Range

Voyage departed Hobart on 11 September 2018 and returned on 8 October 2018.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 21:36:11.795374; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern extension of the East Australian Current, departing from and returning to Hobart, Australia.