RV Investigator IN2025_V06 Multibeam Echosounder Bathymetry and Watercolumn Data

Australian Ocean Data Network provides multibeam echosounder data from RV Investigator voyage IN2025_V06 in the Coral Sea. The dataset comprises 771 files totaling 125 GB of raw bathymetry data and 771 files totaling 210 GB of watercolumn backscatter data, collected between October 10 and November 14, 2025. Data are stored in .kmall and .kmwcd formats and have been processed with motion correction, sound velocity profiles, and GPS tide modeling.

Use Cases

• Generate high-resolution seafloor maps based on processed bathymetry data.
• Analyze water column backscatter for marine habitat or particle distribution studies.
• Model underwater acoustic propagation based on the 12 kHz frequency and angular resolution.
• Conduct geological or geophysical research in the Coral Sea region using the spatially referenced data.

Strengths

• Dataset contains 125 GB of raw bathymetry data and 210 GB of watercolumn data, indicating substantial volume.
• Data acquisition includes applied sound velocity profiles, motion/position correction, and GPS tide modeling, suggesting rigorous processing.
• The EM124 echosounder provides a 1 degree by 1 degree angular resolution at a nominal 12 kHz frequency.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data freshness should be verified as the last metadata update was 2026-07-09.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au

Collection Method

Collected via EM124 multibeam echosounder aboard RV Investigator.

Time Range

October 10, 2025 to November 14, 2025

Freshness

Data collected in 2025; metadata last updated 2026-07-09.

Geography

Coral Sea, voyage departed from and returned to Brisbane