Seabed Survey Data for CO2 Storage Assessment in Western Australia

Geoscience Australia conducted a seabed characterisation survey in March-April 2012 to assess CO2 storage potential. The survey acquired 653 km² of multibeam and backscatter data, 6.65 km² of side-scan sonar imagery, and collected 89 seabed grab samples from 43 stations. It focused on two areas of the Rottnest Shelf above the South Perth Shale seal and Gage Sandstone reservoir.

Use Cases

• Analyze multibeam and backscatter data to map seabed geomorphology and identify fault-like structures for seal integrity assessment.
• Use chirper shallow sub-bottom profile data to investigate connectivity between deep geological features and the seabed.
• Examine side-scan sonar imagery and seabed grab samples to characterize rhodolith beds and mound structures for habitat and seepage studies.
• Correlate spatial data from Area 1 and Area 2 with structural lineaments to model potential fluid migration pathways.

Strengths

• 653 km² of multibeam and backscatter data provides broad spatial coverage.
• 89 seabed grab samples from 43 stations offer direct physical samples for analysis.
• Concurrent acquisition of chirper sub-bottom profiles and side-scan sonar enables multi-sensor data fusion.

Limitations

• Precise relationship between seabed features and subsurface geology is described as uncertain, requiring further work.
• Data is from a single survey in 2012, limiting temporal analysis.
• Primary data formats are PDF and HTML reports, not raw, machine-readable data files.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Marine survey involving seabed sampling, multibeam sonar, backscatter, chirper sub-bottom profiling, and side-scan sonar.

Time Range

March-April 2012

Freshness

null

Geography

Vlaming Sub-Basin, Rottnest Shelf, Western Australia (two specific survey areas)