Seabed Gravel Content Raster for the Australian Continental EEZ

Australian continental EEZ data provides a spatially continuous raster of seabed gravel content, expressed as a weight percentage from 0 to 100%. The dataset supersedes previous predictions with improved accuracy and is presented at a 0.01 decimal degree resolution. It was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network, with a record last updated in 2026.

Use Cases

• Model sediment transport and erosion by analyzing spatial patterns in the gravel content percentage raster.
• Assess potential benthic habitats by correlating gravel content with known biological data for specific regions.
• Validate and update regional seabed geological maps using the continuous gravel percentage predictions.
• Identify areas with data artefacts for planning future seabed sampling campaigns, as indicated by regions of insufficient sample density.

Strengths

• Spatially continuous coverage of the Australian continental EEZ, including waters around Tasmania.
• Dataset supersedes previous predictions with demonstrated improvements in accuracy.
• High-resolution raster data at 0.01 decimal degree resolution.

Limitations

• Accuracy varies and artefacts exist in regions with insufficient underlying sample data.
• Excludes seabed areas surrounding Macquarie Island, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Australian Antarctic territories.
• Not recommended for local-scale analysis where sample density is too low to detect variation.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Predicted raster dataset derived from interpolation of seabed samples, superseding previous versions.

Time Range

2011

Freshness

Record metadata indicates a last update in 2026, but the underlying data collection year is 2011.

Geography

Australian continental Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), including seabed surrounding Tasmania.