Seabed Gravel Content Raster for the Australian Continental EEZ

Spatially continuous data maps seabed gravel content as a weight percentage from 0 to 100% across the Australian continental Exclusive Economic Zone. The Australian Ocean Data Network produced this 0.01 decimal degree resolution raster in 2011, superseding previous predictions with improved accuracy. It covers seabed surrounding mainland Australia and Tasmania.

Use Cases

• Model sediment transport by analyzing spatial patterns in the gravel percentage raster.
• Assess seabed habitat suitability for benthic organisms using gravel content as a key substrate variable.
• Calibrate broader geological models by integrating this high-resolution gravel fraction data.
• Identify regions for potential marine aggregate resource exploration based on elevated gravel percentages.

Strengths

• National-scale coverage of the Australian continental EEZ, including Tasmania.
• 0.01 decimal degree resolution provides detailed spatial granularity for regional analysis.
• Supersedes previous sediment predictions with demonstrated improvements in accuracy.

Limitations

• Accuracy varies and artifacts occur in regions with insufficient underlying sample density.
• Not appropriate for local-scale analysis where sample density is too low to detect variation.
• Excludes seabed around several Australian external territories and Antarctic jurisdictions.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Predicted raster based on spatial interpolation of sediment samples, superseding previous models.

Time Range

2011

Freshness

null

Geography

Australian continental Exclusive Economic Zone, including seabed surrounding Tasmania. Excludes several external territories.