Seabed Morphology and Geomorphology Maps of Coral Sea Marine Park

Geospatial seabed morphology and geomorphology maps for Flinders Reefs and Cairns Seamount within the Coral Sea Marine Park. The data product was created using a nationally consistent two-part classification system applied to bathymetry DEMs supplemented by backscatter intensity, seabed imagery, sediment samples, and sub-bottom profiles. The maps are intended for use by marine park managers, regulators, the general public, and other stakeholders.

Use Cases

• Habitat classification for marine park management based on seabed morphology features.
• Geomorphic analysis of seamounts and reefs using bathymetry DEMs and supplementary datasets.
• Mapping topographic highs, lows, and planar areas for environmental impact assessments.
• Supporting marine spatial planning with interpreted seabed geomorphology polygons.

Strengths

• Derived from multibeam surveys, LADS, LiDAR, and bathymetry supplied by the Australian Hydrographic Office.
• Applied a nationally consistent two-part seabed geomorphology classification system.
• Cairns Seamount features were gridded at 1 meter horizontal resolution for the upper mesophotic zone.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific survey areas.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Semi-automated GIS mapping tools applied to bathymetry DEMs, supplemented by additional datasets and domain knowledge.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 16:06:51.293767; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Coral Sea Marine Park, north-eastern Australia (Flinders Reefs and Cairns Seamount).