Australian Continental Seabed Sand Content Map

Spatially continuous raster data details seabed sand content across the Australian continental Exclusive Economic Zone at a 0.01 decimal degree resolution. The dataset, produced by the Australian Ocean Data Network, supersedes previous predictions with improved accuracy and covers seabed surrounding Tasmania. It was last updated in April 2026.

Use Cases

• Model sediment transport patterns using the spatially continuous sand content percentage raster.
• Assess seabed habitat suitability for benthic organisms based on sand fraction values ranging from 0 to 100%.
• Validate regional-scale geological models with the improved accuracy predictions covering the continental EEZ.
• Identify areas requiring further sampling by analyzing artifacts caused by insufficient sample density in the raster.

Strengths

• Spatially continuous coverage of the Australian continental EEZ, including Tasmania.
• Supersedes previous predictions with demonstrated improvements in accuracy.
• Provides data at a national and regional scale with 0.01 decimal degree resolution.

Limitations

• Contains artifacts in regions with insufficient underlying sample data.
• Not appropriate for local-scale analysis where sample density is low.
• Excludes seabed areas surrounding several Australian external territories.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Prediction and interpolation from underlying sample data, presented as a raster.

Time Range

2011

Freshness

Updated April 2026.

Geography

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