AUSTREA-1: Seafloor Mapping of Southeast Australia and Great Australian Bight

Southeast Australia and adjacent waters were surveyed over 25 days in January 2000 by the Australian Geological Survey Organisation. The AUSTREA-1 cruise mapped approximately 120,000 km² of seabed using swath-bathymetry, seismic, and oceanographic instruments. Data were collected for marine zone planning, resource assessment, and geological research.

Use Cases

• Analyze seabed terrain and canyon morphology based on swath-bathymetry and backscatter imagery.
• Assess potential petroleum and mineral resources based on seismic profile and sub-bottom profile data.
• Study benthic habitat diversity based on mapped volcanic cones, flows, and canyons.
• Model ocean currents and water properties based on ADCP, XBT, and sea surface temperature/salinity measurements.

Strengths

• Covers a large area of approximately 120,000 km², about 1.5 times the size of Tasmania.
• Multimodal data collection includes bathymetry, seismic, magnetics, gravity, and oceanographic measurements.
• Description states data quality was 'mostly excellent' during the survey.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified; the last metadata update is dated 2026-06-27.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au.

Collection Method

Collected during the AUSTREA-1 (AGSO Cruise 222) seabed swath-mapping and geophysical survey using the RV L'Atalante.

Time Range

Survey conducted from 18 December 1999 to 11 January 2000.

Freshness

Survey conducted in December 1999-January 2000; metadata last updated 2026-06-27.

Geography

Lord Howe Island, southeast Australian margin, central Great Australian Bight, and waters off Tasmania, Victoria, and South Australia.