In January 2000, the Australian Geological Survey Organisation completed a 25-day seabed survey covering 120,000 km² off southeast Australia. Data collected includes swath-bathymetry, seismic profiles, gravity, magnetics, and oceanographic measurements. The survey was conducted for marine zone planning, resource assessment, and geological research.
Use Cases
- Mapping benthic habitats based on swath-bathymetry and backscatter imagery
- Assessing petroleum potential based on seismic profiles confirming frontier basins
- Studying oceanographic conditions based on XBT, ADCP, and sea surface measurements
- Planning marine protected areas based on detailed morphology of canyon systems and seamounts
Strengths
- Survey mapped 120,000 km² of seabed, an area about 1.5 times the size of Tasmania
- Data quality was reported as mostly excellent
- Survey collected multiple complementary data types including bathymetry, seismic, magnetics, and oceanographic measurements
Limitations
- File formats are PDF and HTML, suggesting the primary data may be embedded in report documents rather than raw structured files
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Seabed swath-mapping and geophysical survey using the vessel L'Atalante
- Time Range
- December 1999 to January 2000
- Geography
- Lord Howe Island, southeast Australian margin, central Great Australian Bight