AUSTREA-2: Seafloor Mapping of South-east Tasmania and Macquarie Ridge, 2000

140,000 km² of seabed was mapped over 10,200 km during a 25-day survey in January/February 2000. The Australian Geological Survey Organisation conducted the AUSTREA-2 cruise to support continental shelf definition and marine resource assessment. Geophysical and oceanographic data were collected, including swath bathymetry, seismic profiles, and water column measurements.

Use Cases

• Delineating the legal continental shelf foot-of-slope based on high-resolution bathymetric data.
• Assessing seabed mineral and petroleum resource potential based on geophysical survey data.
• Analyzing seafloor tectonic structures and canyon development based on mapped features.
• Supporting marine zone planning and management based on integrated seabed and oceanographic data.

Strengths

• Covers approximately 140,000 km² of seabed with swath mapping.
• Integrates multiple geophysical data types: bathymetry, backscatter, seismic, sub-bottom profiling, gravity, and magnetics.
• Augmented by oceanographic data including seawater temperature, current, and salinity profiles.
• Data quality was described as 'generally excellent' despite occasional rough weather.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data is from a single survey in 2000; freshness should be verified for contemporary applications.

Provenance

Source

Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO), now Geoscience Australia, and the National Oceans Office.

Collection Method

Ship-based survey using the N/O L'Atalante research vessel with Simrad EM12D swath systems and other geophysical instruments.

Time Range

January to February 2000.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 01:38:59.642769; freshness should be verified

Geography

South and south-east Tasmania, southern Macquarie Ridge Complex, and adjacent waters.