Seafloor Bathymetry And Geophysical Survey Of Southeast Tasmania

140,000 km² of seabed was mapped during a 25-day survey in January and February 2000. The Australian Geological Survey Organisation conducted the AUSTREA-2 cruise using the vessel N/O L'Atalante, covering approximately 10,200 km off south-east Tasmania and south of Macquarie Island. The work aimed to support continental shelf definition and marine resource assessment.

Use Cases

• Analyze Simrad EM12D swath bathymetry data to model submarine canyon systems along the eastern Tasmanian margin.
• Use 6-channel GI-gun seismic profiles to investigate the tectonic fabric and structure of the Hjort Ridge and Macquarie Ridge Complex.
• Correlate 3.5 kHz sub-bottom profiling data with gravity and magnetic profiles to assess seabed resource potential.
• Integrate oceanographic data like seawater temperature and salinity depth profiles with bathymetry to study marine habitats.
• Map foot-of-slope positions from bathymetric data to support legal continental shelf definition under UNCLOS.

Strengths

• Mapped 140,000 km² of seabed area.
• Survey covered 10,200 km of track lines.
• Collected multiple complementary geophysical data types including bathymetry, seismic, and magnetic profiles.
• Data quality was described as generally excellent with highly favourable weather conditions.

Limitations

• Data is from a single cruise in 2000 and may not reflect current seafloor conditions.
• Primary data formats are PDF and HTML reports, not raw, machine-readable data files.
• Specific row counts, column details, and sample data for the underlying measurements are unavailable.

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Ship-based survey using swath-mapping and geophysical instruments on the N/O L'Atalante.

Time Range

January to February 2000.

Freshness

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Geography

South and south-east of Tasmania and south of Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean.