AUSTREA: Seafloor Mapping of the Southern Macquarie Ridge

Geoscience Australia and the National Oceans Office mapped the seafloor character over the southern Macquarie Ridge as part of the Australian Government South-east Regional Marine Plan. The AUSTREA marine survey collected multibeam swath bathymetry and reflectivity, along with high-resolution seismic data. The dataset reveals complex morphology and sedimentation patterns influenced by plate processes and ocean-bottom currents.

Use Cases

• Modeling seafloor morphology based on multibeam swath bathymetry data.
• Analyzing sedimentation patterns based on high-resolution seismic data.
• Studying the influence of plate tectonic processes on seafloor character.
• Investigating the effects of ocean-bottom currents on sediment distribution.

Strengths

• Data collected by authoritative national agencies Geoscience Australia and the National Oceans Office.
• Includes multiple complementary data types: multibeam bathymetry, reflectivity, and high-resolution seismic.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific survey region.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Marine survey using multibeam swath bathymetry, reflectivity, and high-resolution seismic equipment.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-17 02:22:57.325022; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Macquarie Ridge, South-east region of Australia and adjacent waters.