Seabed Sediment Characteristics and Biodiversity in the Eastern Bonaparte Gulf

Geoscience Australia conducted seabed mapping surveys in the eastern Bonaparte Gulf in 2009/2010. The dataset comprises 124 samples with 74 physical and chemical variables, analyzed to characterize sediment properties and their influence on benthic biodiversity. Results were presented at the AMSA2013 conference in July 2013.

Use Cases

• Clustering seabed samples based on 74 physical and chemical variables to identify distinct sedimentary environments.
• Modeling the influence of sediment grain-size and cross-shelf geochemical transitions on infauna biodiversity.
• Investigating the relationship between sponge/gorgonian occurrences and sediment geochemical signatures like Nd/Sr and δ15N.
• Assessing the impact of subsurface seepage on the terrestrial signature of outer-shelf sediments using rare-earth element and Si data.

Strengths

• Dataset includes 124 distinct seabed samples.
• Each sample is characterized by 74 physical and chemical variables.
• Analysis includes a specific clustering method (UPGMA) with a high cophenetic correlation of 0.82.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data was collected in 2009/2010; freshness should be verified for contemporary applications.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Seabed mapping surveys involving physical, chemical, and biological property characterization.

Time Range

2009-2010

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 03:55:06.088144; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern Bonaparte Gulf