Seabed Sediment and Biodiversity Data from the Eastern Bonaparte Gulf, 2009-2010

Geoscience Australia collected a dataset of 124 seabed samples from the eastern Bonaparte Gulf in 2009/2010. The dataset comprises 74 physical and chemical variables characterizing sediment properties, geochemistry, and their influence on benthic biodiversity. Results were presented at the AMSA2013 conference.

Use Cases

• Cluster analysis of seabed environments based on 74 physical and chemical variables.
• Modeling the influence of sediment grain-size and geochemical transitions on infauna biodiversity.
• Identifying benthic habitats, such as sponge-dominated banks, based on sediment Si-Al relations and redox conditions.
• Investigating the impact of subsurface seepage on terrestrial signatures in outer-shelf sediments.

Strengths

• Dataset includes 124 samples, providing a substantial baseline for the study area.
• Each sample is characterized by 74 distinct physical and chemical variables.
• Clustering results showed a high cophenetic correlation of 0.82, indicating reliable structure.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, presented via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Seabed mapping surveys involving sample collection and laboratory analysis.

Time Range

2009-2010

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 18:03:13.722953; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Eastern Bonaparte Gulf