Bass Strait Benthic Fauna and Sediment Survey Data from 1979-1983

A biological and sediment survey of Bass Strait conducted by Museum Victoria between 1979 and 1983, supplemented by later Geoscience Australia and Australian Hydrographic Office surveys. The data indicates a particularly diverse fauna with high small-scale variation, where faunal composition shows a poor overall correlation with measured physical factors like longitude and depth. Sediment analysis suggests a high-energy environment with extensive bioerosion contributing to carbonate mud production.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic habitat distributions based on longitude and depth factors mentioned in the description
• Analyzing the relationship between sediment composition (e.g., sand, gravel, carbonate mud) and living biological communities
• Studying small-scale spatial variation in marine faunal diversity using the biological survey data
• Comparing sediment facies with historical mappings from the Otway margin and previous Bass Strait studies

Strengths

• Data collection spans a multi-year survey period from 1979 to 1983
• Includes multiple data sources: biological survey, sediment sampling, swath mapping, and underwater video footage
• Analysis covers a range of taxonomic groups and physical variables like longitude and depth

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• The description notes limitations of the statistical analyses used and a lack of consistent relationships for mapping

Provenance

Source

Museum Victoria, Geoscience Australia, Australian Hydrographic Office via the Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Extensive biological survey, sediment sampling, swath mapping, and underwater video collection.

Time Range

1979 to 1983, with supplemental data from later surveys.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-28 15:25:15.719199; freshness should be verified

Geography

Bass Strait, Australia