Sediments and Benthic Biota of Bass Strait, Surveyed 1979-1983

Museum Victoria collected biological data from Bass Strait between 1979 and 1983. The results indicate a particularly diverse fauna with high small-scale variation, where even adjacent samples show low similarity. Analysis suggests longitude and depth are important factors, but overall correlation with physical factors is poor, indicating other environmental variables influence benthic assemblages.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic community distribution based on longitude and depth variables mentioned in the description
• Analyzing the correlation between sediment facies and living biological communities
• Mapping benthic habitats by integrating biological survey data with swath mapping and sediment samples
• Studying the impact of high-energy environments and bioerosion on sediment composition

Strengths

• Data collection spans a multi-year survey from 1979 to 1983
• Integrates biological survey data with sediment sampling and swath mapping
• Analysis includes underwater video footage corroborating faunal diversity

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, incorporating data from Museum Victoria, Geoscience Australia, and the Australian Hydrographic Office

Collection Method

Field surveys collecting biological material, sediment samples, swath mapping, and underwater video footage

Time Range

1979 to 1983

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 06:03:28.632571; freshness should be verified

Geography

Bass Strait