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

Biological material from a range of taxonomic groups was collected by Museum Victoria in an extensive survey of Bass Strait fauna between 1979 and 1983. The dataset includes sediment samples, swath mapping, and underwater video footage, indicating a particularly diverse fauna with high small-scale variation. Analysis suggests faunal composition correlates poorly with measured physical factors like longitude and depth, pointing to other environmental influences.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic community distribution based on longitude and depth variables mentioned in the description.
• Analyzing the relationship between sediment composition and living biota in a high-energy marine environment.
• Mapping sediment facies by correlating with previous studies from the Otway margin and Bass Strait.
• Studying small-scale spatial variation in marine faunal diversity using biological community data.

Strengths

• Data collection spans a multi-year survey period from 1979 to 1983.
• Includes multiple data modalities: biological samples, sediment analysis, swath mapping, and underwater video.
• Analysis is grounded in specific referenced studies (e.g., Boreen et al., 1993; Jones and Davies, 1983).

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 a poor overall correlation between faunal composition and the physical factors measured.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data, Museum Victoria, Australian Hydrographic Office

Collection Method

Field surveys including biological sampling, sediment sampling, swath mapping, and video collection.

Time Range

1979 to 1983

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 13:57:47.249359; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bass Strait, Australia