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

Bass Strait marine biological and sediment data collected by Museum Victoria between 1979 and 1983, supplemented by later Geoscience Australia surveys. The dataset includes biological material from diverse taxonomic groups, sediment samples, swath mapping, and underwater video footage. Analysis indicates a highly diverse fauna with small-scale variation, influenced by factors like longitude and depth.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic habitat distributions based on biological community and sediment facies data.
• Analyzing the correlation between faunal composition and physical variables like longitude and depth.
• Studying small-scale spatial variation in marine biodiversity using biological survey and video data.
• Investigating the relationship between living communities and biogenic sediment content in high-energy environments.

Strengths

• Data collected over a multi-year survey period from 1979 to 1983.
• Includes multiple data types: biological specimens, sediment samples, swath mapping, and underwater video.
• Analysis references established regional classifications like the Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia.

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

Museum Victoria and Geoscience Australia

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1979 to 1983, with supplemental data from later surveys.

Freshness

Last updated 2026 05 14 09:35:01.007604; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bass Strait, Australia.