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

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

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic community composition based on longitude and depth variables mentioned in the description.
• Correlating sediment facies with historical maps from the Otway margin and Bass Strait.
• Analyzing the decoupling between living biological communities and biogenic sediment content.
• Assessing faunal diversity patterns against the Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) framework.

Strengths

• Data collection spanned multiple years from 1979 to 1983.
• Includes multiple data types: biological samples, sediment analysis, swath mapping, and underwater video.
• Analysis links biological patterns to 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 a poor overall correlation between faunal composition and the measured physical factors.

Provenance

Source

Museum Victoria and Geoscience Australia

Collection Method

Field surveys including biological sampling, sediment sampling, swath mapping, and video collection on specific cruises (GA Survey 226, HI339, GA Survey 233).

Time Range

1979 to 1983

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-25 17:23:36.619887; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bass Strait, Australia