Solitary Islands Marine Park Bathymetry and Backscatter Survey

A 2022-2023 seabed survey acquired by the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment onboard the RV Bombora. The dataset contains 32-bit floating point GeoTIFF files of bathymetry and backscatter at a 5-meter resolution for the Solitary Islands Marine Park area. Data was processed using Hypack, R2Sonic GUI, POSView, POSPac, Qimera, and FMGT software.

Use Cases

• Model seafloor topography and slope using the bathymetry GeoTIFF layers.
• Classify seabed sediment types by analyzing the backscatter intensity values.
• Establish a baseline for coastal erosion or habitat change studies by comparing future surveys to this 5m resolution bathymetry data.
• Map the spatial distribution of different seabed types within the marine park by combining bathymetry and backscatter features.

Strengths

• Survey conducted over an 11-month period from August 2022 to July 2023.
• Data provides high-resolution 5-meter grids for both bathymetry and backscatter.
• Processing methodology and vessel setup are documented in publicly available standard operating procedures.

Limitations

• Specific row/column counts and total file size are not provided.
• The dataset is explicitly not for navigational purposes, limiting its application.
• Data coverage is limited to the Solitary Islands Marine Park, not representative of broader regions.

Provenance

Source

New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), acquired via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Acquired using a R2Sonic 2022 multibeam sonar system onboard the RV Bombora, processed with specialized hydrographic software.

Time Range

31 August 2022 to 31 July 2023.

Freshness

Dataset metadata was last updated in April 2026, though the survey data is from 2022-2023.

Geography

Solitary Islands Marine Park (Gumbaynggirr Yaegl), New South Wales, Australia.