South-west Corner Marine Park Bathymetry Survey, 2020-2021

Geoscience Australia collected 330 km² of multibeam bathymetry data offshore from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin. This 5-meter resolution dataset was gathered in 2020 and 2021 to build baseline information for benthic habitats. The survey was a collaborative project with multiple universities, funded by the National Environmental Science Program Marine Biodiversity Hub.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic habitat suitability based on high-resolution seafloor depth and morphology.
• Supporting environmental monitoring programs for the South-West Marine Park Network as referenced in the 10-year management plan.
• Integrating bathymetry with separate underwater imagery collections for comprehensive seafloor community analysis.

Strengths

• Covers a 330 km² survey area, providing substantial spatial coverage.
• Data has a high 5-meter spatial resolution, derived from a Kongsberg EM2040C multibeam sonar system.
• Serves as a defined environmental baseline for a 10-year marine park management plan (2018-2028).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is explicitly not to be used for navigational purposes, limiting its application scope.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, in collaboration with the University of Western Australia, University of Tasmania, and the Australian Centre for Field Robotics.

Collection Method

Multibeam bathymetry data collected via charter vessel Santosha using a Kongsberg EM2040C system, processed with CARIS HIPS and SIPS software.

Time Range

Survey periods: 9 – 12 March 2020 and 27 January – 16 February 2021.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 12:44:18.547904; freshness should be verified.

Geography

South-west Corner Marine Park, offshore from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia.