MH370 Search Area: Southern Indian Ocean Seafloor Backscatter at 30m Resolution

Over 710,000 square kilometres of seafloor backscatter data were collected from June 2014 to February 2017 to support the underwater search for missing flight MH370. Geoscience Australia provided expertise for bathymetric surveys conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau using multibeam sonar on multiple vessels. This dataset allows exploration of seafloor topography at a 30m resolution across the search and transit areas in the Southern Indian Ocean.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seafloor sediment types and hardness based on backscatter intensity values.
• Mapping underwater geological features like ridges and valleys using the 30m resolution topography data.
• Supporting maritime archaeology or habitat mapping in the Southern Indian Ocean based on the detailed seafloor map.
• Studying data collection methodologies for large-scale, deep-water sonar surveys referenced in the description.

Strengths

• Covers over 710,000 square kilometres of the Southern Indian Ocean seafloor.
• Data was collected over a nearly three-year period from June 2014 to February 2017, providing temporal depth.
• Acquired using multibeam sonar technology, which suggests a systematic and instrumented collection method.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, with data acquisition led by Geoscience Australia and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

Collection Method

Bathymetric and backscatter data was acquired by multibeam sonar mounted on the hull of multiple vessels.

Time Range

June 2014 to February 2017

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 05:53:47.760060; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Indian Ocean, specifically the MH370 search area and associated transit lines.