Southern Indian Ocean Backscatter: 30m Resolution Seafloor Data from MH370 Search

Over 710,000 square kilometres of seafloor backscatter data were collected by multibeam sonar from June 2014 to February 2017. Geoscience Australia provided expertise for bathymetric surveys led by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to support the search for missing flight MH370. This dataset provides a 30m resolution view of seafloor topography across the search and transit areas in the Southern Indian Ocean.

Use Cases

• Analyze seafloor hardness and sediment type based on backscatter intensity values.
• Map underwater geological features like ridges and canyons based on the detailed 30m resolution topography.
• Support planning for future underwater search or scientific missions based on the mapped transit and search area bathymetry.
• Study seafloor habitat characteristics inferred from the backscatter and bathymetric data.

Strengths

• Covers over 710,000 square kilometres of the Southern Indian Ocean.
• Provides a detailed 30m resolution grid of seafloor backscatter.
• Data collection spanned nearly three years, from June 2014 to February 2017.

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.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, with data acquisition led by Geoscience Australia.

Collection Method

Acquired by multibeam sonar mounted on the hull of multiple vessels (GA survey references: GA-4421, GA-4422 & GA-4430).

Time Range

June 2014 to February 2017

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-17 00:53:26.496626; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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