Southern Surveyor Voyage SS 02/2005: High-Resolution Seafloor Bathymetry and Backscatter

Multibeam echosounder data collected on Southern Surveyor voyage 02/2005 off the Mellish Rise in the Coral Sea during January and February 2005. The dataset comprises 177 raw data files totalling 6.0 GB, stored in Simrad *.all format at CMAR and Geoscience Australia. Additional details are contained in the voyage's cruise report and data processing report.

Use Cases

• Generate high-resolution seafloor bathymetric maps based on the multibeam echosounder data.
• Analyze seafloor composition and texture based on the backscatter information.
• Model underwater terrain and geological features for the Mellish Rise region.
• Calibrate or validate other remote sensing data against this high-resolution acoustic dataset.

Strengths

• Contains 177 raw data files providing detailed acoustic measurements.
• Data totals 6.0 GB, indicating a substantial volume of high-resolution observations.
• Covers a specific geographic area (Mellish Rise, Coral Sea) with a defined collection period (Jan-Feb 2005).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic/temporal bias inherent to the single research voyage.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, likely originating from CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (CMAR) and Geoscience Australia (GA).

Collection Method

Collected using a Simrad EM300 multibeam echosounder aboard the RV Southern Surveyor.

Time Range

January to February 2005

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 06:58:16.202586; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Off Mellish Rise, Coral Sea