Great Barrier Reef Submerged Bank Habitat Extent and Depth

A spatial analysis of the Great Barrier Reef quantifies 25,600 square kilometers of submerged bank area, with a mean depth of 27 meters, as potential deep coral reef habitat. The dataset, derived from research by Harris et al. (2013), shows that 61% of available seabed on submerged banks is deeper than near-sea-surface reefs, with predictive modeling indicating over 14,000 square kilometers are suitable for coral communities.

Use Cases

• Model coral habitat suitability using submerged bank area and mean depth parameters.
• Analyze the spatial distribution of submerged bank area relative to near-sea-surface reef locations.
• Assess the latitudinal distribution of potential deep reef habitat along the continental shelf.
• Compare the areal extent of near-sea-surface coral reefs (16,110 km²) with submerged bank area (25,600 km²).

Strengths

• Provides quantified areal extents: 16,110 km² for near-sea-surface reefs and 25,600 km² for submerged banks.
• Includes a specific mean depth measurement of around 27 meters for the submerged bank area.
• Based on predictive habitat modeling indicating over 14,000 km² is suitable for coral communities.
• Sourced from a peer-reviewed scientific publication with a defined citation.

Limitations

• The underlying spatial dataset and its columns or rows are not directly accessible or described.
• Data is static and corresponds to the analysis period of the 2013 publication, potentially lacking recent updates.
• Information is presented in a summarized, publication format rather than as a raw, queryable dataset.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data; research published in ICES Journal of Marine Science.

Collection Method

Analysis of seabed data and predictive habitat modeling for the Great Barrier Reef.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

Great Barrier Reef, Australia, along the continental shelf.