Three previously unknown submerged coral reefs covering 80 km² were discovered in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria. The reefs, with upper surfaces at a mean depth of 28.6±0.5 meters, were identified using multibeam swath sonar, seabed sampling, and underwater video. This data from Geoscience Australia suggests a late Quaternary phase of reef growth and potential refuges for corals from surface warming.
Use Cases
- Modeling past coral reef growth conditions based on the discovery of a late Quaternary phase.
- Identifying potential coral refugia from bleaching based on the depth and location of submerged reefs.
- Planning future marine surveys based on the multibeam sonar and seabed sampling methodology described.
- Studying bathymetric features in the Gulf of Carpentaria where similar submerged reefs may be widespread.
Strengths
- Covers a specific 80 km² area of discovered reefs.
- Includes precise mean depth measurements of 28.6±0.5 meters.
- Data collection involved multibeam sonar, seabed sampling, and underwater video.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Freshness should be verified as the last update is listed as a future date (2026-04-30).
Provenance
- Source
- Geoscience Australia Data
- Collection Method
- Multibeam swath sonar surveys supplemented with seabed sampling and underwater video.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-30 14:46:32.290841
- Geography
- Southern Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia