Subtidal Seagrass Habitats in Yanyuwa Sea Country, Australia

Three GIS shapefiles summarise subtidal benthic surveys in Yanyuwa Sea Country. The data includes seagrass presence/absence at 849 sites, attributes of 46 seagrass meadows, and interpolated biomass variation. The project was a partnership between Indigenous rangers, Charles Darwin University, James Cook University, and the Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Indigenous Corporation, funded by the NT Government Aboriginal Ranger Grant Program.

Use Cases

• Map seagrass meadow distribution and biomass based on the interpolation shapefile.
• Analyze benthic community composition based on percent cover data for corals, sponges, and algae.
• Study the relationship between sediment type and seagrass presence based on site layer attributes.
• Monitor megafauna sightings like dugongs and turtles mentioned in the survey comments.

Strengths

• Surveys cover 849 subtidal sites, providing a substantial sample size.
• Data is structured into three distinct GIS layers (site, meadow, interpolation) for different analytical purposes.
• Methodology is documented by TropWATER and tailored to the specific location.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Last updated 2026-06-17 00:56:34.629833; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Partnership between li-Anthawirriyarra rangers, Charles Darwin University, James Cook University, and Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Indigenous Corporation.

Collection Method

Field surveys conducted by vessel and helicopter, with data integrated into ArcGIS 10.8 using satellite imagery and aerial photographs.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-17 00:56:34.629833

Geography

Yanyuwa Sea Country, Barni-Wardimantha Awara Indigenous Protected Area, Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, Australia