Sydney Harbour Sediment Samples for Benthic Habitat Mapping

August 2003 sediment sampling results from Sydney Harbour, collected by Geoscience Australia and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation. The data supports groundtruthing for multibeam sonar mapping and analysis of benthic habitat influence on acoustic backscatter. This milestone report documents work for the Coastal CRC's Coastal Water Habitat Mapping Project.

Use Cases

• Classify benthic habitats by correlating sediment physical properties with acoustic backscatter waveforms.
• Map sediment distribution for comparison against geomorphology derived from swath bathymetry data.
• Groundtruth areas surveyed by a Reson SeaBat 8125 multibeam sonar system using analyzed sediment samples.
• Assess spatial variation in physical properties of the benthos within Sydney Harbour.

Strengths

• Data collected by authoritative agencies Geoscience Australia and Defence Science and Technology Organisation.
• Supports a specific mapping project with planned follow-up surveys for comprehensive coverage.

Limitations

• Sample data and specific column details are unavailable from the description.
• The initial survey covered only approximately one third of the targeted area due to equipment issues.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data.gov.au.

Collection Method

Sediment samples collected during a survey, with analysis documented in a milestone report.

Time Range

Samples collected in August 2003.

Freshness

null

Geography

Sydney Harbour, Australia.