Suspended Sediment Loads in the Southern Great Barrier Reef

Field measurements of suspended-sediment transport in a modern coral reef environment, specifically over One Tree Reef in the southern Great Barrier Reef. The data were collected using a mechanical sampling system and current meters during tidal cycles. This experiment was the first of its kind conducted in such an environment.

Use Cases

• Modeling sediment flux into lagoons based on tidal cycle data
• Analyzing the relationship between current velocity and suspended-sediment load
• Quantifying calcium carbonate transport in reef environments based on titration results
• Studying sedimentological processes over leeward reef margins

Strengths

• Data collection represents the first experiment of this nature in a modern coral reef environment
• Quantitative data on suspended-sediment load transport was obtained
• Multiple measurement techniques were used, including complexometric titration and bidirectional current meters

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Data files are in PDF and HTML formats, which may require extraction for analysis

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Samples collected via siphon systems at selected tidal levels; water movement monitored with fluorescein dye casts and current meters.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 05:13:23.457122; freshness should be verified

Geography

One Tree Reef in the southern Great Barrier Reef