Video Surveys of Sea Urchin Barrens Habitat at Maria Island, Tasmania

Video surveys estimated the spatial extent of long-spined sea urchin barrens on rocky reefs. The data covers the Maria Island region on Tasmania's east coast, comprising three subsites: Beaching, Bunker, and Mistaken Cape. Sampling was conducted by the Australian Ocean Data Network using a towed underwater video system.

Use Cases

• Map the spatial extent of Centrostephanus rodgersii barrens based on video survey data.
• Assess rocky reef habitat health and structure at specific subsites around Maria Island.
• Monitor changes in sea urchin populations and their impact on benthic communities.
• Compare habitat conditions between the three surveyed subsites: Beaching, Bunker, and Mistaken Cape.

Strengths

• Surveys were conducted at 13 regions along the east coast of Tasmania, with this dataset focusing on one region and its three subsites.
• Data collection used a towed underwater video system, which likely provides direct visual evidence of habitat conditions.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Spatial extent estimated by surveying rocky reef habitat with a towed underwater video system.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-22 00:58:22.918943; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Maria Island region, eastern Tasmania, Australia. Includes subsites: Beaching, Bunker, and Mistaken Cape.