Visioning the Coral Sea Marine Park Bathymetry Survey 2020

The Coral Sea Marine Park bathymetry survey mapped the Queensland Plateau from April 29 to June 11, 2020. Dr. Rob Beaman of James Cook University led a team from Geoscience Australia, The University of Sydney, and the Queensland Museum aboard the R/V Falkor. The dataset includes detailed sonar data targeting reef flanks, drowned pinnacles, and channels to study bleaching on deeper reefs and geological evolution.

Use Cases

• Map seabed topography and geomorphology based on multibeam sonar data.
• Investigate coral bleaching extent on deeper mesophotic reefs based on survey objectives.
• Model geological evolution of the Queensland Plateau based on described seabed features like drowned pinnacles and channels.
• Identify potential refuge areas for the Great Barrier Reef based on the survey's second objective.

Strengths

• Data collected over a 44-day period from April 29 to June 11, 2020.
• Survey led by a principal investigator from James Cook University with a multi-institutional team.
• Uses Kongsberg EM302 and EM710 multibeam sonar systems for data acquisition.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Dataset is not to be used for navigational purposes, limiting its application scope.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, published with permission of Geoscience Australia CEO.

Collection Method

Data acquired using Kongsberg EM302 and EM710 multibeam sonar systems aboard the R/V Falkor.

Time Range

April 29, 2020 to June 11, 2020

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 05:24:48.959287; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Queensland Plateau, Coral Sea Marine Park