96 specimens of waxy bitumen stranded on beaches in South Australia and western Victoria were analyzed between 1991 and 1992. The Australian Ocean Data Network hosts this geochemical study, which identifies at least five distinct oil families with origins likely in Southeast Asia. The dataset was last updated on 2026-04-16.
Use Cases
- Classify stranded petroleum types based on elemental, isotopic, and biomarker differences described in the study.
- Model the transport pathways of non-indigenous crude oils into southern Australia based on inferred source facies.
- Identify potential source regions for marine pollution by comparing biomarker assemblages with known global crude oils.
- Assess the impact of natural seepage versus tanker cleaning operations on coastal bitumen strandings.
Strengths
- Analysis of 96 individual specimens provides a substantial sample size for geochemical classification.
- The study distinguishes at least five oil families based on specific elemental, isotopic, and biomarker criteria.
- Data collection includes repeated surveys on six South Australian beaches during 1991–1992, offering temporal insight.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Freshness should be verified; the last update date is 2026-04-16.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Geochemical analysis of collected specimens.
- Time Range
- 1991–1992 survey period
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-16 15:07:26.067800
- Geography
- Beaches in South Australia and western Victoria