Waxy Bitumen Stranding Geochemistry in Southern Australia, 1991-1992

Geochemical analysis of 96 individual waxy bitumen specimens collected from beaches in South Australia and western Victoria during 1991-1992. The dataset, hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network, categorizes the strandings into at least five distinct oil families with inferred origins in Southeast Asian sedimentary basins. It represents a study of non-indigenous petroleum influx carried by the Leeuwin Current.

Use Cases

• Fingerprinting oil spill sources based on elemental, isotopic, and biomarker differences described in the study.
• Modeling long-range oceanic transport of hydrocarbons based on the inferred Southeast Asian origin and the Leeuwin Current.
• Classifying stranded petroleum into genetic families based on parameters like pristane/phytane ratios and specific biomarker assemblages.
• Investigating the environmental impact of natural seepage versus anthropogenic tanker cleaning operations in the Java and Banda seas.

Strengths

• Analysis of 96 individual specimens provides a substantial sample size for geochemical characterization.
• Data allows assignment to at least five distinct oil families based on multiple analytical parameters.
• Study includes a repeated survey of six South Australian beaches, offering temporal and spatial context.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified; last metadata update was 2026-06-23 06:07:32.375449.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Geochemical analysis (elemental, isotopic, biomarker) of physically collected specimens.

Time Range

1991-1992

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 06:07:32.375449; freshness should be verified

Geography

Beaches in South Australia and western Victoria, southern Australia