AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Davis Coastal Seabed Mapping Survey, Antarctica (GA-4301 / AAS2201 / HI468) - High Resolution Backscatter Grids

The Davis Coastal Seabed Mapping Survey, Antarctica (GA-4301 / AAS2201 / HI468) was acquired by the Australian Antarctic Division workboat Howard Burton during February-March 2010 as a component of Australian Antarctic Science (AAS) Project 2201 - Natural Variability and Human Induced Change on Antarctic Nearshore Marine Benthic Communities.
The survey was undertaken as a collaboration between Geoscience Australia, the Australian Antarctic Division and the Australian Hydrographic Service (Royal Australian Navy). The objectives were to provide multibeam bathymetry and backscatter of the coastal region of the Vestfold Hills around Davis Station, Antarctica, to aid the understanding of sea bed character, benthic habitats, provide a basis for hydrodynamic modeling of water movement around Davis, and to update and extend the navigational charts of the region.

Tags: AQ, Antarctic data, Backscatter Grid, Marine Data, Marine Geoscience, Published_External, antarctica, backscatter, marine, marine survey
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Eucla Basin hydrogeological inventory

This Eucla Basin dataset contains descriptive attribute information for the areas bounded by the relevant spatial groundwater feature in the associated Hydrogeology Index map. Descriptive topics are grouped into the following themes: Location and administration; Demographics; Physical geography; Surface water; Geology; Hydrogeology; Groundwater; Groundwater management and use; Environment; Land use and industry types; and Scientific stimulus.

The Eucla Basin, located along Australia's southern margin, covers an extensive area of approximately 1,150,000 square kilometres, housing the world's largest grouping of onshore Cenozoic marine sediments. It stretches over 2000 km from east to west and has four main subdivisions: Scaddan Embayment, Esperance Shelf, Nullarbor Shelf, and Yalata Sub-basin offshore. The basin extends about 350 km inland from the modern southern Australian coastline and terminates around 200 km offshore where it meets sediments of the Australian-Antarctic Basin. 

The sedimentary succession is largely consistent throughout the entire basin. In the west, it overlaps with the Yilgarn Craton and Albany-Fraser Orogen, while in the east, the Gawler Craton and Officer Basin separate it from the Musgrave Province. The basin contains mainly Cenozoic sediments, with thicker sequences in the east due to sediment movement and regional elevation differences. The onshore Eucla Basin hosts an unfaulted sheet of sediment deposited over a south-sloping shelf during several marine transgressions. The basal units rest on a prominent unconformity above the Bight Basin, indicating a break in deposition during the separation of Australia and Antarctica. The sedimentary sequence comprises various units such as the Hampton Sandstone, Pidinga Formation, and Werillup Formation, followed by the Wilson Bluff Limestone, Abrakurrie Limestone, Nullarbor Limestone, and Roe Calcarenite. 

The basin's geological history is marked by significant events such as marine transgressions during the Eocene, leading to the deposition of extensive limestone formations. The Miocene saw slight tilting of the basin, exposing the Nullarbor Plain to the atmosphere and limiting further sediment deposition. During the late Miocene to Pliocene, barrier and lagoonal transgressions contributed to the formation of the Roe Calcarenite. The Pliocene period witnessed intense karstification and the development of ferricrete and silcrete, resulting in the unique modern-day topography of the region.

Tags: Basin Analysis, EARTH SCIENCES, ECOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, Environmental Management, Exploring for the Future, GEOLOGY, Groundwater, Hydrogeology, Land Use and Environmental Planning, National Groundwater Sytems, National Hydrogeological Inventory, PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL GEOSCIENCE, Published_External, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy (incl. Biostratigraphy and Sequence Stratigraphy)
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Data package – Darwin Harbour Habitat Mapping Program, Northern Territory

Geoscience Australia (GA), the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources within the Northern Territory Government (DENR) undertook collaborative seabed mapping surveys (GA0351/SOL6187, GA4452/SOL6432 and combined GA0361 &amp; GA0362) in the Darwin-Bynoe Harbour region between 2015 and 2018. This seabed mapping project forms a core component of a four-year collaborative research program between DENR, GA and AIMS, which was funded by the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project to DENR, with co-investment by GA and AIMS. The purpose of the program is to improve knowledge of the marine environments in the Darwin and Bynoe Harbour regions through the collation and acquisition of baseline data that enable the creation of habitat maps to better inform marine resource management decisions. Mapping and sampling in the survey area utilised multibeam echosounders, sub-bottom profilers, underwater cameras and grab samplers. In total, this data package extends over an area of 1978 km2, including 1754 km2 mapped using multibeam echosounders, during four marine surveys over 247 days. The baseline environmental data acquired in this program provides new insights into the marine environments of the Greater Darwin and Bynoe Harbour region, will inform future environmental assessments in the region and help build our knowledge of seabed features and processes in tropical northern Australia.

Tags: Bathymetry, Data Package, Published_External, collection, geochemistry, marine biodiversity, marine environmental baselines, sedimentology
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Responses of Southern Ocean Seafloor Habitats and Communities to Global and Local Drivers of Change

Our knowledge of life at the Antarctic sea-bed has increased in the past decades with increasing ship-based surveys and monitoring sites, new technologies and data sharing. However, seafloor habitats and their communities exhibit high spatial variability and heterogeneity that limits our ability to assess the state of the Southern Ocean benthos on larger scales. The seafloor communities that inhabit the Antarctic shelf are often diversity hotspots. These habitats are important in the generation of ‘blue carbon’ and habitat for commercial fish species, for this reason we focus on these habitats. Many Southern Ocean seafloor habitats and their communities seem to be especially vulnerable to certain drivers of change including increasing ocean temperatures, iceberg scour, sea-ice melt, ocean acidification, fishing pressures, pollution and non-indigenous species. Some of the most vulnerable areas include those experiencing rapid regional warming and increased iceberg-scouring e.g. the West Antarctic Peninsula; where human activities and environmental conditions increase the potential for the establishment of non-indigenous species e.g. sub-Antarctic islands and tourist destinations and areas with fishing activities e.g. around South Georgia, Heard and MacDonald Islands.  Vulnerable species include calcifying species susceptible to increasing ocean acidity as well as slow-growing habitat forming species that can be damaged by fishing gears e.g. sponges, bryozoan and coral species. Management regimes can protect seafloor habitats and key species from fishing activities but only if they consider specific traits, such as longevity, food availability, their physiological adaptation and rare or common occurrences. Ecosystem-based management practices and long-term protected areas may be the most effective in the preservation of vulnerable seafloor habitats. However, action is needed to reduce carbon emissions to limit the impact of increasing ocean temperatures and ocean acidification. We focus on outlining seafloor responses to drivers of change observed to date and projections for the future. We discuss the need for action to preserve seafloor habitats under climate change and fishing pressures.

<b>Citation:</b> Brasier MJ, Barnes D, Bax N, Brandt A, Christianson AB, Constable AJ, Downey R, Figuerola B, Griffiths H, Gutt J, Lockhart S, Morley SA, Post AL, Van de Putte A, Saeedi H, Stark JS, Sumner M and Waller CL (2021) Responses of Southern Ocean Seafloor Habitats and Communities to Global and Local Drivers of Change. <i>Front. Mar. Sci.</i> 8:622721. 
doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.622721

Tags: Antarctica, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, EARTH SCIENCES, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, Ecological Impacts of Climate Change, Published_External, Southern Ocean, benthos, fishing, marine protected areas, vulnerable marine ecosystems
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Sequence Stratigraphic Correlation of Onshore and Offshore Bight Basin Successions : Southern Australia Regional Project

This Record presents a new stratigraphic interpretation of Cretaceous sedimentary rocks encountered in petroleum exploration wells, stratigraphic holes and water bores along the southern Australian coast in Western Australia and South Australia. The Cretaceous succession in these wells is interpreted within the Bight Basin sequence stratigraphic framework, and is correlated with the thicker section farther basinward. The correlation is based on existing and recently commissioned biostratigraphic data, and the interpretation of seismic data on the continental shelf. The onshore wells contain a sedimentary section ranging in age from Valanginian to Campanian, and attributable to the Bronze Whaler, Blue Whale-White Pointer, Tiger and Hammerhead supersequences. The succession reaches a maximum thickness of more than 357 m in the Madura 1 well. The section preserved in these wells records the evolution of depositional environments near the northern margin of the Bight Basin, from areally restricted non-marine deposition in the Early Cretaceous, through increasingly marine, although shallow and anoxic, conditions, to the local development of a small deltaic complex in the Late Cretaceous. Organic-rich non-marine shales of Early Cretaceous age, and Late Cretaceous organic-rich facies of marine affinity have been identified in wells in the study area., providing new information about the nature and extent of potential source rocks in the Bight Basin.

Tags: AU-SA, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Record, geology, marine, organic geochemistry, palaeontology, sedimentary basins, sequence stratigraphy
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Australian national ocean bottom seismograph fleet advances conventional exploration

A fleet of new Australian ocean bottom seismographs (OBSs) have broadband frequency range, and similar instruments are available at only five or six institutions globally. These OBSs are multi-purpose devices able to record passive-source seismic data (earthquakes, ambient noise) as well as active-source (airgun generated) data and, at the same time, to monitor seismic survey noise and whale calls for environmentally responsible exploration. OBS data collected during commercial seismic surveys in Australian waters prove that it is possible to image the velocity distribution of the whole crust and upper mantle from analysis of both reflected and refracted phases generated by an industry-standard broadband airgun array. This means that valuable information on a regional scale can be obtained as a by-product of commercial seismic surveys. Three-component recording capability of OBSs allows analysis of S-waves in addition to the P-waves that are conventionally used in marine reflection surveys.

Abstract presented at the 2017 Australian Petroleum Production &amp; Exploration Association (APPEA) Conference &amp; Exhibition

Tags: EARTH SCIENCES, deep crust, earthquakes, passive seismic, seismic refraction, seismic survey noise,, whales’ calls
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Report on a geological survey of Commonwealth Territory, Jervis Bay

This report is based on field work at Jervis Bay and in the surrounding area during the period 4th to 30th June, 1952. The purpose of the investigation was primarily economic, though no further attention was given to the deposit of firebrick clay previously described (Smith et al., 1948). Outcrops in the Commonwealth Territory at Jervis Bay consist almost entirely of sandstone of Permian age. The name Jervis Bay Sandstone is proposed for these rocks, which have been found to underlie the Wandrawandian Siltstone, and are tentatively correlated with the Conjola beds - all units of the Shoalhaven Group, which includes part of the former Upper Marine Series. Marine fossils having affinity with those found in the former Upper Marine Series have been found in the Jervis Bay rocks. The sandstones have been invaded in a few places by basic intrusive rocks, probably during the Tertiary Period. The only materials of economic significance found in the Territory are firebrick clay, and ferruginous gravel useful for surfacing roads. Additional supplies of the ferruginous gravel may occur in the areas delineated on the map as suitable for further prospecting.

Tags: AU-NSW, GA Publication, Geology, Published_External, Record, economic geology, geology, resource assessment
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Seabed Environments and Shallow Geology of the Leveque Shelf, Browse Basin, Western Australia: GA0340 - Interpretative report

In May 2013, Geoscience Australia, in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Marine Science, undertook a marine survey of the Leveque Shelf (survey number SOL5754/GA0340), a sub-basin of the Browse Basin, on the AIMS research vessel, Solander. The survey provided seabed and shallow geological information to support an assessment of the CO2 storage potential of the Browse sedimentary basin. The basin, located on the Northwest Shelf, Western Australia, was previously identified by the Carbon Storage Taskforce (2009) as potentially suitable for CO2 storage. The survey was undertaken under the Australian Government's National CO2 Infrastructure Plan (NCIP) to help identify sites suitable for the long term storage of CO2 within reasonable distances of major sources of CO2 emissions. The principal aim of the Leveque Shelf marine survey was to look for evidence of any past or current gas or fluid seepage at the seabed, and to determine whether these features are related to structures (e.g. faults) in the Leveque Shelf area that may extend to the seabed. The survey also mapped seabed habitats and biota to provide information on communities and biophysical features that may be associated with seepage. This research, combined with deeper geological studies undertaken concurrently, addresses key questions on the potential for containment of CO2 in the basin's proposed CO2 storage unit, i.e. the basal sedimentary section (Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous), and the regional integrity of the Heywood Formation (the seal unit overlying the main reservoir).

Tags: Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience, Published_External, Report, W A
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Palynology of the Cenomanian of Bathurst Island, Northern Territory, Australia

Bathurst Island lies north of Darwin, Northern Territory; it measures 2050 km2 Cenomanian marine argillaceous sediments are exposed in cliffs at the south coast, and were first reported and diagnosed to be of Cretaceous age by Daily in 1955. Molluscs collected from various outcrop localities were dated mid- to late Cenomanian by Wright in 1963. Gravity and seismic refraction surveys by petroleum companies since 1956established the presence of a considerable rock sequence of Mesozoic age. Subsequent regional field work by the BMR concluded that the Cenomanian strata probably accumulated in a shallow sea bordered in the north by scattered land areas. Two wells, Bathurst Island Nos. I and 2, penetrated the rock sequence at the south coast of the island to a depth of slightly over 300 m, and were continuously cored. Examination of ammonites and foraminifera established the sequence as Cenomanian to possibly lower Turonian.Samples from 20 cores from these wells were selected for palynological study. The results are presented in this Bulletin. The spores and pollen grains are thought to have been shed by temperate vegetation. The spore-pollen sequence is divided into 2 intervals, palynological unit K3a, of Cenomanian age, and palynological unit K3b, of possibly early Turonian age. Dinoflagellate Zone. Two subdivisions are distinguished: a lower Subzone, ofCenomanian age, and an upper Subzone, of late Cenomanian to possibly early Turonian age. In the descriptive and taxonomic work of the microplankton by M. S. Norvick, 104 dinoflagellate cyst and 16acritarch species, varieties, and species groups are differentiated, belonging to a total of 61 previously known genera. Eight new species of dinoflagellate cysts are described: and In the systematic study of the spores and pollen grains by D. Burger, 40 spore species and 23 pollen species are described or documented. Two new genera, and 7 new species are proposed: and 1956 established

Tags: AU-NT, Bulletin, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
The nature and origin of beach ridges, western Cape York Peninsula, Queensland

Two sets of beach ridges are known from the western side of Cape York Peninsula. The older set are thought to be late Pleistocene. They rest on a basement of older fan deposits and are regarded as a regressive sequence of barrier islands. The younger ridges represent a progradational sequence post-dating the Holocene transgression. The earliest formed ridge, which is poorly developed, formed as a chenier. It was followed by a barrier island complex whose development lasted until about 3000 years B.P. Subsequently, there was rapid progradation and the development of two sets of chenier-type beach ridges, the younger of which is locally discordant to the ridges of the barrier island complex. These ridges rest on a marine sand and mud unit which appears continuous with a similar unit mapped offshore. The Pleistocene ridges consist of quartzose sand, with negligible carbonate, while the Holocene ridges consist of quartzose sand, shell sand and shells. They show a progressive leaching with age.

Tags: Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Journal, Published_External, QLD
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
The Carpentaria Reefs: A New Coral Reef Province for Australia

This movie describes the main findings of two Geoscience Australia surveys to the Gulf of Carpentaria in 2003 (survey 238) and 2005 (survey 276).  The story relates to the discovery of submerged coral reefs across the southern Gulf and how they were identified using new multibeam sonar technology.  The age of the reefs was determined using drill-core samples collected from the reefs, and measured by the Uranium/Thorium method at the Australian National University.  The submerged reefs in the Gulf were not known to exist prior to this study and their discovery adds a new coral reef province to be managed and protected as part of Australia's marine zone.

Tags: AU-NT, AU-QLD, Earth Sciences, Movie, Multimedia, Published_External, bathymetry, carbonate, continental shelf, marine, marine survey
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
AGSO Marine Survey 207 Direct Hydrocarbon Detection NW Australia: Northern Carnarvon Basin; Yampi Shelf; Southern Bonaparte Basin (September/October 1998)

The Australian Geological Survey Organisation (AGSO) carried out a regional water column geochemical 'sniffer' program on the NW Australian Margin, from Dampier to the west of Darwin, over the period 21 September to 23 October 1998.. The overall objective of the survey was to acquire bottom water hydrocarbon data of the Northern Carnarvon Basin, offshore Canning Basin, Yampi Shelf and the Southern Bonaparte Basin, particularly in regard to detecting natural hydrocarbon seepage. A total of 4788 line km of sniffer data were acquired during the program, using the contract vessel TSMV Pacific Conquest. 160 survey lines were completed.Weak to moderate concentrations of methane and moderate to strong concentrations of ethane were detected in the waters surrounding the Wandoo B Platform, Northern Carnarvon Basin. Elsewhere in the northern Carnarvon, Skua, AC/P20, AC/P25-26, AC/P27 and AC/P23 survey areas, detected hydrocarbon seepage was close to background concentration indicating that seepage was either absent or of very low level.Moderate to strong methane and ethane concentrations were detected on parts of the Yampi Shelf. It is significant to note that there is a measure of repeatability of methane and ethane sampled between S176, recorded in 1996 and these data recorded in 1998. The levels measured, coincident with AGSO seismic lines S165, confirm hydrocarbon leakage where the regional seal thins onto the Kimberley Block basement (O'Brien et al., 1998a).

Tags: AU-NT, AU-WA, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Record, geochemistry, marine, petroleum exploration, remote sensing
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data
Mapping the deep ocean: Geoscience Australia and the search for MH370

A short film describing the processes of bathymetric mapping and side scan sonar, used to gather data within the search area for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. 

Synopsis:
The film begins with a brief description of Geoscience Australia's role working with the lead agencies in the search process. It explains that existing satellite data is not detailed enough to assist in the search for MH370 and that more detailed bathymetric surveying is required before an underwater search can commence. The film describes how a bathymetric survey is carried out using sonar systems mounted on a ship's hull. It then shows imagery derived from the bathymetric mapping of the search area. The film then shows how a detailed underwater search is carried out, using the bathymetry as a guide. Animation shows how a towed, submersible vehicle gathers more detailed data while travelling slowly at a height of approximately 100 metres above the sea floor. The animation shows how side scan sonar reveals more detailed information about sea floor features. The film ends with a brief summary of the role of the Australian Government agencies involved in the search. Brief credits follow with a copyright statement and publication information.

About the data visualisation:
This video contains data visualisation and animation sequences. Bathymetry visualisations are derived from data gathered within the MH370 search area. Side scan sonar visualisations are derived from demonstration data only, not gathered within the MH370 search area. Animation sequences showing ship-mounted bathymetry and towed side-scan sonar are representations only and not to scale.

Film production credits:

Geoscience Australia
Script, Direction: Bobby Cerini, Melinda Holland
Edit, Cinematography, Sound: Michael O'Rourke
Production Management: Bobby Cerini, Neil Caldwell
3D Data Visualisation, Animation: Neil Caldwell, Michael de Hoog
Graphics: Kath Hagan
Scientific Advice: Stuart Minchin, Anna Potter, Maggie Tran, Tanya Whiteway, Kim Picard 

Additional credits:

Voiceover: Media Sound Studios

Music: 'Namaste' by Jason Shaw, 2013

Animation of Globe: 'Earth in Cycles' by Adriano, 2012

3D Data Visualisation and Animation (ship, bathymetry, side scan, ocean features):  Eye Candy Animation 
Producer: Damian Stocks 
Creative Director: Rachael Johnson 
Studio Manager: Jess Burrows 
Lead Artist: Artur Piwko 
3D Artist: Kynan Stevenson

Tags: Earth Sciences, Movie, Multimedia, Published_External, marine
Organization: Geoscience Australia Data