AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Geophysical Variables as Predictors of Megabenthos Assemblages from the Northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia

The question as to whether geophysical data from habitats can be used to predict the occurrence of benthic biodiversity is becoming more important with the increase in the use of Marine Protected Areas as tools for marine conservation. To help answer this question and to better understand the relationship between sediment, geomorphology and benthos, a multibeam sonar survey was conducted over two areas in the northern Great Barrier Reef - Gulf of Papua region.

View this article in Geological Association of Canada Special Publication 47 pp. 247-263

Tags: AU-QLD, Earth Sciences, External Publication, Published_External, Scientific Journal Paper, marine, marine survey
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
Wind Generated Tool Marks Resembling Trace Fossils in a Shallow Estuarine Environment

A suite of tool marks were observed in the seaward section of a small estuary on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. The marks were formed through wind dragging Eucalyptus leaves and Casuarina fronds over the backshore sands that separate the closed estuary from the sea. A number of the more complex marks closely resemble trace fossils left by fish, and differentiation between the two in the sedimentary record could be difficult. If correctly identified as tool marks then they would give a spurious estimate of palaeoflow direction, as they correspond to the orientation of the prevailing winds that generated them. This study highlights the need for judicious interpretation of ambiguous grooves in the sedimentary record.

Tags: AU-NSW, Earth Sciences, External Publication, Published_External, Scientific Journal Paper, marine
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
Treaties - Australian Maritime Boundaries 2014a (AMB2014a) - Geodatabase

Geoscience Australia has the primary role in the delineation of Australia's domestic and international maritime limits and boundaries. An output of this activity is the development of the Australian Maritime Boundaries (AMB) data. AMB is a GIS data product, replacing AMBIS 2006, providing access to the data for Australia's maritime zones. Treaties - Australian Maritime Boundaries Dataset 2014 is a digital representation of Australia's international treaty boundaries. In the event of an inconsistency between AMB data and the limits under any treaty, the latter prevails. The data have been published by Geoscience Australia in consultation with other relevant Commonwealth Government agencies including the Attorney-General's Department, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Hydrographic Office. 
This version contains a number of technical amendments made on the basis of user feedback. These include:
- Harmonisation of maritime boundaries, scheduled area and graticular block datasets in block SC51
The Treaties - Australian Maritime Boundaries Dataset 2014a comprises the maritime boundaries determined by treaties between Australia and neighbouring countries. All data coordinates are supplied in the GDA94 datum. Treaties - Australian Maritime Boundaries Dataset 2014a can also be viewed on-line via AMSIS (http://www.ga.gov.au/marine/jurisdiction/amsis.html). 

Product Specifications Coverage: Australia including all external territories Currency: May 2014. Coordinates: Geographical Datum: GDA94 (functionally equivalent to WGS84). Format: ESRI Geodatabase and REST web service - free online.

The area of coverage of the Treaties - Australian Maritime Boundaries Dataset 2014 is for the whole of the Australian marine jurisdiction which includes waters adjacent to the mainland, offshore islands and External Territories.  The geographical extent is approximately between the latitude limits of 8 S to 70 S and the longitude limits 39 E to 174 E.

This dataset includes the following disclaimers:
AMB data is a digital representation of the international maritime boundary treaties of Australia.  In the event of an inconsistency between AMB data and the limits under the various treaties, the latter prevails.

Tags: AU, GIS Dataset Thematic, Geospatial Information Systems, HVC_144653, Published_External, marine
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
Outline of Geological Studies in the Great Barrier Reef and Adjacent Regions : Industry, Commonwealth Government and International

From time to time, public interest has been generated in the geology of the Great Barrier Reef and the associated regions, particularly in the context of any previous or prospective interest in petroleum exploration. In response to this interest and ongoing public comment, Geoscience Australia has compiled the history of geological investigations by Geoscience Australia, its predecessors and collaborating organisations. A comprehensive bibliography of the results of these investigations is also provided. It is hoped that this record will inform any future public debate on the matter.

Tags: AU-QLD, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Record, geology, marine, marine survey, petroleum exploration
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
Implications of sponge biodiversity patterns for the management of a marine reserve in northern Australia

Marine reserves are becoming progressively more important as anthropogenic impacts continue to increase, but we have little baseline information for most marine environments. In this study, we focus on the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) in northern Australia, particularly the carbonate banks and terraces of the Sahul Shelf and Van Diemen Rise which have been designated a Key Ecological Feature (KEF). We use a species-level inventory compiled from three marine surveys to the CMR to address several questions relevant to marine management: 1) Are carbonate banks and other raised geomorphic features associated with biodiversity hotspots? 2) Can environmental (depth, substrate hardness, slope) or biogeographic (east vs west) variables help explain local and regional differences in community structure? 3) Do sponge communities differ among individual raised geomorphic features? Approximately 750 sponge specimens were collected in the Oceanic Shoals CMR and assigned to 348 species, of which only 18% included taxonomically described species. Between eastern and western areas of the CMR, there was no difference between sponge species richness or assemblages on raised geomorphic features. Among individual raised geomorphic features, sponge assemblages were significantly different, but species richness was not. Species richness showed no linear relationships with measured environmental factors, but sponge assemblages were weakly associated with several environmental variables including mean depth and mean backscatter (east and west) and mean slope (east only). These patterns of sponge diversity are applied to support the future management and monitoring of this region, particularly noting the importance of spatial scale in biodiversity assessments and associated management strategies.

Citation: Przeslawski, R., Alvarez, B., Kool, J., Bridge, T., Caley, M.J., Nichol, S. (2015) Implications of Sponge Biodiversity Patterns for the Management of a Marine Reserve in Northern Australia. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0141813. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141813

Tags: Biodiversity, Community structure, Earth Sciences, External Publication, Marine Biology, Marine conservation, Marine environments, National Environmental Research Program (NERP), Published_Internal, Scientific Journal Paper, Species diversity, Sponges, Taxonomy
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
AusSeabed Bathymetry Compilations Coverage Database

The AusSeabed Bathymetry Compilations Coverage Database contains polygon extents of bathymetry data acquisitions along with identifying attributes and contact details where the data is not held by Geoscience Australia.  It is an important scientific resource that identifies data spanning coastal, continental shelf and deep sea locations. 



This dataset is live and will continue to be augmented as coverage details are supplied from AusSeabed collaborators who wish to share their knowledge of data availability to the broader marine community. The database is updated regularly and is made available via the AusSeabed Marine Data Portal using OGC compliant web services. Compilations have been generated from one or more Survey/Data Acquisitions by a wide range of organisations and countries, both inside and outside Australia's marine jurisdiction, using multiple systems and for various applications. Compilation coverages are published where the polygon extents intersects with Australia's marine jurisdiction, including the Australian Antarctic Territory.  Each polygon in the layer contains metadata describing compilation details. 

Note that polygons may not be representative of the true survey extent due to the data gridding process. 



Please contact us at ausseabed@ga.gov.au if you wish to contribute coverage information to the database.

Tags: AusSeabed, EARTH SCIENCES, HVC_146413, Published_External, bathymetric grids, bathymetry, marine
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
Application of entropy-ratio maps to surficial reef facies, Great Barrier Reef

Entropy-ratio maps enable mapping of surficial facies of coral reefs at any chosen resolution.  A ternary classification uses detritus, framework encrustation, and pavement as end-members, and is subdivided on the degree of mixing of these.  The classification is sensitive to all reef environments, particularly to zonation across reef flats.  It can also be superimposed on other classifications.  An example is given of its use in the Great Barrier Reef.

Tags: Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Journal, Published_External, QLD, marine
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
Australian Bathymetry and Topography MapServer

The Australian Bathymetry and Topography web service includes the topography of Australia and the bathymetry of the adjoining Australian Exclusive Economic Zone. The area selected does not include data from Australia's marine jurisdiction offshore from the Territory of Heard and McDonald Islands and the Australian Antarctic Territory. The 2009 bathymetry data were compiled by Geoscience Australia from multibeam and single beam data, and along with the topography (onshore) data, was derived from multiple sources. As per the 2005 grid, the 0.0025 dd resolution is only supported where direct bathymetric observations are sufficiently dense (e.g. where swath bathymetry data or digitised chart data exist) (Webster and Petkovic, 2005). In areas where no sounding data are available (in waters off the Australian shelf), the grid is based on the 2 arc minute ETOPO (Smith and Sandwell, 1997) and 1 arc minute ETOPO (Amante and Eakins, 2008) satellite derived bathymetry. The topographic data (onshore data) is based on the revised Australian 0.0025dd topography grid (Geoscience Australia, 2008), the 0.0025dd New Zealand topography grid (Geographx, 2008) and the 90m SRTM DEM (Jarvis et al, 2008).

Tags: Australia, Earth Sciences, MapServer, Published_External, baselines, bathymetry, marine, oceans, topography, web service
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
RV Investigator Voyage IN2015_C01 ADCP Data

This record describes the Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) data collected from the Marine National Facility RV Investigator Charter Voyage IN2015_C01 Titled: "Great Australian Bight (GAB) deep water geological and benthic ecology program". 

Voyage Mobilization began on the 22nd October including pre-voyage testing along the Derwent River.  The Vessel departed Hobart on the 25th October and arrived in Port Lincoln on the 28th November 2015.  Note that data was collected and processed during the 3 day mobilization period.

This dataset was processed and then archived within the CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere (O&amp;A) Information and Data Centre (IDC) in Hobart.

Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
Australia's Identified Mineral Resources 2011 - Revised

Australia's Identified Mineral Resources is an annual nationwide assessment which takes a long term view of mineral resources likely to be available for mining. The highest category in the national inventory is Economic Demonstrated Resources (EDR), which in essence, combines the Joint Ore Reserve Committee (JORC) Code categories of ore reserves and most of the Measured and Indicated Resources. JORC Code ore reserves of commodities are included for comparison, which provide a short to medium-term view of mineral stocks. The assessment also includes evaluations of long-term trends in mineral resources, world rankings, summaries of significant exploration results, and brief reviews of mining industry developments. This entry is for the revised (minor edits - 2014) version of AIMR 2011 GeoCat #73703.

Tags: AU, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Report, marine, mineral deposits, mineral exploration, resource assessment
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
Otway Basin hydrogeological inventory

This Otway 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 Otway Basin is an elongated sedimentary basin located on the south-east continental margin of Australia. Covering approximately 150,000 square kilometres and stretching about 500 km from South Australia's Cape Jaffa to Victoria's Port Phillip Bay and Tasmania's north-west, most of the basin is offshore, with a smaller portion onshore.

Geological studies of the Otway Basin have primarily focused on its hydrocarbon prospectivity, examining thick Cretaceous aged rocks both onshore and offshore. However, the shallower onshore sedimentary units are more relevant from a groundwater perspective.

The basin's formation began with rifting between the Australian and Antarctic plates during the Late Jurassic, leading to regional subsidence and the development of the elongated sedimentary basin. Following the Cretaceous plate breakup, a passive margin basin formed, which subsequently underwent basin inversion, reverse faulting, and folding, interspersed with extensional periods and normal faulting. This complex evolution, combined with sea level variations and volcanic activity, resulted in numerous sedimentary cycles.

The sedimentary succession in the basin comprises non-marine sediments and volcanic rocks from the Jurassic and early Cretaceous, with a period of tectonic compression interrupting sedimentation during the mid-Cretaceous. The late Cretaceous and Cenozoic sedimentary and volcanic rocks form the primary groundwater-bearing aquifers of the basin, with various sedimentary environments developing in the Neogene and Quaternary. The basin's structural geology is intricate, with numerous basement highs, sub-basins, troughs, and embayments. Fault systems are prevalent, separating tectonic blocks and potentially influencing groundwater flow, offering conduits for inter-aquifer connectivity.

Overall, the Otway Basin's geological history has shaped its hydrocarbon potential and groundwater resources, making it an essential area for ongoing research and exploration in Australia's geological landscape.

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: Australian Ocean Data Network
Upper slope processes and seafloor ecosystems on the Sabrina continental slope, East Antarctica

The East Antarctic slope on the Sabrina margin has been shaped by diverse processes related to repeated glaciation. Differences in slope along this margin have driven variations in sedimentation that explain the gully morphology. Areas of lower slope angles have led to rapid sediment deposition during glacial expansion to the shelf edge, and subsequent sediment failure. Gullies in these areas are typically extremely U-shaped, initiate well below the shelf break, are relatively straight and long, and have low incision depths. Areas of higher slope angles enhance the flow of erosive turbidity currents during glaciations associated with the release of sediment-laden basal meltwaters. The meltwater flows create gullies that typically initiate at or near the shelf break, are V-shaped in profiles, have high sinuosity, deep incision depths and a relatively short down slope extent. The short down slope extent reflects a reduced sediment load associated with increased seawater entrainment as the slope becomes more concave in profile. These differences in gully morphology have important habitat implications, associated with differences in the structure and beta-diversity of the seafloor communities. This upper slope region also supports seafloor communities that are distinct from those on the adjacent shelf, highlighting the uniqueness of this environment for biodiversity.

Citation: A.L. Post, P.E. O'Brien, S. Edwards, A.G. Carroll, K. Malakoff, L.K. Armand, Upper slope processes and seafloor ecosystems on the Sabrina continental slope, East Antarctica, Marine Geology, Volume 422, 2020, 106091, ISSN 0025-3227,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2019.106091.

Tags: Benthic biota, Biodiversity, Continental margin morphology, ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT, Geomorphology and Regolith and Landscape Evolution, Multibeam bathymetry, Published_External, Southern Ocean
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
The crustal structure of the Gulf of Papua and northwest Coral Sea

Interpretation of seismic refraction data from the southwestern coast of the Papuan Peninsula and the northwest Coral Sea gives consistent results using several inversion techniques. Sediments over the Papuan Plateau are 5 km thick; to the west and northwest they thicken to 10 km along the axes of the Moresby and southern Aure Troughs. Farther out into the Coral Sea, over the Eastern Plateau, they are 1 to 2 km thick. Beneath the sediments, a layer with a P-wave velocity of 6.07 km s^-1 was inferred over the region. It is underlain along the southern coastline of the peninsula by a lower crustal layer with a velocity of 6.9 km s^-1, which is probably also present under the Eastern Plateau. We cannot say whether the lower crustal layer also occurs offshore under the Moresby Trough, but it is not present under the Aure Trough in the north. Intervals where the velocity increases with depth are likely in the lower crust (&gt; 17 km) under the peninsula, but we have insufficient data to say if they are present offshore. The Moho is 27 to 29 km deep along the southwestern coast of the peninsula. It shallows to 19 km under the Moresby Trough and deepens to 25 km under the Eastern Plateau. The crust is therefore continental under the Papuan Peninsula and Eastern Plateau and, excluding the sediments, oceanic under the Moresby Trough. We have examined several tectonic models for the region that imply different stress patterns at the time of formation of the Moresby Trough. We favour one in which northern Australia, the Eastern and Papuan Plateaus and the Papuan Peninsula once formed a continuous, continental crust. With the opening of the Coral Sea Basin, crustal thinning extended northwards along the axis of the Moresby Trough, probably into the Aure Trough. This model implies a regional tensional stress pattern at the time of formation.

Tags: AUS, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Journal, PNG, Published_External, marine
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
Sprightly Voyage SP 01/84 CTD Data

This dataset contains the processed Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) data collected on Sprightly cruise SP 01/84. The cruise took place in NSW coastal waters during January 1984, carrying out hydrology sections for the ACE (Australian Coastal Experiment) Project, located off Cape Howe, Stanwell Park, Jervis Bay (Beecroft Head), Cronulla, and Newcastle, with stations at 14 points between 20m and 15km offshore. This dataset has been processed and is archived within the CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research Data Centre in Hobart. Additional information regarding this dataset is contained in the cruise report for this voyage.

Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network
Magnetic Susceptibility, Calcium Carbonate and the Geochemical Composition of Sediments from the Australian Continental Margin

Several gravity cores from the west (3), south (3) and east (5) Australian continental margin have been sampled and analysed for magnetic susceptibility, percent calcium carbonate, Fe203, Al203 and Si02 (% wt) and other trace element contents. Thecores sampled from the west Australian continental margin were from the Exmouth Plateau, and the Carnarvon Terrace. Sampling from the south Australian continental margin was from the west Ceduna Terrace and the Eyre Terrace and the cores sampled from the east Australian continental margin were collected offshore Evans Head.

8180 isotope data on planktonic foraminifera have been used to provide a chronological control on those cores collected from the western margin, to determine sediment accumulation rates and identify Late Quaternary isotopic stages, includingthe last glacial maximum (LGM) and the last interglacial (LIG). These same data are not available from other areas surveyed although sedimentation rates of about 1cm/kyr have been estimated from 14C data from the eastern continental margin sediments offshore Evans Head.

The down-core total magnetic susceptibility profiles generally show similar patterns within each survey area. The magnetic susceptibility profiles for those cores from thewestern margin (Exmouth Plateau and Carnarvon Terrace) show relatively high valuesin the Holocene and around the LIG, and relatively low values during the LGM. Patterns of down-core variations in magnetic susceptibility could also be recognised
in gravity cores from the eastern margin offshore Evans Head. Here, magnetic susceptibilities were relatively high around the LIG (similar to the western margin), but magnetic susceptibility were low in Holocene sediments, perhaps because of diagenetic remobilisation of iron in the core-tops. In general no distinct patterns are recognisable in the down-core magnetic susceptibility profiles from the southern margin.

The down-core profiles of calcium carbonate from the west Australian continental margin show high values during the LGM, and minima in the Holocene and also during the LIG.Similarly, the down-core profile of calcium carbonate shows minimum values during the inferred LIG in eastern margin cores, although this interpretation is based on an approximate sedimentation rate. In general, total magnetic susceptibility is correlated with Al203, Si02 and Fe203, concentrations in sediments, indicating a control on magnetic susceptibility by terrigenous material contents. Calcium carbonate was found tobe a diluent for magnetic susceptibility in these continental margin sediments.

Tags: AU-EEZ, Earth Sciences, GA Publication, Published_External, Record, marine, marine survey
Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network