Marine Sediments database (MARS) (GA)

The MARine Sediment (MARS) database contains detailed information on seabed sediment characteristics for samples collected from Australia's marine jurisdiction, including the Australian Antarctic Territory. It also includes the Geat Barrier Reef (GBR). It is an important scientific resource that includes survey and sample information such as locations, water depths and sample descriptions. Data are also provided from quantitative analyses of the sediments, such as grain size, mud, sand, gravel and carbonate concentrations, mineralogy, age determinations, geochemical properties, and physical attributes for down-core samples including bulk density, p-wave velocity, porosity and magnetic susceptibility. Images and graphics are presented, where available. MARS currently holds &gt;40,000 sample and sub-sample records, and approximately 200,000 records describing the characteristics of these samples. New data are being added as they become available.

It includes: Core, Dredge, Grab, Water, Column and Camera samples.

Format:
Data can be downloaded in CSV format for: 
- All sample data, 
- CaCO3 as mud/sand/gravel/bulk, 
- CaCO3 +grain size as mud/sand/gravel/[bulk|mean], 
- Grain size as mud/sand/gravel/mean, 
- Grain size for laser, 
- Grain size all, 
- Minerals with method of ICP-MS/XRF
- Salinity.

The full database is a 500 MB CSV.

For the eAtlas the "CaCO3 +grain size as mud/sand/gravel/[bulk|mean]" CSV file was downloaded and converted to a shapefile for visualisation. This is available for download from this record.

This metadata is not an authoritative source and was developed for the eAtlas. Please check or contact Geoscience Australia for authoritative metadata. The original data is available for download via the Marine Sediments (MARS) Database Search (http://www.ga.gov.au/oracle/mars/).

The full database contains samples of the following type (this list is taken for data from 2010 - 2015): 
PROPERTY    UOM
Ag  ppm
Al  mg/kg
Al2O    %
Al2O3   w%
Al2O3   %
As  ppm
As  mg/kg
Authigenic-P    umol/g
Ba  ppm
Be  ppm
Bi  ppm
Ca  mg/kg
CaCO3   %
CaO w%
CaO %
carbonate content   %
Cd  ppm
Cd  mg/kg
Ce  ppm
Chlorin index 
Chlorophyll a   ug/g
Chlorophyll b   ug/g
Chlorophyll c   ug/g
Cl  ppm
Co  mg/kg
Co  ppm
Cr  mg/kg
Cr  ppm
Cs  ppm
Cu  mg/kg
Cu  ppm
delta 13C   o/oo
delta 15N   o/oo
Detrital-P  umol/g
Dy  ppm
Er  ppm
Eu  ppm
Fe  mg/kg
Fe2O3   %
Fe2O3TOT    w%
Ga  ppm
Ga  mg/kg
Gd  ppm
Ge  ppm
grain size  %
grain size  um
grain size  No unit
grain size  m2/g
Hf  ppm
Ho  ppm
K2O w%
K2O %
La  ppm
Lu  ppm
Mg  mg/kg
MgO w%
MgO %
MINERAL w%
MLOI    w%
Mn  mg/kg
MnO w%
MnO %
Mo  ppm
Mo  mg/kg
Na2O    w%
Na2O    %
Nb  ppm
Nd  ppm
Ni  mg/kg
Ni  ppm
O2  mmol/m2/d
Organic-P   umol/g
Oxide Associated-P  umol/g
P   mg/kg
P2O5    w%
P2O5    %
Pb  ppm
Pb  mg/kg
pH
Phaeophytin ug/g
porosity    %
Pr  ppm
Rb  ppm
S   mg/kg
salinity  
Sb  ppm
Sc  ppm
Sc  %
Se  mg/kg
SiO2    w%
SiO2    %
Sm  ppm
Sn  ppm
SO3 w%
SO3 %
SOD %/g/d
specific surface area   m2/g
Sr  ppm
Ta  ppm
Tb  ppm
TCO2    mmol/m2/d
Th  ppm
TiO2    w%
TiO2    %
TKN %
TN  %
TOC %
Total sediment metabolism   umol/cm3/d
Total sediment metabolism   umol/g/d
U   ppm
V   mg/kg
V   ppm
W   ppm
Water temperature   degC
Y   ppm
Yb  ppm
Zn  mg/kg
Zn  ppm
Zr  ppm

Organization: Australian Ocean Data Network