From Australian Oceans Data Network
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Seabed Environments of the Eastern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, Northern Australia

Created 23/01/2026

Updated 23/01/2026

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A seabed mapping survey over a series of carbonate banks, intervening channels and surrounding sediment plains on the Van Diemen Rise in the eastern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf was completed under a Memorandum of Understanding between Geoscience Australia and the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences. The survey obtained detailed geological (sedimentological, geochemical, geophysical) and biological data (macro-benthic and infaunal diversity, community structure) for the banks, channels and plains to establish the late-Quaternary evolution of the region and investigate relationships between the physical environment and associated biota for biodiversity prediction. The survey also permits the biodiversity of benthos of the Van Diemen Rise to be put into a biogeographic context of the Arafura-Timor Sea and wider northern Australian marine region.

Four study areas were investigated across the outer to inner shelf. Multibeam sonar data provide 100 per cent coverage of the seabed for each study area and are supplemented with geological and biological samples collected from 63 stations. In a novel approach, geochemical data collected at the stations provide an assessment of sediment and water quality for surrogacy research. Oceanographic data collected at four stations on the Van Diemen Rise will provide an understanding of the wave, tide and ocean currents as well as insights into sediment transport. A total of 1,154 square kilometres of multibeam sonar data and 340 line-km of shallow (<100 mbsf) sub-bottom profiles were collected.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Title Seabed Environments of the Eastern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, Northern Australia
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/02a3f512-92be-4e2e-bce5-e0b98786d167
Contact Point
Australian Ocean Data Network
clientservices@ga.gov.au
Reference Period 20/04/2018
Geospatial Coverage
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
{
  "coordinates": [
    [
      [
        129.4526,
        -12.4183
      ],
      [
        130.0773,
        -12.4183
      ],
      [
        130.0773,
        -10.2875
      ],
      [
        129.4526,
        -10.2875
      ],
      [
        129.4526,
        -12.4183
      ]
    ]
  ],
  "type": "Polygon"
}
Data Portal Australian Oceans Data Network

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Australian Oceans Data Network "Seabed Environments of the Eastern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, Northern Australia". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://catalogue.aodn.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/seabed-environments-of-the-eastern-joseph-bonaparte-gulf-northern-australia9