Kimberley reef extent, geomorphology and habitat mapping (ReefKIM)

The coral reefs of Australia’s North West Kimberley Bioregion are both unique and internationally significant. They exist in one of the most extreme marine environments globally, characterised by the highest tidal range in the southern hemisphere, persistent turbidity, and frequent cyclones. These conditions have shaped coral reefs with distinct geomorphological attributes. The region’s remoteness has minimised direct anthropogenic pressures, but it also presents substantial logistical and financial challenges for data collection and fieldwork.

To improve access to information about this region, a geodatabase termed 'ReefKIM' was developed. ReefKIM integrates diverse datasets into a single, comprehensive repository to support research and management. Sources include satellite imagery, orthophotos, bathymetric charts, sub-bottom profiles, geological maps, seabed geomorphology, reef cores, biophysical data, and extensive ground-truthing.

This enabled consistent derivation of six broad feature classes:

(1) reef extents

(2) geomorphological zones

(3) habitats and substrates

(4) coastlines

(5) island boundaries; and

(6) other studies and work (e.g. ground truth points, survey, sample collections, coring sites, sub-bottom profiles, images)

This record provides access to items (1), (2) and (3) of the ReefKIM components, collated for the purposes of the Seamap Australia National Benthic Habitat Mapping collaborative project.

• Reef extents: 853 reef features with size, shape, and reef type attributes.

• Geomorphological zones: Five standardised reef zones (land, reef flat, lagoon, reef crest, and fore-reef slope) mapped for 30 reefs.

• Habitats and substrates: Seven habitat/substrate classes (mangroves, sand, seagrass and algae, coral rubble, reef pavement with algal turf, crustose coralline algae, and coral communities) mapped for 30 islands and reefs.

Additional ReefKIM products are stored at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre under:

WA Node Ocean Data Network > WAMSI2 > KMRP > 1.3 > 1.3.1

A full directory is documented in '1.3.1_Folder_Structure.pdf' in 1.3.1>001_Metadata at https://storage.pawsey.org.au/public/projects

Identification info

Date (Publication): 2024-02-05T00:00:00

Owner

Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI)

Credit: Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI)

Status: Completed

Point of contact

Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI)

Topic category

Biota
Environment
Oceans

Extent

Temporal extent

Time period: 2012-01-01 2013-12-31

Maintenance and update frequency: Not planned

Global Change Master Directory Earth Science Keywords, Version 8.5

Resource constraints

Linkage: https://licensebuttons.net/l/by/4.0/88x31.png
License Graphic

Title: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Alternate title: CC-BY

Edition: 4.0

Website: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
License Text

Other constraints: Cite data as: Western Australian Marine Science Institution (2013). Kimberley reef extent, geomorphology and habitat mapping (ReefKIM) [Data set]. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Data accessed from https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/4c208c61-21d0-44cd-be82-1e4d9997a265 on [access date].

Other constraints: This dataset is hosted by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, on behalf of the Western Australian Marine Science Institution for the purposes of the Seamap Australia collaborative project.

Language: English

Character encoding: UTF8

Content Information

Content type: Physical measurement

Description: Appended to original data for styling purposes for the Seamap Australia Project.

Name: Benthic habitat

Name: SM_HAB_CLS

Distribution Information

Distribution format

ESRI Shapefile

OnLine resource: SHAPE-ZIP
DATA ACCESS - ReefKIM benthic habitat & substrate mapping

OnLine resource: SHAPE-ZIP
DATA ACCESS - ReefKIM geomorphological zones

OnLine resource: SHAPE-ZIP
DATA ACCESS - ReefKIM reef extents

OnLine resource: seamap:SeamapAus_WA_ReefKIM_habitat_2013
MAP - ReefKIM benthic habitat & substrate

OnLine resource: seamap:SeamapAus_WA_ReefKIM_geomorphic_2013
MAP - ReefKIM geomorphological zones

OnLine resource: seamap:SeamapAus_WA_ReefKIM_reefextent_2013
MAP - ReefKIM reef extent

OnLine resource: View & explore data in Seamap Australia

OnLine resource: Associated survey report

OnLine resource: Additional data available from Pawsey
See 'WA Node Ocean Data Network > WAMSI2 > KMRP > 1.3 > 1.3.1'

Resource lineage

Statement: ---Remote Sensing Imagery--- Reef geomorphology and habitat/substrate classifications were derived from Landsat 5 (TM), 7 (ETM+), and 8 (OLI) satellite imagery. All images were acquired at low tide and under minimal cloud cover. Radiometric and atmospheric corrections were applied to reduce distortions. Reef platform areas were subsetted as areas of interest for image processing. True-colour and false-colour composites were used to enhance feature differentiation and classification. Unsupervised classification statistically clustered pixels based on spectral similarity and thematic categories were assigned using spectral signatures, visual interpretation, expert knowledge, and ground-truthing data. ---Orthophotography--- Geographically-rectified aerial imagery (orthophotography) was collated from Landgate, Western Australia, and from Geoscience Australia (GA). ---Field Surveys Ground-truth data (over 300 points) were collected via handheld GPS during field surveys and through georeferenced photographs from primary and secondary sources: WA Museum Woodside Kimberley Project (2009–2012); Wilson and Blake (2011); Wilson et al. (2011); WAMSI 1.3.1 Reef Geomorphology Project (2012–2015); and Solihuddin et al. (2015). The maximum surveyed depth was 5 m due to visibility limits. Observations included descriptive geomorphology, habitats, and substrates, and were used for classification validation. ---Reef Mapping Approach--- A tailored mapping process was developed for this study to accommodate the water turbidity and high tides of the Kimberley region. First, 18 bathymetric maps covering the study area were used as a base map. Areas of interest, such as islands, reefs and shoals, were manually delineated. Next, a dataset was developed using Landsat TM, ETM+ and OLI images at a consistent ∼30 m resolution using the first five spectral bands. More than 60 scenes covering the entire study area were acquired between 1999 and 2014 to ensure cloud-free coverage. This data was then validated using ground-truthing data and high resolution orthophotographs. Satellite imagery and digitised map features were overlaid to allow visual identification of coral reefs. All islands and reefs detected on satellite imagery were recorded and classified. A customised mapping workflow was developed to address turbidity and tidal challenges. First, 18 bathymetric maps were used as basemaps. Islands, reefs, and shoals were manually digitised. Landsat TM, ETM+, and OLI imagery (30 m resolution, 5 bands) from 60+ scenes (1999–2014) were used to ensure cloud-free coverage over > 60 scenes. Reef features were visually identified using overlays of satellite imagery and digitised layers, then recorded and classified. Validation used ground-truth and high-resolution orthophotographs. ---Habitat Mapping Approach---- Thirty reefs were selected for habitat mapping based on Landsat visibility at low tide, availability of ground-truth/orthophoto data, and their representation of diverse environmental settings (geographic, tidal, hydrodynamic). They serve as analogues for less-surveyed reefs. Unsupervised ISODATA classification produced seven habitat classes: mangroves, sand, seagrass and algae, coral rubble, reef pavement with algal turf, crustose coralline algae, and coral communities. Class definitions were informed by orthophotographs and ground-truthing. Classes were spatially structured by geomorphological zones influenced by wave exposure and depth. A 1 arc-second DEM (Geoscience Australia) was used to delineate reef geomorphic zones. Classification accuracy was assessed using a confusion matrix which provides a quantitative estimation of correspondence between classified images and ground-truthing.. Habitat classification accuracies ranged from 64% to 77%.

Hierarchy level: Dataset

Metadata

Metadata identifier: urn:uuid/4c208c61-21d0-44cd-be82-1e4d9997a265

Language: English

Character encoding: UTF8

Distributor

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies - (IMAS Data Manager)

IMAS website >

Parent metadata

Seamap Australia National Benthic Habitat Layer (NBHL)

Type of resource

Resource scope: Dataset

Name: IMAS Dataset level record

Metadata linkage: https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/4c208c61-21d0-44cd-be82-1e4d9997a265
Point of truth URL of this metadata record

Date info (Creation): 2025-02-04T00:00:00

Date info (Revision): 2025-04-30T08:08:50

Metadata standard

Title: ISO 19115-3:2018

Overviews

Spatial extent

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Access to the record in catalogue

Read here the full details and access to the data.

Associated resources

Not available

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