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Seamounts and raised seabed features of the Australian margin (NESP MaC 2.3)

Seamounts, elevated seabed features, and bathymetric highs constitute ecologically significant habitats for various marine species, often associated with unique ecosystems and heightened biodiversity. In Australia, the absence of a comprehensive and spatially accurate inventory of these underwater structures has been a notable gap. Existing broad-scale modelling efforts, including the Parks Australia Natural Values Ecosystems (NVE) map ( https://seamapaustralia.org/map/#af207808-481a-4648-93d3-4011f2689461), have predominantly relied on coarse, global datasets. These datasets, characterized by low resolution, often fail to incorporate recent bathymetric data, leading to the omission or incorrect identification of features. This work aimed to address these limitations by developing an improved dataset of raised seabed features, specifically designed to enhance broad-scale modelling efforts like those used in the NVE mapping, and in support of the objectives of NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 2.3 ( https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/2-3/).


Seamount features were extracted from a range of data sources (see 'lineage' section of this record) for the area surrounding the Australian continental margin. These were cross-referenced with GEBCO's 2023 global terrain model (15 arc-second interval grid) and any obviously erroneous features removed. This dataset includes all features located inside the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Rather than cropping exclusively to this boundary, those features falling outside the Aus EEZ but in the approximate vicinity were also retained for context


Existing feature boundaries were redigitised for areas in which more recent high-resolution bathymetry was available, utilising the 'Bathymetry of Australian Marine Parks (2024)' compilation dataset and individual survey datasets available through the AusSeabed data portal ( https://portal.ga.gov.au/persona/marine). Where available, fine-scale geomorphic mapping in which seamounts and pinnacles had been classified were extracted and merged with the larger-scale features. If fine-scale mapping disagreed with features classified in the broader-scale datasets, the finer-scale data was prioritised.


Where multiple features occurred immediately adjacent to each other, the digitised area represents the "footprint" of the features and as such, a single polygon may encompass multiple peaks. Where features could be uniquely identified (eg by a formal name/title), this attribute is included in the dataset.

Simple

Identification info

Date (Creation)
2023-05-04

Identifier

Title
Information and documentation - Digital object identifier system
Citation identifier
ISO 26324:2012

Code
10.25959/ZW7B-V440
Codespace
doi.org
Description
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

Principal investigator

Principal investigator

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies - Flukes, Emma
Hobart
Tasmania
Private Bag 129
Australia
ROR ID >

ORCID ID >

Status
Completed

Point of contact

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies - Flukes, Emma
IMAS - Hobart
Private Bag 129
Hobart
Tasmania
Private Bag 129
Australia
ROR ID >

ORCID ID >

Topic category
  • Geoscientific information

Extent

N
S
E
W


Temporal extent

Time period
2023-05-04 2024-06-03

Vertical element

Minimum value
0
Maximum value
7000
Identifier
EPSG::5715
Name
MSL depth
Maintenance and update frequency
As needed
Keywords (Theme)
  • geomorphology
  • seafloor features
  • seamounts
  • seafloor morphology
  • pinnacles
  • guyots
NASA/GCMD Keywords, Version 8.5
  • EARTH SCIENCE | LAND SURFACE | GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES
Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC): Fields of Research
  • Geospatial Information Systems
  • Surveying (incl. Hydrographic Surveying)
  • Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology)

Resource constraints

Classification
Unclassified

Resource constraints

Linkage
http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png

License Graphic

Title
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License


>

Website
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

License Text

Other constraints
Cite data as: Flukes, E. (2024). Seamounts and raised seabed features of the Australian margin [Data set]. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. https://doi.org/10.25959/ZW7B-V440
Language
English
Character encoding
UTF8

Distribution Information

Distribution format
  • ESRI shapefile

OnLine resource
SHAPE-ZIP

Download the data in Shapefile format

OnLine resource
seamap:Aus_seamounts_raised_features

Seamounts of Australia Web Mapping Service (for use in desktop GIS or similar)

Resource lineage

Statement
Datasets used in this analysis: The GEBCO_2023 Grid - a continuous terrain model of the global oceans and land. https://www.gebco.net/data_and_products/gridded_bathymetry_data/gebco_2023/ Various bathymetry mapping datasets from AusSeabed (https://portal.ga.gov.au/persona/marine) Heap, A.D., Harris, P.T. 2008. Geomorphology of the Australian Margin and Adjacent Seafloor. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08120090801888669 [seamount/pinnacle features extracted] The Global Seamounts Database (KWSMTS v0.1) http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/PT/SMTS/main.html for data access Kim, S.-S., and P. Wessel (2011), New global seamount census from the altimetry-derived gravity data, Geophysical Journal International., 186, 615-631. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2011.05076.x Lucieer, V. (2020). Geomorphology and Surface Classification of seven Coral Sea seamounts. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS). Data accessed from https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/a56b2120-9753-4285-9767-f09060f8f3b8 on 10/05/2023. Lucieer, V (2018). Geomorphology map of the Huon Australian Marine Park. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS). Data accessed from http://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/en/metadata.show?uuid=6e9916d1-0e9c-4cf0-b08e-e5e631c1aa4d on 10/05/2023. Monk, J., Flukes, E. & Lucieer, V. (2023). Geomorphometry of Australian Marine Parks. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS). Data accessed from https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/40e9283b-d4ed-4176-8fe6-112b8697003f on 10/05/2023. Beaman, R. (2012). Project 3DGBR: Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea Geomorphic Features (JCU) [Dataset]. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University [producer]. eAtlas [distributor]. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/ [license]. Available from https://eatlas.org.au/data/uuid/25685ba5-6583-494f-974d-cce2f3429b78 Yesson, C et al. (2011): The global distribution of seamounts based on 30-second bathymetry data. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 58(4), 442-453, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2011.02.004 see https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.757563 for 2011 data and https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.921688 for updated 2020 data Harris, P.T., Macmillan-Lawler, M., Rupp, J. and Baker, E.K. (2014) Geomorphology of the Oceans. Marine Geology, 352, 4-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2014.01.011 Guyots (via Arctic Biodiversity Data Service) https://geo.abds.is/geoserver/ebsa/ows?service=WFS&version=1.0.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=guyots&outputFormat=SHAPE-ZIP Seamounts (via Arctic Biodiversity Data Service) https://geo.abds.is/geoserver/ebsa/ows?service=WFS&version=1.0.0&request=GetFeature&typeName=seamounts&outputFormat=SHAPE-ZIP
Hierarchy level
Dataset

Metadata

Metadata identifier
urn:uuid/dc4c761f-eb4d-4fe4-b071-e110bbe7c8f3

Language
English
Character encoding
UTF8

Point of contact

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania (UTAS) - IMAS Data Manager ()
Parent metadata
  • NESP MaC Project 2.3 - Improving knowledge transfer to support Australian Marine Park decision making and management effectiveness evaluation

Type of resource

Resource scope
Dataset
Metadata linkage
https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/dc4c761f-eb4d-4fe4-b071-e110bbe7c8f3

Point of truth URL of this metadata record

Date info (Creation)
2015-05-06T11:44:25
Date info (Revision)
2025-02-01T12:32:18

Metadata standard

Title
ISO 19115-3:2018
 
 

Overviews

process2.png
process.png

Spatial extent

N
S
E
W


Keywords

geomorphology guyots pinnacles seafloor features seafloor morphology seamounts
Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC): Fields of Research
Geospatial Information Systems Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) Surveying (incl. Hydrographic Surveying)
NASA/GCMD Keywords, Version 8.5
EARTH SCIENCE | LAND SURFACE | GEOMORPHIC LANDFORMS/PROCESSES

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