The Lord Howe Island survey SS06-2008 in April 2008 aboard the RV Southern Surveyor was a collaboration between the University of Wollongong and Geoscience Australia. The survey was also an activity of the Commonwealth Environment Research Facilities' (CERF) Marine Biodiversity Hub, of which Geoscience Australia is a partner, and will contribute to the revised Plan of Management for the Lord Howe Marine Parks. The objectives of the survey were to map the morphology and benthic environments of the shallow shelf that surrounds Lord Howe Island as well as the deeper flanks of this largely submarine volcano. Of particular interest was the apparent drowned reef structure on the shelf and the spatial distribution of seabed habitats and infauna. The data collected are required to better understand the history of reef growth at Lord Howe Island, which sits at the southernmost limit of reef formation, and links between the physical environment and ecological processes that control the spatial distribution of biodiversity on the shelf. The morphology of the flanks of the submarine volcano was also examined to reveal whether they provide evidence of major erosional and depositional processes acting on the volcano. This report provides a description of the survey activities and the results of the processing and initial analysis of the data and samples collected.

High-precision measurements of N2 in benthic chamber waters indicated that denitrification occurs within the major sedimentary facies in Port Phillip Bay. The integrated fluxes of biogenic N2 , ammonia, nitrate and nitrite showed that the stoichiometric relationship between organic C and N in the muddy sediments, occupying about 70% of the seafloor, was 5.7, this being similar to the Redfield ratio of 6.6. High denitrifying efficiencies (75-85%; denitrification rates ~1.3 mmol N2 m-2 day-1) at organic carbon loadings of ~15-25 mmol m-2 day-1 indicate that most N processed through the sediments was returned to the overlying waters as biologically (generally) unavailable N2. At sites of high organic carbon loadings to the sediments (>100 mmol m-2 day-1) denitrification rates and denitrifying efficiencies were near zero and most N is returned to the Bay waters as biologically available ammonium. In chambers 'spiked' with 15NO3 , denitrifyers used nitrate produced in the sediments in situ, rather than the exogenous nitrate in overlying waters. The sedimentary microbial processes of ammonification, nitrification and denitrification are therefore tightly coupled.

This study demonstrates that seabed topography and geodiversity play key roles in controlling the spatial dynamics of large fish predators over macro-ecological scales. We compiled ten years of commercial fishing records from the Sea Around Us Project and developed continental-scale catch models for an assemblage of large open-water fish (e.g. tuna, marlins, mackerels) for Western Australia. We standardised catch rates to account for the confounding effects of year, gear type and species body mass using generalised linear models, from which relative indices of abundance were extracted. We combined these with an extensive array of geophysical, oceanographic, biological, and anthropogenic data to (1) map the location of pelagic hotspots and (2) determine their most likely mechanistic drivers. We tested whether submarine canyons promote the aggregation of pelagic fish, and whether geomorphometrics (measures of seafloor complexity) represent useful surrogate indicators of their numbers. We also compared predicted fish distributions with the Australian network of Commonwealth Marine Reserves to assess its potential to provide conservation benefits for highly mobile predators. Both static and dynamic habitat features explained the observed patterns in relative abundance of pelagic fish. Geomorphometrics alone captured more than 50% of the variance, and submarine canyon presence ranked as the most influential variable in the North bioregion. Seafloor rugosity and fractal dimension, salinity, ocean energy, current strength, and human use were also identified as important predictors. The spatial overlap between fish hotspots and marine reserves was very limited in most parts of the EEZ, with high-abundance areas being primarily found in multiple use zones where human activities are subject to few restrictions.

Geoscience Australia and the Australian Institute of Marine Science are conducting seabed mapping surveys in northern Australia to generate regional baseline information on seabed environments. The data are being made available to Australia's offshore oil and gas industry to assess the wider significance of planned infrastructure developments designed to bring on regional gas reserves. In 2009 the first of these surveys focused on the Van Diemen Rise, a series of submerged carbonate banks and channels on the tropical, macrotidal northern Australian shelf. Data reveal a relatively complex seabed geomorphology comprising banks, terraces, plains, ridges, and deep/hole/valleys. Banks, terraces and ridges are characterised by partially-cemented coarse carbonate sands supporting species-rich sponge and octacoral communities.The plains and deep/hole/valleys are dominated by muddy fine to medium carbonate sands containing abundant polychaetes and crustaceans. The survey data will be combined with regional datasets to provide a synthesis of seabed environments for the northern Australian shelf. Follow-up surveys are planned for August 2010 and late 2011.

From February to March 2010, Geoscience Australia (GA) conducted an multibeam survey of the coastal waters of the Vestfold Hills in the Australian Antarctic Territory. The survey was conducted jointly with Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) and the Deployable Geospatial Survey Team (DGST) of the Royal Australian Navy. The survey was aimed primarily at understanding the the character of the sea floora round Davis to better inform studies of the benthic biota and the possible impacts of the Davis Station sewage outfall. DGST were involved so the data could be used to update and extend the nautical charts of the Davis area.

This dataset contains species identifications of echinoderms collected during survey SOL4934 (R.V. Solander, 27 August - 24 September, 2009). Animals were collected from the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf with a Smith-McIntyre grab and benthic sleds. Echinoderm specimens were lodged at Museum of Victoria on the 12 February 2010 and Ophiuroid samples were lodged on the 19 April 2010. Species-level identifications were undertaken by Tim O'Hara at the Museum of Victoria and were delivered to Geoscience Australia on the 18 May 2010. See GA Record 2010/09 for further details on survey methods and specimen acquisition. Data is presented here exactly as delivered by the taxonomist, and Geoscience Australia is unable to verify the accuracy of the taxonomic identifications.

The Marine Biodiversity Hub was funded by the Australian Government Commonwealth Environmental Research Facilities (CERF) between 2007 and 2010. The Hub was developed to improve the scientific knowledge available to support marine bioregional planning and addressed two fundamental questions: 1. How can we predict the distribution of marine biodiversity; and 2. How can we use this improved capability to conserve and manage biodiversity in a multiple-use environment? This talk focuses on the Surrogates Program, one of four research programs in the Hub. The Surrogates Program addressed the above questions by testing and developing physical variables as surrogates of marine biodiversity, with a focus on seabed environments. In the program, we employed a range of marine survey technologies to collect high-quality and co-located benthic physical and biological data at four selected areas in temperate and tropical waters. We also developed advanced spatial and statistical approaches to test the degree of covariance between the physical and biological data, identify ecological processes, and generate prediction maps. During a number of field campaigns, we deployed a range of instruments to collect data including multibeam sonar, sediment grabs, benthic sleds, towed-video/still images and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. GIS, machine-learning models and the SWAN hydrodynamic model were used to derive and predict a large number of physical variables as potential surrogates. The effectiveness of the surrogacy approaches were examined using multivariate analyses and spatial modelling techniques. In general, we found that using physical surrogates to predict marine biodiversity is a cost-effective approach. The new knowledge of surrogates and seabed ecological processes directly supports the management of the Australian marine estate. Other major outputs of the Surrogates Program include: - Thirty-seven new and updated national-scale marine physical environmental datasets; - High resolution bathymetry of targeted areas, covering almost 2000 km2, plus 171 km of underwater video transects, 402 sediment grab samples and 232 epifauna samples; - New seabed exposure and fetch models/datasets; and - Peer-reviewed reports and papers in scientific journals. The success of the Marine Biodiversity Hub has enabled the Hub to be refunded for a further four years through the new National Environmental Research Program. In this, Geoscience Australia (GA) is collaborating with the University of Tasmania, CSIRO Marine & Atmospheric Research, Australian Institute of Marine Science, Museum of Victoria, University of Western Australia and Charles Darwin University; GA is also leading Theme 3 Project 1 which focuses on identifying the functions and processes of shelf and canyon ecosystems. The project is expected to further advance marine biodiversity research in Australia by investigating the role of large-scale physical features on the shelf in influencing patterns of marine biodiversity.

Geoscience Australia undertook seabed mapping surveys in the eastern Bonaparte Gulf in 2009/2010 to deliver integrated information relevant to marine biodiversity conservation and offshore infrastructure development. The survey objectives were to characterise the physical, chemical and biological properties of the seabed, document potential geohazards and identify unique or sensitive benthic habitats. Different clustering methods were applied to a 124 sample dataset comprising 74 physical and chemical variables which convey important baseline information about sediment sources, carbon reactivity/redox and sedimentary environments. Results of the UPGMA clustering method were interpreted due to the high cophenetic correlation (0.82), and these clusters discriminated infauna better than clusters based on geomorphology. Major geochemical dimensions evident amongst clusters included grain-size and a cross-shelf transition from Mn and As enrichment (inner shelf) to P enrichment (outer-shelf). Higher P was due to enhanced authigenic-P accumulation. Sponge/gorgonian occurrences were constrained by low Nd/Sr (pointing to a diminishing terrestrial source) and relatively high -15N, and subsurface seepage was shown to enhance the 'terrestrial' (e.g. rare-earth element and Si) signature in outer-shelf sediments. Sponge-dominated shallow bank/terrace clusters with abundant reactive organic matter differentiated on the basis of Si-Al relations (and redox). These habitats shed materials to peripheral Gorgonian-dominated scree environments which had surface-area normalised TOC concentrations that were elevated over usual continental shelf ranges. Trichodesmium were identified as an important source of carbon to inner-shelf plains. Pair-wise ANOSIM results for infauna are brought together in a summary model which highlights the influence of the clusters on benthic biodiversity.

<b>This service will be decommissioned on 1/1/2024. The replacement service with existing data is located at https://warehouse.ausseabed.gov.au/geoserver/</b> This web service contains the Casey Station Bathymetry survey that displays one seamless bathymetry grid of 1m resolution. The GA-0348 survey, acquired by Geoscience Australia, Royal Australian Navy and Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) on-board the Research Vessel Howard Burton from the 23rd of December 2014 to the 27th of January 2015. Further details of the data lineage can be found with the associated database.

This dataset contains species identifications of macro-benthic worms collected during survey GA2476 (R.V. Solander, 12 August - 15 September 2008). Animals were collected from the Western Australian Margin with a BODO sediment grab or rock dredge. Specimens were lodged at Museum of Victoria on the 10 March 2009. Species-level identifications were undertaken by Robin Wilson at the Museum of Victoria and were delivered to Geoscience Australia on the 7 May 2009. See GA Record 2009/02 for further details on survey methods and specimen acquisition. Data is presented here exactly as delivered by the taxonomist, and Geoscience Australia is unable to verify the accuracy of the taxonomic identifications.