The grid was created from the Australian bathymetry and topography grid (2009, version 4). The data represents the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest point within a specified area (a rectangle of 3 by 3 cells). The units are metres.

A survey of the Solitary Islands Key Ecological Feature (KEF - GA survey 0338) was conducted on the R.V. Bombora between Tuesday, August 7th 2012 and Thursday, August 16th 2012, in collaboration with the New South Wales (NSW) Office of Environment and Heritage as part of GA's commitment to the National Environmental Research Programme (NERP)'s Marine Biodiversity Hub. The survey collected forward-facing mono video, forward-facing stereo video, and downward facing stills. The geographic position of the system was determined using a GPS system, and the location of the towed camera body was monitored using a USBL system. The aims of the survey were to characterize benthic habitat in areas of the Solitary Islands Key Ecological Feature, and to compare and contrast the effectiveness of different methods for capturing visual representations of biological communities. Stereo video: 2x GoPro Hero 2 cameras in Patima housings with 30cm spacing. Mono video: Stills: Nikon D700, Easydive Leo II housing with dome port The data is organized by survey date, followed by full transect number. Within each transect, there are 4 folders titled: GoPro Stereo GoPro .MP4 files, 1080i, medium FOV, NTSC 30 fps Nikon Downward Facing Stills, .JPG Streampix Mono video files in Norpix .SEQ format Tracklink USBL positional information from Tracklink Navigator 1500.7.4.0 Days 4 and 5 are together in one folder because these transects were incomplete, and are not suitable for scientific analysis. There is an additional folder titled DGPS Log which contains the full set of files containing the GPS position of the R/V Bombora while surveying.

Population connectivity research involves investigating the presence, strength and characteristics of spatial and temporal relationships between populations. These data can be used in many different ways: to identify source-sink relationships between populations; to detect critical pathways or keystone habitats; to find natural clusters or biogeographic regions; or to investigate the processes underlying population genetic structure, among others. This information can be of significant value for managers and decision-makers when designing reserve networks, evaluating the potential spread of invasive species. This database represents the first publicly-available collection of national/continental-scale marine connectivity data.

This resource contains geochemistry data for the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) in the Timor Sea collected by Geoscience Australia during September and October 2012 on RV Solander (survey GA0339/SOL5650). This dataset comprises oxygen consumption rates and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) production rates measured on seabed sediments using incubated cores. The Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve survey was undertaken as an activity within the Australian Government's National Environmental Research Program Marine Biodiversity Hub and was the key component of Research Theme 4 - Regional Biodiversity Discovery to Support Marine Bioregional Plans. Hub partners involved in the survey included the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Geoscience Australia, the University of Western Australia, Museum Victoria and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Data acquired during the survey included: multibeam sonar bathymetry and acoustic backscatter; sub-bottom acoustic profiles; physical samples of seabed sediments, infauna and epibenthic biota; towed underwater video and still camera observations of seabed habitats; baited video observations of demersal and pelagic fish, and; oceanographic measurements of the water column from CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) casts and from deployment of sea surface drifters. Further information on the survey is available in the post-survey report published as Geoscience Australia Record 2013/38: Nichol, S.L., Howard, F.J.F., Kool, J., Stowar, M., Bouchet, P., Radke, L., Siwabessy, J., Przeslawski, R., Picard, K., Alvarez de Glasby, B., Colquhoun, J., Letessier, T. & Heyward, A. 2013. Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (Timor Sea) Biodiversity Survey: GA0339/SOL5650 - Post Survey Report. Record 2013/38. Geoscience Australia: Canberra. (GEOCAT #76658).

This resource contains geochemistry data for the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (CMR) in the Timor Sea collected by Geoscience Australia during September and October 2012 on RV Solander (survey GA0339/SOL5650). This dataset comprises major and trace element concentrations in the upper 2 cm of seabed sediment. The Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve survey was undertaken as an activity within the Australian Government's National Environmental Research Program Marine Biodiversity Hub and was the key component of Research Theme 4 - Regional Biodiversity Discovery to Support Marine Bioregional Plans. Hub partners involved in the survey included the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Geoscience Australia, the University of Western Australia, Museum Victoria and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Data acquired during the survey included: multibeam sonar bathymetry and acoustic backscatter; sub-bottom acoustic profiles; physical samples of seabed sediments, infauna and epibenthic biota; towed underwater video and still camera observations of seabed habitats; baited video observations of demersal and pelagic fish, and; oceanographic measurements of the water column from CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) casts and from deployment of sea surface drifters. Further information on the survey is available in the post-survey report published as Geoscience Australia Record 2013/38: Nichol, S.L., Howard, F.J.F., Kool, J., Stowar, M., Bouchet, P., Radke, L., Siwabessy, J., Przeslawski, R., Picard, K., Alvarez de Glasby, B., Colquhoun, J., Letessier, T. & Heyward, A. 2013. Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve (Timor Sea) Biodiversity Survey: GA0339/SOL5650 - Post Survey Report. Record 2013/38. Geoscience Australia: Canberra. (GEOCAT #76658).

This dataset provides the spatially continuous data of predicted seabed sand content (sediment fraction 63 - 2000 µm) expressed as a weight percentage ranging from 0 to 100%, presented in 0.0025 decimal degree (dd) resolution raster grids format and an ascii text file. The dataset covers the north-northwest region of the Australian continental EEZ. This dataset supersedes previous predictions of seabed sand content for the region with demonstrated improvements in accuracy. Accuracy of predictions varies based on density of underlying data and level of seabed complexity. Artefacts occur in this dataset as a result of insufficient samples in relevant areas. This dataset is intended for use at regional scale. The dataset may not be appropriate for use at local scales in areas where sample density is insufficient to detect local variation in sediment properties. To obtain the most accurate interpretation of sediment distribution in these areas, it is recommended that additional samples be collected and interpolations updated.

The datasets measure the Total Suspended Materials (TSM) concentrations of ocean surface waters. They are derived products from MODIS (aqua) images using NASA's SeaDAS image processing software. The extent of the datasets covers the entire Australian EEZ and surrounding waters (including the southern ocean). The spatial resolution of the datasets is 0.01 dd. The datasets contain 36 monthly TSM layers between 2009 and 2011. The unit of the datasets is g/m3.

This data represents the percentage of time the Shields parameter (Shields, 1936) exceeds 0.25. The Shields parameter (non-dimensional bed shear stress) value of 0.25 is assumed to be the threshold for creating disturbed patches on the seabed. This value is several times larger than that required to initiate traction bedload transport (~0.05) and falls in the middle of the ripple and dune bedform stability field. It represents conditions when the seabed is highly mobile and where patches of disturbed habitat are likely to be created. Shields, A. 1936. Application of similarity principles and turbulence research to bed-load movement. Mitteilunger der Preussischen Versuchsanstalt f¨ur Wasserbau und Schiffbau 26: 5-24

This data represents the average time between events when the Shields parameter (Shields, 1936) exceeds 0.25 based on a Peaks-Over-Thresholds (POT) analysis. The Shields parameter (non-dimensional bed shear stress) value of 0.25 is assumed to be the threshold for creating disturbed patches. This value is several times larger than that required to initiate traction bedload transport (~0.05) and falls in the middle of the ripple and dune bedform stability field. It represents conditions when the seabed is highly mobile and where patches of disturbed habitat are likely to be created. The unit for the dataset is day. Shields, A. 1936. Application of similarity principles and turbulence research to bed-load movement. Mitteilunger der Preussischen Versuchsanstalt f'ur Wasserbau und Schiffbau 26: 5-24

This data represents the integrated Shields (Shields, 1936) parameter exceeding 0.25 divided by the integrated total Shields parameter. The Shields parameter (non-dimensional bed shear stress) value of 0.25 is assumed to be the threshold for creating disturbed patches. This value is several times larger than that required to initiate traction bedload transport (~0.05) and falls in the middle of the ripple and dune bedform stability field. It represents conditions when the seabed is highly mobile and where patches of disturbed habitat are likely to be created. Shields, A. 1936. Application of similarity principles and turbulence research to bed-load movement. Mitteilunger der Preussischen Versuchsanstalt f¨ur Wasserbau und Schiffbau 26: 5-24