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  • Seabed imagery was collected at 25 sites off Davis station, East Antarctica during survey GA0357 from January to February 2017. The survey was conducted in shallow waters (<300 m depth) on the RV Howard Burton as part of Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) Project 5093. The imagery was collected using a downward-facing video camera system and Keldon light which were mounted on a sediment grab or sound velocity profiler (SVP) and lowered using a small winch. The camera was lowered to approx. 0.5-1 m from the seabed for 5 minutes. The video data is unclipped and includes descent and ascent in the water column. Upon retrieval, the data was downloaded and named by station and sequential camera deployment number. The GPS position of the vessel was recorded and the timestamp of the video footage will be used to determine the location of the camera. The imagery is available on the NCI: https://thredds.nci.org.au/thredds/catalog/fk1/GA0357_Davis_AAP5093/catalog.html with the following file structure: Australian Marine Video and Imagery Data/GA0357_Davis_AAP5093/FILENAME.avi The FILENAME corresponds to details of each deployment, e.g. GA0357_CAM004_STN025_GR001 is the survey name (GA0357), camera deployment number (CAM004), station number (STN025) and associated grab or SVP deployment number (GR001). Metadata is available in the Excel file: GA0357_Davis_AAP5093_CAM_Log_FINAL.xlsx A post-survey report is in progress and will be available on eCat when complete. We thank the AAD/GA/Navy survey team for their assistance in acquiring the data, AAD support staff at Davis station for their support deploying the RV Howard Burton, and AAP Project 5093 Chief Investigator Ursula Harris for pre and post-survey coordination. This dataset is published with the permission of the CEO, Geoscience Australia.

  • This resource contains surface sediment data for Bynoe Harbour collected by Geoscience Australia (GA), the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and Department of Land Resource Management (Northern Territory Government) during the period from 2-29 May 2016 on the RV Solander (survey SOL6432/GA4452). This project was made possible through offset funds provided by INPEX-led Ichthys LNG Project to Northern Territory Government Department of Land Resource Management, and co-investment from Geoscience Australia and Australian Institute of Marine Science. The intent of this four year (2014-2018) program is to improve knowledge of the marine environments in the Darwin and Bynoe Harbour regions by collating and collecting baseline data that enable the creation of thematic habitat maps that underpin marine resource management decisions. The specific objectives of the survey were to: 1. Obtain high resolution geophysical (bathymetry) data for outer Darwin Harbour, including Shoal Bay; 2. Characterise substrates (acoustic backscatter properties, grainsize, sediment chemistry) for outer Darwin Harbour, including Shoal Bay; and 3. Collect tidal data for the survey area. Data acquired during the survey included: multibeam sonar bathymetry and acoustic backscatter; physical samples of seabed sediments, underwater photography and video of grab sample locations and oceanographic information including tidal data and sound velocity profiles. This dataset comprises O2 consumption and CO2 production rates measured from core incubation experiments conducted on seabed sediments. A detailed account of the survey is provided in Siwabessy, P.J.W., Smit, N., Atkinson, I., Dando, N., Harries, S., Howard, F.J.F., Li, J., Nicholas W.A., Picard, K., Radke, L.C., Tran, M., Williams, D. and Whiteway, T., 2016. Bynoe Harbour Marine Survey 2017: GA4452/SOL6432 – Post-survey report. Record 2017/04. Geoscience Australia, Canberra. Thanks to the crew of the RV Solander for help with sample collection, Matt Carey, Craig Wintle and Andrew Hislop from the Observatories and Science Support at Geoscience Australia for technical support and Jodie Smith for reviewing the data. This dataset is published with the permission of the CEO, Geoscience Australia

  • This flythrough highlights seabed environments within two areas of Arafura Marine Park offshore northern Australia; Money Shoal and Pillar Bank. Located 250 km to the northeast of Darwin within the Arafura Sea, the marine park extends to the limit of Australia’s exclusive economic zone, covering an area of 22,924 km2. Money Shoal is an isolated carbonate reef platform on the continental shelf that rises from 70 m to shallow subtidal depths and supports a diverse coral and demersal fish community. The surrounding seabed comprises muddy substrate characterized by extensive fields of pockmark, interpreted as evidence for fluid escape from organic-rich sediment. Pillar Bank, in contrast, is representative of the deeper (150 – 200 m depths) outer shelf area of the marine park that supports sparse benthic communities of filter feeders on local outcrops of hard substrate, surrounded by expanses of muddy substrate. Demersal fish are also present, as observed using baited underwater cameras. Bathymetry data and seafloor imagery for this flythrough was collected in November 2020 by Geoscience Australia (GA) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) on board RV Solander during survey SOL7491/GA0366. Funding was provided by the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine Biodiversity Hub, with co-investment by GA and AIMS. For further information see: Picard, K. et al. 2020. Arafura Marine Park Post Survey Report. www.nespmarine.edu.au

  • Benthic sediment sampling surveys in inner Darwin Harbour (GA0358) and shallow water areas in and around Bynoe Harbour (GA059) were undertaken in the period from 29 May to 16 August 2017. Partners involved in the surveys included Geoscience Australia (GA), the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources within the Northern Territory Government (NT DENR) (formerly the Department of Land and Resource Management (DLRM)). These surveys forms part of a four year (2014-2018) science program aimed at improving knowledge about the marine environments in the regions around Darwin and Bynoe harbour’s through the collection and collation of baseline data that will enable the creation of thematic habitat maps to underpin marine resource management decisions. This project is being led by the Northern Territory Government and is funded by the INPEX-led Ichthys LNG Project, in collaboration with - and co-investment from GA and AIMS. The program builds upon an NT Government project (2010-2011) which saw the collection of baseline data (multibeam echosounder data, sediment samples and video transects) from inner Darwin Harbour (Siwabessy et al. 2015). Here we present an account of the field methods and data summaries (location maps and comprehensive metadata) for the collection of 285 seabed sediment samples designated for grain size and inorganic elemental analyses, and organic matter concentration, source and reactivity measures. Metadata is also provided for seagrass and hardground observations. The seagrass observation data have been incorporated into DENR’s seagrass database. The baseline environmental datasets acquired during these surveys will be merged with like datasets from three other surveys conducted (i.e. GA0351/SOL6187, GA4452/SOL6432 and GA0356) as part of the overall project to create a set of interpolated maps of abiotic parameters with full coverage for the region. Some of the maps will be integrated into final habitat mapping products. Baseline data from the surveys will also be made publically available via the Geoscience Australia website ( http://www.ga.gov.au/ ).