This service has been created specifically for display in the National Map and the chosen symbology may not suit other mapping applications. The Australian Topographic web map service is seamless national dataset coverage for the whole of Australia. These data are best suited to graphical applications. These data may vary greatly in quality depending on the method of capture and digitising specifications in place at the time of capture. The web map service portrays detailed graphic representation of features that appear on the Earth's surface. These features include the administration boundaries from the Geoscience Australia 250K Topographic Data, including state forest and reserves.

This flythrough of the bathymetry of Australia's South-east Marine region shows the Australian Government's network of marine reserves around Victoria and Tasmania. Features seen include the Tasmanian and Cascade Seamounts, Bass and Murray Canyons and the Tasmanian Fracture Zone. It was created from Geoscience Australia's 250m bathymetry and topography grid of Austraila for the Department of the Environment and Water Resources to use at a media launch 5th July 2007 and as an educational tool at various presentations.

GA Record detailing the bathymetry compilation put together by Geoscience Australia in agreement with the Australian Antarctic Division. The dataset was used in support of Australia's contribution to the development of the Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (RSMPA) at the CCAMLR Workshop on Marine Protected Areas, held in Brest, France in August 2011.

The Timor Sea and its tropical marine environment support significant and growing economic activity including oil and gas exploration. To reduce uncertainty in decision making regarding the sustainable use and ongoing protection of these marine resources, environmental managers and resource users require sound scientific information on the composition and stability of seabed environments and their biological assemblages. Surveys SOL4934 and SOL5117 to the eastern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf were undertaken in August and September 2009 and July and August 2010 respectively, in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Marine Science, with research collaborations from the RAN Australian Hydrographic Office, the Geological Survey of Canada and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. The purpose of these surveys were to develop biophysical maps, and deliver data and information products pertaining to complex seabed environment of the Van Diemen Rise and identify potential geohazards and unique, sensitive environments that relate to offshore infrastructure. This dataset comprises four P pools in the upper 2 cm of the fine fraction (<63 um) of seabed sediments:adsorbed/oxide-associated-P; authigenic-P; detrital-P and organic-P. Some relevant publications are listed below: 1. Heap, A.D., Przeslawski, R., Radke, L., Trafford, J., Battershill, C. and Shipboard Party. 2010. Seabed environments of the eastern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, Northern Australia: SOL4934 Post Survey Report. Geoscience Australia Record 2010/09, pp.81. 2. Anderson, T.J., Nichol, S., Radke, L., Heap, A.D., Battershill, C., Hughes, M., Siwabessy, P.J., Barrie, V., Alvarez de Glasby, B., Tran, M., Daniell, J. & Shipboard Party, 2011b. Seabed Environments of the Eastern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, Northern Australia: GA0325/Sol5117 - Post-Survey Report. Geoscience Australia, Record 2011/08, 58pp. 3. Radke, L.C., Li, J., Douglas, G., Przeslawski, R., Nichol, S, Siwabessy, J., Huang, Z., Trafford, J., Watson, T. and Whiteway, T. Characterising sediments of a tropical sediment-starved continental shelf using cluster analysis of physical and geochemical variables. Environmental Chemistry, in press

The Timor Sea and its tropical marine environment support significant and growing economic activity including oil and gas exploration. To reduce uncertainty in decision making regarding the sustainable use and ongoing protection of these marine resources, environmental managers and resource users require sound scientific information on the composition and stability of seabed environments and their biological assemblages. Surveys SOL4934 and SOL5117 to the eastern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf were undertaken in August and September 2009 and July and August 2010 respectively, in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Marine Science, with research collaborations from the RAN Australian Hydrographic Office, the Geological Survey of Canada and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. The purpose of these surveys were to develop biophysical maps, and deliver data and information products pertaining to complex seabed environment of the Van Diemen Rise and identify potential geohazards and unique, sensitive environments that relate to offshore infrastructure. This dataset comprises chlorophyll a,b, and c, and phaeophytin a concentrations in the upper 2cm of seafloor sediments. Some relevant publications are listed below: 1. Heap, A.D., Przeslawski, R., Radke, L., Trafford, J., Battershill, C. and Shipboard Party. 2010. Seabed environments of the eastern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, Northern Australia: SOL4934 Post Survey Report. Geoscience Australia Record 2010/09, pp.81. 2. Anderson, T.J., Nichol, S., Radke, L., Heap, A.D., Battershill, C., Hughes, M., Siwabessy, P.J., Barrie, V., Alvarez de Glasby, B., Tran, M., Daniell, J. & Shipboard Party, 2011b. Seabed Environments of the Eastern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, Northern Australia: GA0325/Sol5117 - Post-Survey Report. Geoscience Australia, Record 2011/08, 58pp. 3. Radke, L.C., Li, J., Douglas, G., Przeslawski, R., Nichol, S, Siwabessy, J., Huang, Z., Trafford, J., Watson, T. and Whiteway, T. Characterising sediments of a tropical sediment-starved continental shelf using cluster analysis of physical and geochemical variables. Environmental Chemistry, in press

A complication of papers and report to support of MArien planning areas. The CD will be give to delegates from The Department of Environment and Heritage. Reports and paers included are: Geoscience Australia Record 2006/11, Record 2002/26, Record 2005/08, Record 2005/05, Record 2003/30, Record 2004/11, Record 2004/23, Record 2006/11, Beaman, R.J., Harris, P.T., Geophysical variables as predictors of megabenthos assemblages from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia; Post, A.L., Wassenberg, T.J., Passlow, V., Physical surrogates for macrofaunal distributions and abundance in a tropical gulf; Hemer, M.A., Harris, P.T., Coleman, R., Hunter, J., Sediment mobility due to currents and waves in the Torres Strait Gulf of Papua region. Harris, P.T., Heap, A.D., Passlow, V., Hughes, M., Daniell, J, Hemer, M., Anderson, O., Tidally incised valleys on tropical carbonate shelves: An example from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Harris, P.T., Heap, A.D., Wassenberg T.J., Passlow, V., Submerged coral reefs in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Glenn, K., Water Properties of Ashmore Reef, North-West Shelf, Australia Beaman, R.J., Daniell, J., Harris, P.T., Geology benthos relationships on a temperate, rocky bank, eastern Bass Strait, Australia.

In order to design a representative network of high seas marine protected areas (MPAs), an acceptable scheme is required to classify the benthic bioregions of the oceans. Given the lack of sufficient biological information to accomplish this task, we used a multivariate statistical method with 6 biophysical variables (depth, seabed slope, sediment thickness, primary production, bottom water dissolved oxygen and bottom temperature) to objectively classify the ocean floor into 11 different categories, comprised of 53,713 separate polygons, that we have termed "seascapes". Validation of the seascape classification was carried out by comparing the seascapes with an existing map of seafloor geomorphology, and by GIS analysis of the number of separate polygons and perimeter/area ratio. We conclude that seascapes, derived using a multivariate statistical approach, are biophysically meaningful subdivisions of the ocean floor and can be expected to contain different biological associations, in as much as different geomorphological units do the same. Our study illustrates how the identification of potential sites for high seas marine protected areas can be accomplished by GIS analysis of seafloor geomorphic and seascape classification maps. Using this approach, maps of seascape and geomorphic heterogeneity were generated in which heterogeneity hot-spots identify themselves as MPA candidates. The use of computer-aided mapping tools removes subjectivity in the MPA design process and provides greater confidence to stakeholders that an unbiased result has been achieved.

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 carbonate concentrations and specific surface area measurments on the upper 2 cm of seabed sediments. 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 bulk organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations (and isotopes) from 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 report details the keystroke methodology used to create the seascape maps for planning areas of the Australian margin.