Authors / CoAuthors
Howard, F.J.F. | Nicholson, C. | Bernardel, G. | Carroll, A. | Hackney, R. | Lech, M. | Melrose, R. | Nichol, S. | Picard, K. | Rollet, N | Romeyn, R.P. | Siwabessy, P.J.W. | Trafford, J.
Abstract
Geoscience Australia (GA) conducted a marine survey (GA0345/GA0346/TAN1411) of the north-eastern Browse Basin (Caswell Sub-basin) between 9 October and 9 November 2014 to acquire seabed and shallow geological information to support an assessment of the CO2 storage potential of the basin. The survey, undertaken as part of the Department of Industry and Science's National CO2 Infrastructure Plan (NCIP), aimed to identify and characterise indicators of natural hydrocarbon or fluid seepage that may indicate compromised seal integrity in the region. The survey was conducted in three legs aboard the New Zealand research vessel RV Tangaroa, and included scientists and technical staff from GA, the NZ National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA) and Fugro Survey Pty Ltd. Shipboard data (survey ID GA0345) collected included multibeam sonar bathymetry and backscatter over 12 areas (A1, A2, A3, A4, A6b, A7, A8, B1, C1, C2b, F1, M1) totalling 455 km2 in water depths ranging from 90 - 430 m, and 611 km of sub-bottom profile lines. Seabed samples were collected from 48 stations and included 99 Smith-McIntyre grabs and 41 piston cores. An Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) (survey ID GA0346) collected higher-resolution multibeam sonar bathymetry and backscatter data, totalling 7.7 km2, along with 71 line km of side scan sonar, underwater camera and sub-bottom profile data. Twenty two Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) missions collected 31 hours of underwater video, 657 still images, eight grabs and one core. Shipboard and AUV multibeam bathymetry and sub-bottom profiler data indicated the presence of recently active faults in the area, some with significant seafloor surface expression (i.e. fault scarps with up to 40m offset). Some of these faults were visually inspected by the ROV which also confirmed the presence of diverse biological communities. Possible indications of shallow gas were observed on sub-bottom profiles, including amplitude anomalies, cross-cutting reflectors and zones of signal starvation. Water column observations including sidescan sonar, single-beam and multibeam echosounders, underwater video and photography did not conclusively identify hydrocarbon or other fluid seepage. Strong currents encountered during parts of the survey may have interfered with the direct detection of seeps in the water column. While no active signs of seepage were observed, the geochemical and biological sampling undertaken will aid in baseline environmental investigations for this region. The data collected during the survey are available for free download from the Geoscience Australia website.
Product Type
nonGeographicDataset
eCat Id
83199
Contact for the resource
Custodian
Owner
Custodian
Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
ACT
2601
Australia
Digital Object Identifier
Keywords
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- GA PublicationRecord
- ( Theme )
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- marine survey
- ( Theme )
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- marine environmental baselines
- ( Theme )
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- bathymetry
- ( Theme )
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- Exclusive Economic Zone
- ( Theme )
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- geological storage of CO2
- ( Theme )
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- marine
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- Australian EEZ
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Marine Geoscience
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- Published_External
Publication Date
2016-06-03T14:00:00
Creation Date
2016-01-01T00:00:00
Security Constraints
Legal Constraints
Status
Purpose
Maintenance Information
asNeeded
Topic Category
oceans
Series Information
Record 2016/005
Lineage
Version 1
Parent Information
Extents
[-14.2865, -12.8678, 122.3883, 124.6521]
Reference System
WGS 84 / UTM zone 51S (EPSG:32751)
Spatial Resolution
Service Information
Associations
Downloads and Links
Source Information
Datasets collected in WGS84 UTM 51 S, extent indicator for the metadata record however is in GDA94 to be consistent with other national scale metadata records. 122.3883 124.6521 -14.2865 -12.8678