Classification of submarine canyons based on a national canyon dataset from the Australian continental margin  

Authors / CoAuthors

Huang, Z. | Nichol, S.L. | Harris, P.T.

Abstract

Submarine canyons are recognised as having an influence on oceanographic processes, sediment transport, productivity and benthic biodiversity from the shelf to the slope. However, not all canyons are the same and the relative importance of an individual canyon will, in part, be determined by its form, shape and position on the continental margin. Here we present an analysis of these parameters using an updated national dataset of 713 submarine canyons for the margin of mainland Australia. Attribute data for each canyon is used to classify them into canyon types across a hierarchy of canyon physical characteristics for shelf-incised and slope-confined (blind) canyons. At each level on the hierarchy, large groupings of canyons are identified that represent common sets of characteristics. The spatial distribution of canyons on the Australian margin is not regular, with clusters located in the east, southeast, west and southwest. The northern margin has the lowest concentration of canyons. We also assess the potential productivity associated with the various canyon types using chlorophyll-a data derived from satellite (MODIS) images. Shelf-incised canyons are associated with significantly higher and more temporally variable chlorophyll-a concentrations, consistent with their function as conduits for upwelling. Australian submarine canyons are well represented in the national network of marine protected areas, with 36 percent of the mapped canyon population intersecting (whole or in part) a Commonwealth Marine Reserve. This information is relevant to setting priorities for the management of these reserves. Results from this study provide a framework for further analysis of the relative importance of canyons on the Australian margin.

Product Type

nonGeographicDataset

eCat Id

78468

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Keywords

• External PublicationArticle

( Theme )

• marine

( Theme )

• NERP

Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)

• Marine Geoscience

• Published_Internal

Publication Date

2013-01-01T00:00:00

Creation Date

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Australian Government Security ClassificationSystem    

Classification - unclassified

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence    

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Use - license

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Purpose

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notPlanned

Topic Category

oceans

Series Information

Lineage

This paper presents the results of national canyon mapping study in the NERP Marine Biodiversity Hub project.

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NERP Marine Biodiversity Hub