Marine ecosystems, substrates and geomorphic features have been classified using multibeam echosounder and marine lidar data for the Commonwealth Solitary Islands Marine Park (SIMP). This package contains three datasets, including: ‘marine ecosystems and substrates’, which defines reef and sediment areas delineated by depth intervals (10 m increments); ‘marine geomorphology’, which defines seabed landforms; and ‘bathymetry sources’, which outlines the source coverages of the input bathymetric mosaic. A bathymetry mosaic was generated using data sourced from the NSW DCCEEW bathymetry mosaic (NSW DCCEEW, 2023), updated with multibeam echosounder data collected within SIMP in 2023. Seabed ‘landforms’ were derived from the bathymetry mosaic using the Seabed Landforms Classification Toolbox (Linklater et al. 2023), which characterises seabed morphology to classify features as ‘reefs’, ‘peaks’, ‘scarps’, ‘plains’ and ‘depressions and channels’. Landform features were subsequently grouped into hard and soft substrate features and labelled to conform to the NESP Natural Values Common Language (Hayes et al. 2021) and Seamap substrate classification scheme (Butler et al. 2017).

This work was conducted for and funded by Parks Australia.

References:

Butler, C., Lucieer, V., Walsh, P., Flukes, E. and Johnson, C. (2017). Seamap Australia [Version 1.0] the development of a national benthic marine classification scheme for the Australian continental shelf. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia, https://seamapaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Seamap_Australia_Version1_2017.pdf.

Hayes, K. R., Dunstan, P., Woolley, S., Barrett, N., Howe, S. A., Samson, C. R., Bowling, R., Ryan, M. P., Foster, S., Monk, J., Peel, D., Hosack, G. R., Francis, S. O. (2021). Designing a targeted monitoring program to support evidence based management of Australian Marine Parks: A pilot on the South-East Marine Parks Network. Report to Parks Australia and the National Environmental Science Program, Marine Biodiversity Hub. Parks Australia, University of Tasmanian and CSIRO, Hobart, Australia, https://www.nespmarine.edu.au/system/files/Hayes%20et%20al_SS2_M8_D7_M4_Designing%20a%20targeted%20monitoring%20program%20to%20support%20evidence-based%20management%20of%20AMPs.pdf.

Linklater, M, Morris, B.D. and Hanslow, D.J. (2023). Classification of seabed landforms on continental and island shelves. Frontiers of Marine Science, 10, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1258556.

NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (2023). NSW bathymetry sourced from multibeam and marine lidar surveys, https://datasets.seed.nsw.gov.au/dataset/nsw-bathymetry-sourced-from-multibeam-and-marine-lidar-surveys.