Physical Oceanography: Carnarvon Shelf survey, Western Australia (CERF Marine Biodiversity Hub Survey)

The survey was a collaboration between the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and Geoscience Australia (GA) aboard RV Solander, as part of the CERF Marine Biodiversity Hub's Surrogates Program.

The purpose of the survey was to collect high-quality, accurately co-located data test a range of physical parameters for relationships to the biodiversity and seabed patterns across the offshore Carnarvon shelf, adjacent to Ningaloo. Estimates of relative importance of latitude, distance offshore, water depth, physical setting, exposure and local habitat complexity were explored in relation to biodiversity patterns in the region.

Two moorings were deployed at a transect on the inner shelf adjacent to Point Cloates from 09/08/2008 – 12/09/2008. The moorings were deployed at 54 m water depth and 32 m water depth for a period of 33 days. These data was compared to the AIMS long term oceanographic mooring located north of Tantabiddi.

The mooring at site one (22O 49.0294’S 113 O 36.9100’E) consisted of instruments for RD Instruments Workhorse Sentinel 600 kHz acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) and a van Essen conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) probe. The mooring at site two (22 O 43.2789’S 113 O 38.8500’E) consisted of instruments Nortek Vector Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) and Seabird SBE37 CTD.

These instruments collected 3 dimensional current vector and water depth readings; conductivity, temperature and pressure, salinity and depth. Results were compared to available meteorological data.

Other parties were involved in the collection of the data, and additional permission may be required for its use and/or distribution.