Barossa Environmental Baseline Study 2015, Western Australia (ConocoPhillips)

Towed Video transects + Digital StillsStereo BRUVSMultibeamSmith And McIntyre sediment grabsPanda Cam (drop cam)CTD A seabed biodiversity survey was conducted north of Darwin during an 18 day voyage, 13 September -1 October 2015, on the RV Solander. Areas identified for assessment included two mid-shelf regions and three submerged shoals. Multibeam and towed video were used at all locations to map the seabed and classify seabed habitats. At the shoals additional sampling of biodiversity, specifically the fish communities, was undertaken using sBRUVS.The mid-shelf locations were separate areas along a potential cross-shelf pipeline route from the Barossa field to Darwin. The southernmost of these was to the west of Cape Helvetius, at the southwest corner of Bathurst Island. The second area was midway to the shelf break, adjacent to and off the western side of Goodrich Bank. Evans and Tassie Shoals, lying further northwest on the outer shelf, were selected for investigation as larger submerged shoals, closest to the Barossa field. An initial towed video inspection was also undertaken at the much smaller Blackwood Shoal, lying a few kilometres to the west of Evans Shoal. In total the survey sampled in five principle locations, consisting of Evans, Tassie and Blackwood Shoals, open shelf adjacent to Goodrich Bank and open shelf adjacent to Cape Helvetius.