The MARine Sediment (MARS) database contains detailed information on seabed sediment characteristics for samples collected from Australia's marine jurisdiction, including the Australian Antarctic Territory. It is an important scientific resource that includes sediment properties from seabed and sub-seabed samples spanning coastal, continental shelf and deep sea locations. Analytical properties include grain size, carbonate content, mineralogy, geochemical properties and age determinations. MARS currently holds approximately 100,000 sample records and new data are being added as they become available. Please contact us at ausseabed@ga.gov.au if you wish to contribute marine sediment data to the MARS database.

The MARine Sediment (MARS) database contains detailed information on seabed sediment characteristics for samples collected from Australia's marine jurisdiction, including the Australian Antarctic Territory. It is an important scientific resource that includes sediment properties from seabed and sub-seabed samples spanning coastal, continental shelf and deep sea locations. Analytical properties include grain size, carbonate content, mineralogy, geochemical properties and age determinations. MARS currently holds approximately 100,000 sample records and new data are being added as they become available. Please contact us at ausseabed@ga.gov.au if you wish to contribute marine sediment data to the MARS database.

The MARine Sediment (MARS) database contains detailed information on seabed sediment characteristics for samples collected from Australia's marine jurisdiction, including the Australian Antarctic Territory. It also includes the Geat Barrier Reef (GBR). It is an important scientific resource that includes survey and sample information such as locations, water depths and sample descriptions. Data are also provided from quantitative analyses of the sediments, such as grain size, mud, sand, gravel and carbonate concentrations, mineralogy, age determinations, geochemical properties, and physical attributes for down-core samples including bulk density, p-wave velocity, porosity and magnetic susceptibility. Images and graphics are presented, where available. MARS currently holds >40,000 sample and sub-sample records, and approximately 200,000 records describing the characteristics of these samples. New data are being added as they become available. It includes: Core, Dredge, Grab, Water, Column and Camera samples. Format: Data can be downloaded in CSV format for: - All sample data, - CaCO3 as mud/sand/gravel/bulk, - CaCO3 +grain size as mud/sand/gravel/[bulk|mean], - Grain size as mud/sand/gravel/mean, - Grain size for laser, - Grain size all, - Minerals with method of ICP-MS/XRF - Salinity. The full database is a 500 MB CSV. For the eAtlas the "CaCO3 +grain size as mud/sand/gravel/[bulk|mean]" CSV file was downloaded and converted to a shapefile for visualisation. This is available for download from this record. This metadata is not an authoritative source and was developed for the eAtlas. Please check or contact Geoscience Australia for authoritative metadata. The original data is available for download via the Marine Sediments (MARS) Database Search (http://www.ga.gov.au/oracle/mars/). The full database contains samples of the following type (this list is taken for data from 2010 - 2015): PROPERTY UOM Ag ppm Al mg/kg Al2O % Al2O3 w% Al2O3 % As ppm As mg/kg Authigenic-P umol/g Ba ppm Be ppm Bi ppm Ca mg/kg CaCO3 % CaO w% CaO % carbonate content % Cd ppm Cd mg/kg Ce ppm Chlorin index Chlorophyll a ug/g Chlorophyll b ug/g Chlorophyll c ug/g Cl ppm Co mg/kg Co ppm Cr mg/kg Cr ppm Cs ppm Cu mg/kg Cu ppm delta 13C o/oo delta 15N o/oo Detrital-P umol/g Dy ppm Er ppm Eu ppm Fe mg/kg Fe2O3 % Fe2O3TOT w% Ga ppm Ga mg/kg Gd ppm Ge ppm grain size % grain size um grain size No unit grain size m2/g Hf ppm Ho ppm K2O w% K2O % La ppm Lu ppm Mg mg/kg MgO w% MgO % MINERAL w% MLOI w% Mn mg/kg MnO w% MnO % Mo ppm Mo mg/kg Na2O w% Na2O % Nb ppm Nd ppm Ni mg/kg Ni ppm O2 mmol/m2/d Organic-P umol/g Oxide Associated-P umol/g P mg/kg P2O5 w% P2O5 % Pb ppm Pb mg/kg pH Phaeophytin ug/g porosity % Pr ppm Rb ppm S mg/kg salinity Sb ppm Sc ppm Sc % Se mg/kg SiO2 w% SiO2 % Sm ppm Sn ppm SO3 w% SO3 % SOD %/g/d specific surface area m2/g Sr ppm Ta ppm Tb ppm TCO2 mmol/m2/d Th ppm TiO2 w% TiO2 % TKN % TN % TOC % Total sediment metabolism umol/cm3/d Total sediment metabolism umol/g/d U ppm V mg/kg V ppm W ppm Water temperature degC Y ppm Yb ppm Zn mg/kg Zn ppm Zr ppm

Geoscience Australia maintains a national collection of marine geological samples and analytical data from across the Australian region. Digital records of these datasets are held within the Marine Sediment Database (MARS), available as an online resource of c. 2.6 million entries. Here we have extracted data from MARS to collate sediment properties for over 15,000 seabed samples for use as a standalone dataset. Analytical data includes textural composition (mud, sand, gravel), summary statistics for particle size distributions, textural class and calcium carbonate values (where available). Information on sample water depth, location and marine survey is also provided. The sample set spans the coast, continental shelf, slope and deep ocean locations across the Australian marine region (covering the extent of the AusBathyTopo 250m 2023 grid). This dataset has utility for a broad range of purposes including seabed characterisation, sediment transport modelling, habitat characterisation, seabed engineering studies and fundamental geological and sedimentological research. Additional metadata of this dataset are provided in the word document accompanied with the dataset. The metadata document describes the attribute table, the sediment carbonate classification and the sediment facies.

Geoscience Australia maintains a national collection of marine geological samples and analytical data from across the Australian region. Digital records of these datasets are held within the Marine Sediment Database (MARS), available as an online resource of c. 2.6 million entries. Here we have extracted data from MARS to collate sediment properties for over 15,000 seabed samples for use as a standalone dataset. Analytical data includes textural composition (mud, sand, gravel), summary statistics for particle size distributions, textural class and calcium carbonate values (where available). Information on sample water depth, location and marine survey is also provided. The sample set spans the coast, continental shelf, slope and deep ocean locations across the Australian marine region (covering the extent of the AusBathyTopo 250m 2023 grid). This dataset has utility for a broad range of purposes including seabed characterisation, sediment transport modelling, habitat characterisation, seabed engineering studies and fundamental geological and sedimentological research. Additional metadata of this dataset are provided in the word document accompanied with the dataset. The metadata document describes the attribute table, the sediment carbonate classification and the sediment facies.

Geoscience Australia maintains a national collection of marine geological samples and analytical data from across the Australian region. Digital records of these datasets are held within the Marine Sediment Database (MARS), available as an online resource of c. 2.6 million entries. Here we have extracted data from MARS to collate sediment properties for over 15,000 seabed samples for use as a standalone dataset. Analytical data includes textural composition (mud, sand, gravel), summary statistics for particle size distributions, textural class and calcium carbonate values (where available). Information on sample water depth, location and marine survey is also provided. The sample set spans the coast, continental shelf, slope and deep ocean locations across the Australian marine region (covering the extent of the AusBathyTopo 250m 2023 grid). This dataset has utility for a broad range of purposes including seabed characterisation, sediment transport modelling, habitat characterisation, seabed engineering studies and fundamental geological and sedimentological research. Additional metadata of this dataset are provided in the word document accompanied with the dataset. The metadata document describes the attribute table, the sediment carbonate classification and the sediment facies.

Geoscience Australia maintains a national collection of marine geological samples and analytical data from across the Australian region. Digital records of these datasets are held within the Marine Sediment Database (MARS), available as an online resource of c. 2.6 million entries. Here we have extracted data from MARS to collate sediment properties for over 15,000 seabed samples for use as a standalone dataset. Analytical data includes textural composition (mud, sand, gravel), summary statistics for particle size distributions, textural class and calcium carbonate values (where available). Information on sample water depth, location and marine survey is also provided. The sample set spans the coast, continental shelf, slope and deep ocean locations across the Australian marine region (covering the extent of the AusBathyTopo 250m 2023 grid). This dataset has utility for a broad range of purposes including seabed characterisation, sediment transport modelling, habitat characterisation, seabed engineering studies and fundamental geological and sedimentological research. Additional metadata of this dataset are provided in the word document accompanied with the dataset. The metadata document describes the attribute table, the sediment carbonate classification and the sediment facies.

The National Marine Sediments Database and Seafloor Characteristics project is a collaborative effort between the National Oceans Office and Geoscience Australia. The aims of the project included identification and collation of existing marine sediment data within the Australian Marine Jurisdiction, development and population of the MARS sediments database and mapping and analysis of sediment data for the Northern Planning Area and the Australian region to provide information for the National Benthic Marine Bioregionalisation. The creation of the MARS database marks the transition to a new era of easy internet access to quantitative seafloor information. This is the first project to critically assess the quality and coverage of Australia's seafloor sediment data on a national scale. The initial phase of the project was the identification and collation of sediment data. At the completion of this phase, the MARS database contained about 25,000 samples for which 138,000 properties had been recorded. Maps of sediment properties were produced using validated quantitative data for two regions: the Northern Planning Area (NPA) and the whole of the Australian Marine Jurisdiction, excluding external territories. These maps show the distribution of measured grain size data (weight percent gravel, sand and mud), calculated mean grain size, as well as sediment classification based on the Folk scheme (Folk, 1954), and carbonate content. Mean grain size data for six of the marine domains were used to model sediment mobility in waters less than 300 m depth, using Geoscience Australia's GEOMAT package. The results of the modelling were produced as maps of tide and wave exceedance, and an energy regime regionalisation. As a direct result of this project, the MARS database is now an important scientific and educational resource for those requiring detailed information on seafloor sediment characteristics within the Australian Marine Domain areas. The maps generated by this project show the level of detail and type of presentation possible when using quantitative data, but significant gaps in measured data coverage were also identified. Some 70% of the total marine domain remains unmapped in terms of measured sediment data. Much of this area is off the continental shelf, although gaps in the data coverage on the shelf are significant, particularly in the South-west and West-central Marine Domains Strategic directions for improving the data coverage include the analysis of existing sediment samples from Australian and overseas repositories. A valuable resource of seabed samples stored in Australia and overseas has been identified. These samples, if analysed, have the potential to double the existing overall measured data coverage for Australia's Marine Domains and would provide a cost-effective way of generating new data. The South-west Marine Domain would provide a useful pilot study to test the utility of analysing existing material.

The National Marine Sediments Database and Seafloor Characteristics project is a collaborative effort between the National Oceans Office and Geoscience Australia. The aims of the project included identification and collation of existing marine sediment data within the Australian Marine Jurisdiction, development and population of the MARS sediments database and mapping and analysis of sediment data for the Northern Planning Area and the Australian region to provide information for the National Benthic Marine Bioregionalisation. The creation of the MARS database marks the transition to a new era of easy internet access to quantitative seafloor information. This is the first project to critically assess the quality and coverage of Australia's seafloor sediment data on a national scale. The initial phase of the project was the identification and collation of sediment data. At the completion of this phase, the MARS database contained about 25,000 samples for which 138,000 properties had been recorded. Maps of sediment properties were produced using validated quantitative data for two regions: the Northern Planning Area (NPA) and the whole of the Australian Marine Jurisdiction, excluding external territories. These maps show the distribution of measured grain size data (weight percent gravel, sand and mud), calculated mean grain size, as well as sediment classification based on the Folk scheme (Folk, 1954), and carbonate content. Mean grain size data for six of the marine domains were used to model sediment mobility in waters less than 300 m depth, using Geoscience Australia's GEOMAT package. The results of the modelling were produced as maps of tide and wave exceedance, and an energy regime regionalisation. As a direct result of this project, the MARS database is now an important scientific and educational resource for those requiring detailed information on seafloor sediment characteristics within the Australian Marine Domain areas. The maps generated by this project show the level of detail and type of presentation possible when using quantitative data, but significant gaps in measured data coverage were also identified. Some 70% of the total marine domain remains unmapped in terms of measured sediment data. Much of this area is off the continental shelf, although gaps in the data coverage on the shelf are significant, particularly in the South-west and West-central Marine Domains Strategic directions for improving the data coverage include the analysis of existing sediment samples from Australian and overseas repositories. A valuable resource of seabed samples stored in Australia and overseas has been identified. These samples, if analysed, have the potential to double the existing overall measured data coverage for Australia's Marine Domains and would provide a cost-effective way of generating new data. The South-west Marine Domain would provide a useful pilot study to test the utility of analysing existing material.

The National Marine Sediments Database and Seafloor Characteristics project is a collaborative effort between the National Oceans Office and Geoscience Australia. The aims of the project included identification and collation of existing marine sediment data within the Australian Marine Jurisdiction, development and population of the MARS sediments database and mapping and analysis of sediment data for the Northern Planning Area and the Australian region to provide information for the National Benthic Marine Bioregionalisation. The creation of the MARS database marks the transition to a new era of easy internet access to quantitative seafloor information. This is the first project to critically assess the quality and coverage of Australia's seafloor sediment data on a national scale. The initial phase of the project was the identification and collation of sediment data. At the completion of this phase, the MARS database contained about 25,000 samples for which 138,000 properties had been recorded. Maps of sediment properties were produced using validated quantitative data for two regions: the Northern Planning Area (NPA) and the whole of the Australian Marine Jurisdiction, excluding external territories. These maps show the distribution of measured grain size data (weight percent gravel, sand and mud), calculated mean grain size, as well as sediment classification based on the Folk scheme (Folk, 1954), and carbonate content. Mean grain size data for six of the marine domains were used to model sediment mobility in waters less than 300 m depth, using Geoscience Australia's GEOMAT package. The results of the modelling were produced as maps of tide and wave exceedance, and an energy regime regionalisation. As a direct result of this project, the MARS database is now an important scientific and educational resource for those requiring detailed information on seafloor sediment characteristics within the Australian Marine Domain areas. The maps generated by this project show the level of detail and type of presentation possible when using quantitative data, but significant gaps in measured data coverage were also identified. Some 70% of the total marine domain remains unmapped in terms of measured sediment data. Much of this area is off the continental shelf, although gaps in the data coverage on the shelf are significant, particularly in the South-west and West-central Marine Domains Strategic directions for improving the data coverage include the analysis of existing sediment samples from Australian and overseas repositories. A valuable resource of seabed samples stored in Australia and overseas has been identified. These samples, if analysed, have the potential to double the existing overall measured data coverage for Australia's Marine Domains and would provide a cost-effective way of generating new data. The South-west Marine Domain would provide a useful pilot study to test the utility of analysing existing material.