Post survey report for the Coral Sea Australian Marine Park 2019
Abstract:
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This post survey report details the data collected within the Coral Sea Australian Marine Park onboard the RV Investigator (IN2019_V04) between the 7th of August and the 3rd of September 2019 associated with the primary voyage Hotspot dynamics in the Coral Sea- connections between the Australian plate and deep Earth’ (Whittaker 2020). The data and preliminary results in this report pertain to ongoing research to examine spatial patterns in deep-water seafloor biodiversity, in particular, how organisms are related to geomorphic features within the Coral Sea Australian Marine Park (AMP). The seafloor biodiversity and associated geomorphic habitats in this AMP are poorly understood, and given the recent release of the AMP rezoning, it is particularly important to understand the spatial variability of seafloor biodiversity and associated habitats to better quantify the biological assets within the AMP.
Earlier this year I was involved in the RV Falkor voyage (FK200308) "Exploring the marine biodiversity of the submarine Cape Range Canyon, north western Australia". This voyage provided improved multibeam bathymetry over the Cape Range and Cloates Canyons, off the Ningaloo continental shelf, and high resolution image transects to characterise seafloor habitats. Analysis of geomorphology, sediments and seafloor biota will allow understanding of the habitats comprising canyon environments within the Gascoyne Marine Park.