Outer Darwin Harbour Marine Survey 2015: GA0351/SOL6187 Post-survey report

This report provides a description of the activities completed during the Outer Darwin Harbour Mapping Survey, from 28 May and 23 June 2015 on the RV Solander (Survey GA0351/SOL6187). This survey was undertaken as a collaboration between Geoscience Australia (GA), the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and Department of Land Resource Management (Northern Territory Government) and was funded through the INPEX Offset Habitat Mapping Program for the Darwin Harbour region. The intent of this four year (2014-2018) program is to improve knowledge of the marine environments in the Darwin and Bynoe Harbour regions by collating and collecting baseline data that enable the creation of thematic habitat maps that underpin marine resource management decisions. The specific objectives of survey GA0351/SOL6187 were to:

1. Obtain high resolution geophysical (bathymetry) data for outer Darwin Harbour, including Shoal Bay;
2. Characterise substrates (acoustic backscatter properties, grainsize, sediment chemistry) for outer Darwin Harbour, including Shoal Bay; and
3. Collect tidal data for the survey area.

Data acquired during the survey included: 720 km2 multibeam sonar bathymetry and acoustic backscatter; 96 sampling stations collecting seabed sediments, underwater photography and video imagery and oceanographic information including tidal data and 54 sound velocity profiles.

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