Environmental research, maps and data for tropical Australia
Recent articles
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The Sensitive Data Access Control Plan is an eAtlas form for documenting how restricted research datasets should be managed, discovered and accessed over time.
Use this form when a dataset cannot be published openly, but still needs to be described, governed and made discoverable through public metadata. The form helps project teams record why the data is sensitive, what kinds of use may be acceptable, who should be consulted about access, and how the dataset should be managed after the original project team has moved on.
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This article outlines the new NESP MaC 3.17 Sentinel-2 composite imagery for tropical Australia. It explains how thousands of Sentinel 2 images were combined to create satellite imagery optimised for studying the shallow marine environments. It covers how the composites were built, how deep they reach, and how to view or download the imagery for research or management.
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Ocean Infinity completed drone photogrammetry at seven sites representing various areas of the Norfolk Island coastline. High-resolution digital elevation models and 3D imagery were produced to analyse the geomorphology of the coastline.
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Ever wondered what the weird and wonderful inhabitants of Australia’s Marine National Parks look like?
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A second survey of the fish, lobster and non-mobile seafloor organisms in shelf waters within the Tasman Fracture Marine Park (TFMP) was conducted in 2021, following initial surveys in 2014/15. The broad aim was to look at changes in the no-take National Park Zone (NPZ) following protection, relative to adjacent fished locations both within the park and in nearby areas. The 2021 surveys reinforced the status of the TFMP as a biodiverse Marine Park within the SE Marine Park Network.
Recent datasets
Mapping Australia’s tropical shellfish reefs June 2026 – spatial data (NESP MaC 4.13, Griffith University)
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12 October 2026
This dataset consists of all spatial products developed for NESP MaC project 4.13 Mapping Australia’s tropical shellfish reefs. It includes maps and shapefiles (point) of historical and present-day shellfish reefs across Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, a shapefile (polygon) of a majority of shellfish reefs in Queensland, and all associated spatial attribute tables. This dataset is currently under embargo.
Masig Island Seagrass Survey, Torres Strait, September 2025 (TropWATER, James Cook University)
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09 September 2026
This dataset summarises intertidal benthic surveys of Masig Island Island, Torres Strait, in September 2025 into 2 GIS shapefiles and 1 GIS raster. (1) The point (site) shapefile describes (a) seagrass presence/absence and (b) seagrass species composition across 156 sites. (2) The meadow (polygon) shapefile describes seagrass communities for the intertidal meadow. (3) The interpolation raster describes variation in seagrass biomass across sites for the intertidal meadow.
NESP MaC Project 6.1 - Cumulative spatial risk assessments for Australia’s marine turtles – north-west Kimberley, 2026 (WGAC)
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20 August 2026
This project aims to determine where green and flatback turtles are nesting along the NW Kimberley Coastline and what pressures they face, as this region was recognised by DCCEEW as one of the six priority areas vulnerable to climate change. Using a large aerial imagery dataset captured during the 2023-2024 summer and winter nesting seasons, this project will map nesting sites and assess their vulnerability to climate threats.
Subtidal habitat of North-West Marra Sea Country, Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, Australia - 2023 (JCU, Mabunji, CDU)
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24 July 2026
This dataset summarises subtidal benthic surveys in North-West Marra Sea Country into 1 GIS shapefile: (1) A point (site) shapefile describes seagrass presence/absence at 63 subtidal sites surveyed by vessel. Methods: The sampling methods used to study, describe and monitor seagrass meadows were developed by TropWATER and tailored to the location and habitat surveyed; these are described in detail in the relevant publications (https://research.jcu.edu.au/tropwater).
Fish communities and benthic monitoring of Marra Sea Country in the Gulf of Carpentaria - 2023 (JCU, Mabunji, CDU)
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23 July 2026
This dataset summarises benthic and fish surveys in Marra Sea Country, including the Limmen Marine Park (Commonwealth), Limmen Bight Marine Park (Northern Territory) and adjacent coastal waters into 3 GIS shapefiles. (1) A point (site) shapefile describes (a) seagrass presence/absence, (b) seagrass species composition, (c) algae cover and (d) benthic macro-invertebrate cover at 194 sites surveyed by vessel. (2) A point (site) shapefile describes (a) fish species richness and (b) fish species abundance recorded from BRUVS footage at 96 sites surveyed by vessel.
eAtlas Partners
This project is jointly funded through Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program.