Environmental research, maps and data for tropical Australia

Recent articles

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Screenshot of the first two pages of the Access Control Plan

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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Preview map of the Sentinel 2 All-tide and Low-tide composite imagery datasets, showing that they span the tropical marine areas of Australia

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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Figure 8
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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BRUV survey Tasman Fracture Marine Park 2021
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

Masig Island Seagrass Survey, Torres Strait, August 2023 (TropWATER, James Cook University)

Published on
26 May 2026

This dataset summarises intertidal benthic surveys of Masig Island Island, Torres Strait, in August 2023 into 3 GIS shapefiles. (1) The point (site) shapefile describes (a) seagrass presence/absence and (b) seagrass species composition across 154 sites. (2) The meadow shapefile describes seagrass communities for the intertidal meadow. (3) The interpolation shapefile describes variation in seagrass biomass across sites for the intertidal meadow. The full report is: Carter A, Proctor M, David M, Scott A, Rasheed M and Torres Strait Regional Authority Land and Sea Rangers (2024).

Masig Island Seagrass Survey, Torres Strait, September 2022 (TropWATER, James Cook University)

Published on
21 May 2026

This dataset summarises intertidal benthic surveys of Masig Island Island, Torres Strait, in September 2022 into 3 GIS shapefiles. (1) The point (site) shapefile describes (a) seagrass presence/absence and (b) seagrass species composition across 125 sites. (2) The meadow shapefile describes seagrass communities for the intertidal meadow. (3) The interpolation shapefile describes variation in seagrass biomass across sites for the intertidal meadow. The full report is: Carter AB, Allan SJ, Scott A, Rasheed M and Torres Strait Regional Authority Land and Sea Rangers (2023).

Masig Island Seagrass Survey, Torres Strait, September 2020 (TropWATER, James Cook University)

Published on
19 May 2026

This dataset summarises intertidal benthic surveys of Masig Island, Torres Strait in September 2020 into 3 GIS shapefiles. (1) The site shapefile describes (a) seagrass presence/absence, (b) species composition, (c) algae cover and (d) benthic macro-invertebrate cover at 128 sites. (2) The meadow shapefile describes seagrass communities for the intertidal meadow. (3) The interpolation shapefile describes variation in seagrass biomass within the meadow.

Dungeness Reef Seagrass Survey, Torres Strait, September 2023 (TropWATER, James Cook University)

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18 May 2026

This dataset summarises intertidal benthic surveys of Dungeness Reef, Torres Strait, in September 2023 into 3 GIS shapefiles. (1) The point (site) shapefile describes (a) seagrass presence/absence and (b) species composition across 104 sites. (2) The meadow shapefile describes the seagrass community for the intertidal meadow. (3) The interpolation shapefile describes variation in seagrass biomass across sites for the intertidal meadows. The full report is: Carter A, Proctor M, David M, Scott A, Rasheed M and Torres Strait Regional Authority Land and Sea Rangers (2024).

Dungeness Reef Seagrass Survey, Torres Strait, February 2023 (TropWATER, James Cook University)

Published on
15 May 2026

This dataset summarises intertidal benthic surveys of Dungeness Reef, Torres Strait, in February 2023 into 3 GIS shapefiles. (1) The point (site) shapefile describes (a) seagrass presence/absence and (b) species composition across 113 sites. (2) The meadow shapefile describes the seagrass community for the intertidal meadow. (3) The interpolation shapefile describes variation in seagrass biomass across sites for the intertidal meadows. The full report is: Carter AB, Allan SJ, Scott A, Rasheed M and Torres Strait Regional Authority Land and Sea Rangers (2023).

eAtlas Partners

This project is jointly funded through Australian Institute of Marine Science and the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program.