Seabed landform features were classified from the New South Wales statewide marine lidar dataset, acquired in 2018 by Fugro Pty Ltd on behalf of the Department of Planning and Environment (data available for download on SEED, see below). Seabed features were extracted from the marine lidar data and classified into seabed landform classes. Classified landform features include reefs, plains, peaks, scarps, depressions and channels. These landforms capture variation in the shape and structure of reef outcrops along the NSW coastal and nearshore environment. Features were classified using the Seabed Landforms Classification Toolset developed for ArcGIS by the Coastal and Marine Unit, DPE (Linklater et al. 2023) which are publicly available on SEED (https://datasets.seed.nsw.gov.au/dataset/seabed-landforms-classification-toolset) and GitHub (https://github.com/LinklaterM/Seabed-Landforms-Classification-Toolset/).

The statewide dataset is provided as ArcGIS shapefiles divided into 9 segments along the coast. The data covers 4060 km2, extending from the coastline (0 m AHD) to a maximum of 50 m depth, reaching an average depth of 35 m. Data coverage extends a maximum distance of 9 km offshore, with coverage extending on average 3 km offshore.

This dataset provides an understanding of the extent and distribution of submerged reefs along the NSW coast, which contributes fundamental baseline information for managers, users and custodians of the marine environment.

This dataset was funded by the Marine Estate Management Authority and NSW Climate Change Fund through the Coastal Management Funding Package.

Please cite this dataset as: Linklater, M., Morris, B., Kinsela, M., Ingleton, T. and Hanslow, D. (2022), Exploring patterns of reef distribution along the southeast Australian coast using marine lidar data. Manuscript in preparation.

NSW statewide marine lidar data – available for download on SEED: https://datasets.seed.nsw.gov.au/dataset/marine-lidar-topo-bathy-2018

Linklater, M., Morris, B.D. and Hanslow, D.J. (2023), Classification of seabed landforms on continental and island shelves. Frontiers in Marine Science, 10, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1258556/full.

Linklater, M., Ingleton, T. C., Kinsela, M. A., Morris, B. D., Allen, K. M., Sutherland, M. D., & Hanslow, D. J. 2019. Techniques for classifying seabed morphology and composition on a subtropical-temperate continental shelf. Geosciences, 9(3), 141.