Gulf of Papua Bathymetry raster dataset

A new bathymetric grid for the Gulf of Papua and northern Australia was produced for the area 140°–150°E, 6°–14°S, with a 3.6" (~110 m) cell size. New multibeam sonar surveys have added much needed detail to a region of the seabed where previously little was known. In shallow Australian waters, bathymetry derived from Landsat satellite imagery was used to supplement traditionally acquired bathymetric data. For onshore areas, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data were used for topographic control. The final grid revealed numerous features not observed in previous compilations of bathymetric data for the region. Bathymetric surveys on the continental shelf revealed an incised shelf with highly variable valley morphology. Prograding clinoforms are infilling valleys on the continental shelf and mark the seaward extension of the Fly River delta. A linear, relict shelf-edge barrier marks the shelfbreak in the northern Ashmore Trough region, elsewhere the shelf break is scalloped and incised by canyons. Large mass transport deposits are widespread on the continental slope and indicate regions where mass wasting is common.