Imagery from BOSS and uBRUV drops for mapping the subtidal seagrass of Tayaritja (Furneaux group of islands), north-eastern Tasmania (NESP MaC 3.6)

Created 23/06/2025

Updated 23/06/2025

Seagrass beds are a dominant marine ecosystem of Tayaritja (the Furneaux Group of Islands) in the north-eastern waters off Tasmania. Historical coarse mapping has indicated extensive beds of Posidonia, Amphibolis, Heterozostera, and Zostera species, potentially comprising some of the largest and deepest seagrass extents found in temperate Australian waters. However, limited data on the distribution and ecological value of these seagrass habitats represents a significant knowledge gap in understanding Australia's wetland natural assets. This project mapped the extent, ecological composition, population structure, and blue carbon value of seagrass beds around Tayaritja, in partnership with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre. The study area focused on the coastal waters surrounding Flinders Island in the western Furneaux Group, with mapping extending from the high tide line to the depth limit of reliable optical detection (approximately 30 m), based on analysis of field data and satellite imagery capabilities in the region. The field validation component of this study involved deployment of benthic video platforms to capture imagery of seagrass beds and associated ecosystems. A field campaign deployed a Benthic Observation Survey System (BOSS) and unBaited Remote Underwater stereo-Video system (stereo-uBRUV) at approximately 400 locations to collect photoquadrats and validate remote sensing outputs. Imagery annotation was conducted in the SQUIDLE+ platform. See dataset https://doi.org/10.25959/e4s6-ge74 for habitat maps derived from field validation and remote sensing inputs. The approach developed through this study contributed to the creation of the NESP Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Seagrass Mapping using Optical Remote Sensing (https://sustainabledevelopmentreform.github.io/nesp-sop-seagrass-mapping).. See the "Lineage" section of this record for full methodology of field collection techniques.

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Title Imagery from BOSS and uBRUV drops for mapping the subtidal seagrass of Tayaritja (Furneaux group of islands), north-eastern Tasmania (NESP MaC 3.6)
Language eng
Licence Not Specified
Landing Page https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/89da842f-0e5a-45b3-b9c1-dea47ea4d28d
Contact Point
Australian Ocean Data Network
vanessa.lucieer@utas.edu.au
Reference Period 01/01/2020 - 31/12/2023
Geospatial Coverage Australia
Data Portal Australian Oceans Data Network

Data Source

This dataset was originally found on Australian Oceans Data Network "Imagery from BOSS and uBRUV drops for mapping the subtidal seagrass of Tayaritja (Furneaux group of islands), north-eastern Tasmania (NESP MaC 3.6)". Please visit the source to access the original metadata of the dataset:
https://catalogue.aodn.org.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/csw/dataset/imagery-from-boss-and-ubruv-drops-for-mapping-the-subtidal-seagrass-of-tayaritja-furneaux-group