79a5f217-7792-4dba-98f5-f0a3caf46516 urn:uuid eng UTF-8 nonGeographicDataset nonGeographicDataset 2026-03-21T17:25:04 creation ISO 19115 2016 Oceanic Shoals / Wessel Island sponge biodiversity data 79a5f217-7792-4dba-98f5-f0a3caf46516 Between 2009-2012, Geoscience Australia conducted three surveys to Joseph Bonaparte Gulf and the Timor Sea on the R.V. Solander, in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Science and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. The study areas overlapped the Oceanic Shoals Commonwealth Marine Reserve and the carbonate banks and terraces within it. The surveys were conducted as part of the Australian Government's Energy Security Program (2007-2011) and the National Environment Research Program (2011-2015). On the surveys, a benthic sled was deployed to collect biological samples from the seafloor. Samples were sorted onboard according to phylum, photographed and then sent to taxonomists for species-level identifications. This dataset provides a list of all identified sponge species. The associated image catalogue of collected sponges can be accessed here: https://metadata.imas.utas.edu.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/1216e0f4-099c-49f6-96f7-ed3eadc0cd15 {"type": "Polygon", "coordinates": [[[124.11804199220002, -14.846756458283], [131.87438964845, -14.846756458283], [131.87438964845, -9.6831822395326], [124.11804199220002, -9.6831822395326], [124.11804199220002, -14.846756458283]]]} 124.11804199220002 131.87438964845 -14.846756458283 -9.6831822395326 DATA ACCESS (direct file download) - List of all sponge species collected from surveys SOL4934, SOL5117, SOL5650 and SS2012t07 documentDigital HTML DATA ACCESS (web services) - list of all sponge species collected from surveys SOL4934, SOL5117, SOL5650 and SS2012t07 with georeferenced site info documentDigital WFS RELATED PUBLICATION - Oceanic Shoals CMR fact sheet documentDigital HTML RELATED PUBLICATION - Implications of sponge biodiversity patterns for the management of a marine reserve in northern Australia documentDigital HTML RELATED PUBLICATION - Sponge biodiversity and ecology of the Van Diemen Rise and eastern Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, northern Australia documentDigital HTML NESP:NESP_NthAust_sponge_collection documentDigital MAP - sponge collection sites WMS NESP_NthAust_sponge_collection documentDigital This OGC WFS service returns the data for download in subsettable CSV format. WFS Unnamed resource documentDigital HTML Unnamed resource documentDigital License Graphic PNG Unnamed resource documentDigital HTML