Seabed geomorphology: mapping Australia’s way to a sustainable ocean economy

The shape of the seabed is as diverse as it is deep. The team at Geoscience Australia have co-developed a world-first geoscience classification scheme to map the seabed to support the development of Australia’s sustainable ocean economy.
Seabed geomorphology describes shape and evolution of underwater landscapes. These landscapes interact with ocean currents to create diverse marine habitats. Similar to geological maps on land, maps of seabed geomorphology are vital for making informed decisions to support the sustainable growth of our Ocean Economy.
As we gather more detailed seabed data and face increasing ocean pressures, there's a need for new, standardised maps that support consistent decision making at multiple scales and between administrative jurisdictions. Dr Rachel Nanson and an international team have developed a new seabed geomorphology classification system that is designed to simplify complex seabed interpretations into a map format that is accessible to a broad range of end users.
This approach has is being adopted internationally and is currently being implemented by Geoscience Australia. We are using the method to map parts of Australia’s extensive Marine Park network and to support government to make informed decisions regarding Australia’s rapidly expanding Offshore Renewable Energy sector.