Map Gallery

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Seismic surveys have been used extensively in Australia by Geoscience Australia to map undersea geology and by various companies exploring for oil and gas deposits, particularly on the NW shelf (for example, at Scott Reef in 2007).

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Surprisingly common across the world's oceans, bioluminescence (watch a video of how it works) occurs when a chemical reaction in living cells causes them to emit light - typically in shades of blue and green.

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The RV Southern Surveyor was a 66.1 m research vessel operated by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 2003-2013 (take a virtual tour).

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The RV Southern Surveyor was a 66.1 m research vessel operated by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 2003-2013 (take a virtual tour).

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The RV Southern Surveyor was a 66.1 m research vessel operated by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 2003-2013 (take a virtual tour).

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The RV Southern Surveyor was a 66.1 m research vessel operated by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 2003-2013 (take a virtual tour).

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The RV Southern Surveyor was a 66.1 m research vessel operated by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 2003-2013 (take a virtual tour).

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The RV Southern Surveyor was a 66.1 m research vessel operated by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 2003-2013 (take a virtual tour).

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The RV Southern Surveyor was a 66.1 m research vessel operated by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 2003-2013 (take a virtual tour).

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The RV Solander is a 34.9 m long marine research vessel operated by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (take a virtual tour, map its current position).

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Australia is the fifth largest user of shipping in the world with more than 11,000 vessels from 600 overseas ports visiting Australia's 65 major ports each year. This creates the potential for hazardous spills of various types (most notably oil spills - such as the Montara spill of 2009), which could damage key coastal and marine ecosystems.

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As an island continent, Australia has sovereign rights over a vast area of ocean, along with the fishery, mineral, and petroleum resources found in that area. A body of international rules and principles developed to regulate ocean space (1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) defines procedures for mapping where these rights exist.

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The type, size and distribution of sediments on the seabed plays an important role in determining the suitability of a given area for settlement by benthos.  For example, filter feeders like sponges must attach themselves to a rocky substrate or get swept away by tidal currents.  

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Dusky whaler sharks are widely distributed throughout the world's tropical and warm temperate waters (watch a video). This includes NW Australia's Oceanic Shoals CMR.

Use the interactive map below to explore the home range of these sharks within and beyond the CMR.

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Australia is the fifth largest user of shipping in the world with more than 11,000 vessels from 600 overseas ports visiting Australia's 65 major ports each year. About 98 per cent of Australia's exports are carried by ships. Understanding where shipping occurs over time is important because it can harm coastal and marine ecosystems and their inhabitants.

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Submerged reefs and shoals are important features of the North West Marine Region of Australia due to their diverse and often unique benthic (e.g., corals, sponges) and fish biodiversity. In 2009, reefs and shoals near the Montara oil field were exposed to an uncontrolled release of oil and gas that lasted for 74 days.

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Submerged reefs and shoals are important features of the North West Marine Region of Australia due to their diverse and often unique benthic (e.g., corals, sponges) and fish biodiversity. In 2009, reefs and shoals near the Montara oil field were exposed to an uncontrolled release of oil and gas that lasted for 74 days.

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Find out what scientists have learned about Glomar Shoal and Rankin Bank via field surveys by clicking on the interactive map to see maps, videos and reports.
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Find out where scientists have surveyed the Oceanic Shoals Australia Marine Park in detail, and what they have learned.

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