Project methods and station geomorphology related to a multi-taxon survey (2009–2014) of the Kimberley

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 6 years ago

ABSTRACT – The marine environments off the Kimberley coast are being subjected to ever increasing human-induced pressures, with little known of the region’s marine biodiversity, and therefore, which conservation approaches are appropriate. Consequently, the Western Australian Museum with partner agencies undertook to survey the region over a six year period (2009–2014). Thirty eight locations involving 179 survey stations were visited within the defined Project Area, which ranged from the Kimberley coast to the continental shelf edge. Geomorphic data from these stations, along with additional data from a 2006 survey, were incorporated into the analyses, providing a total of 224 survey stations. Analyses revealed a three-way differentiation of the surveyed stations demonstrating continental shelf zonation, an intertidal and subtidal distinction and a turbidity gradation.