Data is in the form of a Microsoft Access databases, excel workbooks and csv files, showing the original data together with site information (GPS coordinates), and date collected. Data is also in the form of a report, which will be a secured (printable, non-editable), searchable, Portable Document Format (PDF) showing the results of the analyses.

The aim of the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI) DREDGING SCIENCE NODE Project 4.9, is to thoroughly characterise how dredging activities alters reef water quality (i.e. total suspended solids levels (TSS), underwater light levels and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) i.e. (light attenuation) in terms of temporal and spatial characteristics (including spectral analyses of temporal patterns) and how these changes in water quality impact on coral health. The data are important for developing water quality thresholds for dredging projects and to improve the ability to predict and manage the impact of future projects.

Data used to conduct these analyses were from four large scale capital Dredging projects conducted in the Pilbara region of Western Australia using in situ water quality instrumentation, as well as time series photographic images of individual coral heads (available for the Gorgon project at Barrow Island only). Federal Ministerial Approval Statements for the four projects: MS757, MS800, MS840, MS0873, which are searchable on the WA EPA website: http://www.epa.wa.gov.au . These data are available through a data sharing agreement with WAMSI, pending approval of the individual companies.