Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia

Last updated April 24, 2024

The Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA), formerly the Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia, is a biogeographic regionalisation of the oceanic waters of Australia's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). As of 2008, the most recent version is IMCRA Version 4.0.^[1]^[2]

A regionalisation of the EEZ into provincial bioregions, based on the biogeography of bottom dwelling fishes. In IMCRA 4.0, 41 provincial bioregions, consisting of 24 provinces and 17 transitions.
A regionalisation of the continental shelf into meso-scale regions based on biological and physical characters, and the distance from the coast. In IMCRA 4.0 there are 60 meso-scale regions.
A regionalisation of the EEZ into 14 geomorphic units, formed by grouping the 1,134 geomorphic units defined by Geoscience Australia.

The pelagic bioregionalisation divides the continental shelf into four provincial bioregions based on pelagic fish species biodiversity and richness. Offshore waters are divided into three-dimensional water masses, taking into account water properties, circulation patterns and energetics.^[2]

List of provincial bioregions

This is a list of IMCRA 4.0 provincial bioregions:^[3]

Bioregion	information	IMCRA meso-scale bioregions	Marine Ecoregions of the World designation
Bass Strait Shelf Province	cold temperate waters	Central Victoria (CV) Victoria Embayment (VE), Central Bass Strait (CBS), Boags (BGS)	Bassian (205)
Cape Province		na	na
Central Eastern Shelf Province	warm temperate waters	Manning Shelf (MAN), Hawkesbury Shelf (HAW)	Manning-Hawkesbury (203)
Central Eastern Shelf Transition	transition between the tropical Northeast Shelf and warm-temperate Central Eastern Shelf provinces	Tweed-Moreton (TM)	Tweed-Moreton (202)
Central Eastern Province		na	na
Central Eastern Transition		na	na
Central Western Shelf Province	subtropical waters	Shark Bay (SBY), Zuytdorp (ZUY)	Shark Bay (210)
Central Western Shelf Transition	transition	Ningaloo (NIN)	Ningaloo (145)
Central Western Province	subtropical waters	na	na
Central Western Transition		na	na
Christmas Island Province	tropical waters		Cocos-Keeling/Christmas Island (120)
Cocos (Keeling) Island Province	tropical waters		Cocos-Keeling/Christmas Island (120)
Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition	transition between the warm-temperate Southwest Shelf and Spencer Gulf Shelf provinces	Eucla (EUC), Murat (MUR)	Great Australian Bight (208)
Kenn Province	tropical waters	na	na
Kenn Transition
Lord Howe Province	warm temperate waters		Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands (151)
Macquarie Island Province	cold temperate waters		Macquarie Island (212)
Norfolk Island Province	warm temperate waters		Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands (151)
Northeast Shelf Province	tropical waters	West Tropic Coast (WTC), Central Reef (CR), Lucinda-Mackay Coast (LMC), Shoalwater Coast (SC), Mackay-Capricorn (MC), Pompey-Swains (PS)	Central and Southern Great Barrier Reef (143)
Northeast Shelf Transition	transition between the tropical Northern Shelf and Northeast Shelf provinces	Torres Strait (TS), East Cape York (ECY), Ribbons (RBN)	Torres Strait and Northern Great Barrier Reef (142)
Northeast Province	tropical waters	na	na
Northeast Transition		na	na
Northern Shelf Province	tropical waters	Van Diemens Gulf (VDG), Cobourg (COB), Arafura (ARA), Arnhem Wessel (AWS), Carpentaria (CAR), Groote (GRO), Pellew (PEL), Wellesley (WLY), Karumba-Nassau (KAN), West Cape York (WCY)	Arnhem Coast to Gulf of Carpentaria (140)
Northwest Province	tropical waters	na	na
Northwest Shelf Province	tropical waters	Pilbara (nearshore) (PIN), Pilbara (offshore) (PIO), Eighty Mile Beach (EMB), Canning (CAN), North West Shelf (NWS)	Exmouth to Broome (144)
Northwest Shelf Transition	transition between the tropical Northern Shelf and Northwest Shelf provinces	Kimberley (KIM), King Sound (KSD), Anson Beagle (ANB), Cambridge-Bonaparte (CAB), Bonaparte Gulf (BON), Tiwi (TWI)	Bonaparte Coast (141)
Northwest Transition		na	na
Southeast Shelf Transition	transition between the warm-temperate Central Eastern Shelf and the cold-temperate Bass Strait Shelf provinces	Batemans Shelf (BAT), Flinders (FLI), Twofold Shelf (TWO)	Cape Howe (204)
Southeast Transition		na	na
Southern Province	warm temperate waters	na	na
Southwest Shelf Province	warm temperate waters	Leeuwin–Naturaliste (LNE), Western Australia South Coast (WSC)	Leeuwin (209)
Southwest Shelf Transition	transition between the subtropical Central West Province and the warm temperate Southwest Shelf Province	Abrolhos Islands (ABR) and Central West Coast (CWC)	Houtman (211)
Southwest Transition		na	na
Spencer Gulf Shelf Province	warm temperate waters	Coorong (COR), Eyre (EYR), North Spencer Gulf (NSG), St Vincent Gulf (SVG), Spencer Gulf (SG)	South Australian Gulfs (207)
Tasmania Province	cold temperate waters	na	na
Tasmanian Shelf Province	cold temperate waters	Bruny (BRU), Davey (DAV), Franklin (FRA), Freycinet (FRT)	Bassian (205)
Timor Province	tropical waters	na	na
Timor Transition		na	na
West Tasmania Transition		na	na
Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition	transition between the cold-temperate Bass Strait Shelf and Tasmanian Shelf provinces and the warm-temperate Spencer Gulf Shelf Province	Otway (OTW)	Western Bassian (206)

List of Benthic meso-scale regions

Abrolhos Islands (ABR)
Anson Beagle (ANB)
Arafura (ARA)
Arnhem Wessel (AWS)
Batemans Shelf (BAT)
Boags (BGS)
Bonaparte Gulf (BON)
Bruny (BRU)
Cambridge-Bonaparte (CAB)
Canning (CAN)
Carpentaria (CAR)
Central Bass Strait (CBS)
Cobourg (COB)
Coorong (COR)
Central Reef (CR)
Central Victoria (CV)
Central West Coast (CWC)
Davey (DAV)
East Cape York (ECY)
Eighty Mile Beach (EMB)

Eucla (EUC)
Eyre (EYR)
Flinders (FLI)
Franklin (FRA)
Freycinet (FRT)
Groote (GRO)
Hawkesbury Shelf (HAW)
Karumba-Nassau (KAN)
Kimberley (KIM)
King Sound (KSD)
Leeuwin-Naturaliste (LNE)
Lucinda-Mackay Coast (LMC)
Mackay-Capricorn (MC)
Manning Shelf (MAN)
Murat (MUR)
Ningaloo (NIN)
North Spencer Gulf (NSG)
North West Shelf (NWS)
Oceanic Shoals (OSS)
Otway (OTW)

Pellew (PEL)
Pilbara (nearshore) (PIN)
Pilbara (offshore) (PIO)
Pompey-Swains (PS)
Ribbons (RBN)
Shark Bay (SBY)
Shoalwater Coast (SC)
Spencer Gulf (SG)
St Vincent Gulf (SVG)
Tiwi (TWI)
Torres Strait (TS)
Tweed-Moreton (TM)
Twofold Shelf (TWO)
Van Diemens Gulf (VDG)
Victorian Embayments (VE)
WA South Coast (WSC)
West Cape York (WCY)
Wellesley (WLY)
Wet Tropic Coast (WTC)
Zuytdorp (ZUY)

Geomorphic units

There are 1,334 separate geomorphic units in Australia’s waters, in 14 categories. The regions represent distinct areas of geomorphic features that have similar characteristics (e.g. areas of the continental slope that contain canyons, or flat plains).^[2]

Geomorphic features are determined by bathymetric models (depth analysis) of the ocean floor and provide an important predictor of species assemblages at a large scale. For example, different species will occur on low-gradient terraces compared to those on the steep-walled submarine canyons.^[4]

External links

Interactive Map, Commonwealth marine reserves

Related Research Articles

The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "the depths." Organisms living in this zone are called benthos and include microorganisms as well as larger invertebrates, such as crustaceans and polychaetes. Organisms here generally live in close relationship with the substrate and many are permanently attached to the bottom. The benthic boundary layer, which includes the bottom layer of water and the uppermost layer of sediment directly influenced by the overlying water, is an integral part of the benthic zone, as it greatly influences the biological activity that takes place there. Examples of contact soil layers include sand bottoms, rocky outcrops, coral, and bay mud.

A marine ecoregion is an ecoregion, or ecological region, of the oceans and seas identified and defined based on biogeographic characteristics.

The neritic zone is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately 200 metres (660 ft) in depth. From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminated environment for marine life, from plankton up to large fish and corals, while physical oceanography sees it as where the oceanic system interacts with the coast.

The Bass Strait Shelf Province is a biogeographic region of Australia's coastal and continental shelf waters. It covers the central Bass Strait between Tasmania and the southern Australian mainland. It is a provincial level bioregion in the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) system. The Bassian and adjacent Tasmanian Shelf provinces correspond to the Bassian marine ecoregion in the WWF's Marine Ecoregions of the World system.

The Central Eastern Shelf Province is a biogeographic region of Australia's coastal and continental shelf waters. It includes the warm temperate coastal waters of eastern Australia. It is a provincial level bioregion in the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) system. It corresponds to the Manning-Hawkesbury marine ecoregion in the WWF's Marine Ecoregions of the World system.

Tweed–Moreton, also known as the Central Eastern Shelf Transition, is a marine biogeographic region of eastern Australia.

The Central Western Shelf Province, also known as the Shark Bay marine ecoregion, is a biogeographic region of Australia's continental shelf and coastal waters. It includes the subtropical coastal waters of Western Australia.

The Northeast Shelf Province is a biogeographic region of Australia's coastal and continental shelf waters. It includes the tropical coastal waters of the central and southern Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Australia. It is a provincial level bioregion in the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) system. It corresponds to the Central and Southern Great Barrier Reef marine ecoregion in the WWF's Marine Ecoregions of the World system.

The Northeast Shelf Transition is a biogeographic region of Australia's coastal and continental shelf waters. It includes the tropical coastal waters of the northern Great Barrier Reef and the Torres Strait in northeastern-most Australia. It is a provincial level bioregion in the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) system. It corresponds to the Torres Strait and Northern Great Barrier Reef marine ecoregion in the WWF's Marine Ecoregions of the World system.

The Northern Shelf Province, also known as Arnhem Coast to Gulf of Carpentaria, is a biogeographic region of Australia's continental shelf. It includes the coastal waters of Arnhem Land and the Gulf of Carpentaria in Northern Australia.

The Northwest Shelf Province, also known as Exmouth to Broome, is a biogeographic region of Australia's continental shelf.

The Northwest Shelf Transition, also known as Bonaparte Coast, is a biogeographic region of Australia's continental shelf. It adjoins the Kimberley region of Western Australia and the adjacent coast of the Northern Territory.

The Southeast Shelf Transition is a biogeographic region of Australia's coastal and continental shelf waters. It covers a portion of Australia's southeastern coast, from southern New South Wales to eastern Victoria, including the islands of the Kent Group and Furneaux Group at the eastern end of the Bass Strait. It is a provincial level bioregion in the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) system, and is a transitional region between the warm temperate Central Eastern Shelf Province to the northeast and the cool temperate Bass Strait Shelf and Tasmanian Shelf provinces to the west and south. It corresponds to the Cape Howe marine ecoregion in the WWF's Marine Ecoregions of the World system.

The Southwest Shelf Province, also known as the Leeuwin marine ecoregion, is a biogeographic region of Australia's continental shelf. It includes the temperate coastal waters of Southwest Australia.

The Southwest Shelf Transition, also known as the Houtman marine ecoregion, is a biogeographic region of Australia's continental shelf and coastal waters. It includes the subtropical coastal waters of Southwest Australia.

The Spencer Gulf Shelf Province, also known as the South Australian Gulfs marine ecoregion, is a biogeographic region of Australia's continental shelf and coastal waters. It includes the warm temperate coastal waters of South Australia's central coast. It is a provincial bioregion in the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) system.

The Tasmanian Shelf Province is a biogeographic region of Tasmania's coastal and continental shelf waters. It covers the western, eastern, and southern coasts of Tasmania. It is a provincial level bioregion in the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) system. The Tasmanian Shelf and adjacent Bass Strait Shelf provinces correspond to the Bassian marine ecoregion in the WWF's Marine Ecoregions of the World system.

The Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition is a biogeographic region of Australia's coastal and continental shelf waters. It is a transitional region between the cold-temperate Bass Strait Shelf and Tasmanian Shelf provinces and the warm-temperate Spencer Gulf Shelf Province. It is a provincial bioregion in the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) system. It is the southern portion of the Western Bassian marine ecoregion in the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Marine Ecoregions of the World system.

The marine ecoregions of the South African exclusive economic zone are a set of geographically delineated regions of similar ecological characteristics on a fairly broad scale, covering the exclusive economic zone along the South African coast.

The Bassian ecoregion is a biogeographic region of Australia's coastal and continental shelf waters. It includes the cold-temperate waters surrounding Tasmania, including the central Bass Strait between Tasmania and the southern Australian mainland. This ecoregion, designated in the Marine Ecoregions of the World system by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), includes both the Bass Strait Shelf and Tasmanian Shelf provincial level bioregions from the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA) system.

References

↑ IMCRA Technical Group. "Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia: an ecosystem-based classification for marine and coastal environments". Environment Australia, Department of the Environment, Australian Government. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
1 2 3 4 5 "A guide to the Integrated Marine and Coastal Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia: IMCRA Version 4.0: June 2006". Department of the Environment, Australian Government. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
↑ IMCRA 4.0 data
↑ "Benthic Marine Bioregionalisation of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone". environment.gov.au. Government of Australia. 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
↑ "Geomorphic features of the continental margin of Australia". environment.gov.au. Commonwealth of Australia. 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2017.

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[IMCRA_3.3-1] IMCRA Technical Group. "Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia: an ecosystem-based classification for marine and coastal environments". Environment Australia, Department of the Environment, Australian Government. Retrieved 23 December 2013.

[IMCRA_4.0-2] 1 2 3 4 5 "A guide to the Integrated Marine and Coastal Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia: IMCRA Version 4.0: June 2006". Department of the Environment, Australian Government. Retrieved 23 December 2013.

[data-3] IMCRA 4.0 data

[4] "Benthic Marine Bioregionalisation of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone". environment.gov.au. Government of Australia. 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2017.

[5] "Geomorphic features of the continental margin of Australia". environment.gov.au. Commonwealth of Australia. 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2017.

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