Keppel Bay Biogeochemical Zones and Nutrient Data from Dry-Season Studies

Geoscience Australia Data collected water column and seabed property measurements in Keppel Bay over two dry seasons. The dataset explores nutrient sources, forms, and transformations, defining three functional process zones based on seabed geochemistry and water column characteristics. It includes supplementary core incubation measurements for carbon decomposition rates and nutrient fluxes.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic-pelagic nutrient coupling based on the described conceptual model of three biogeochemical zones.
• Analyzing the relationship between suspended sediment and phytoplankton growth limitation based on light and nutrient data.
• Classifying coastal marine environments into functional zones based on integrated bathymetry, hydrodynamics, and geochemistry.
• Studying the mineralization of terrestrial organic matter in macrotidal, dry-tropical bays.

Strengths

• Data collection spans two distinct dry seasons, providing temporal context.
• Integrates multiple measurement types: water column properties, seabed geochemistry, and core incubations.
• Defines a functional process zonation (ZMR, CTZ, BWZ) based on empirical data.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is specific to dry-season conditions; wet-season dynamics are not covered.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Field investigations of water column and seabed properties, supplemented by laboratory core incubations.

Time Range

Covers two dry seasons; specific years are not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 03:33:31.150186; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Keppel Bay, contiguous with the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon, Queensland, Australia.