Biogeochemical Zones of Keppel Bay: A Dry-Season Perspective

The Australian Ocean Data Network provides data from a study exploring nutrient sources and transformations in Keppel Bay, contiguous with the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon. The dataset likely contains water column and seabed properties investigated over two dry seasons, including core incubation measurements for carbon decomposition and nutrient fluxes. It defines three functional process zones within the bay based on seabed geochemistry and water column characteristics controlled by suspended sediment.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic-pelagic coupling in macrotidal systems based on the described process zonation.
• Analyzing phytoplankton growth limitation factors (light, N, P) across different coastal zones.
• Studying the impact of terrestrial organic matter mineralization in resuspension zones on nutrient cycling.
• Developing conceptual hydrodynamic-biogeochemical models for bays with fluidised bed reactor characteristics.

Strengths

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

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Field investigations and supplementary core incubations.

Time Range

Covers two dry seasons (specific years unknown).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 07:11:46.823314; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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