Biogeochemical Zones in Keppel Bay from Dry-Season Water and Seabed Surveys

Australian Ocean Data Network hosts 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 incubations measuring carbon decomposition rates and nutrient fluxes. It defines three functional process zones based on seabed geochemistry, water column nutrients, and suspended sediment controls.

Use Cases

• Modeling benthic-pelagic coupling based on the integrated conceptual model of biogeochemical processes.
• Analyzing phytoplankton growth limitations based on light and nutrient (N, P) characteristics across different zones.
• Mapping functional process zonation based on bathymetry and hydrodynamic characteristics described for the bay.
• Studying terrestrial organic matter mineralization based on data from the zone of maximum resuspension (ZMR).
• Assessing sediment-water nutrient fluxes based on supplementary core incubation measurements.

Strengths

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

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to dry-season sampling only.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

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

Time Range

Two dry seasons (specific years unknown).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-23 00:35:00.587500; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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