Port Sorell Estuary Water Quality and Ecological Monitoring Data

Monitoring data from Port Sorell estuary in North-West Tasmania assesses condition using water quality and ecological indicators. The program measures salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, nutrients, silica, and chlorophyll a. Data includes benthic macroinvertebrate community structure from sediments.

Use Cases

• Analyze correlations between salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen levels to model estuarine water quality.
• Assess human impact by examining nutrient concentrations like nitrate plus nitrite and reactive phosphorus against benthic macroinvertebrate abundance.
• Monitor chlorophyll a levels in the water column and sediments as an indicator of algal biomass and ecosystem health.

Strengths

• Covers a range of 16 distinct water quality and ecological indicators, including nutrients and biological communities.
• Implements a structured monitoring program specifically designed for assessing the condition of Tasmanian estuaries.
• Data is associated with the Australian Ocean Data Network, a recognized national data repository.

Limitations

• Dataset scope is limited to a single estuary, Port Sorell, rather than the full set of six estuaries mentioned in the program.
• Sample size, temporal coverage, and specific data formats (PNG, XLSX, PDF, HTML) are not detailed, hindering reproducibility.
• Potential for data gaps or inconsistencies as the collection method and time range are unspecified.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Field monitoring program based on the methodology of Crawford and White (2006).

Time Range

null

Freshness

null

Geography

Port Sorell estuary, North-West Tasmania, Australia.