Australian Plankton Biomass Index for Ocean Health Monitoring

Offering a biomass index (mg/m³) derived from the Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder survey, a joint project by CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and the Australian Antarctic Division. It supports long-term monitoring of plankton communities as indicators of ocean health, climate change response, and fisheries management.

Use Cases

• Analyze plankton biomass distribution to map biodiversity changes in Australian waters.
• Correlate biomass index with satellite remote sensing data for validation of oceanographic models.
• Use biomass data as an index for fisheries management and detecting harmful algal blooms.
• Document long-term plankton biomass trends in response to climate change for baseline development.

Strengths

• Data is part of a national long-term plankton baseline project for Australian waters.
• Produced through a standardized method involving sample drying and weighing for dry weight biomass.
• Managed under the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) for interoperability with other programs.

Limitations

• Specific data dimensions (rows, columns) and sample size are not provided.
• Biomass measurement relies on a specific laboratory process (oven drying) which may have inherent variability.
• Direct data access requires contacting a project contact person, potentially adding a step for users.

Provenance

Source

CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and the Australian Antarctic Division via the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS).

Collection Method

Plankton collected by Continuous Plankton Recorder, washed onto a pre-weighed filter, dried at 60°C for 24-48 hours, and reweighed to determine dry weight biomass.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

Australian waters.