IMOS - AusCPR: Phytoplankton Abundance in Australian Waters

Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder survey data measures plankton communities as a guide to ocean health. The dataset is a joint project of CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and the Australian Antarctic Division, funded by the Integrated Marine Observing System. It provides five binned data products, including raw counts and derived indices, suitable for time-series analysis of biodiversity and climate response.

Use Cases

• Map plankton biodiversity and distribution across Australian waters based on the survey's stated aims.
• Document plankton changes in response to climate change using the time-series applicable data products.
• Develop indices for fisheries management from the derived CPR indices product.
• Detect harmful algal blooms by analyzing phytoplankton abundance patterns.
• Validate satellite remote sensing data by comparing in-situ phytoplankton counts.

Strengths

• Data is explicitly designed for time series analysis, with products accounting for taxonomic changes over time.
• Provides five distinct data products (Raw, Species, Genus, Higher group, Derived Indices) for different analytical needs.
• Distinguishes between true absences (0) and data not looked for (-999), clarifying data semantics.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Freshness should be verified; last metadata update was 2026-06-05 06:26:06.850189.

Provenance

Source

CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere (O&A) and the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Samples collected by Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey, with phytoplankton counted in situ on silk mesh. Analysis follows Richardson et al. 2006 methodology.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 06:26:06.850189; freshness should be verified

Geography

Australian waters