IMOS - AusCPR: Phytoplankton Abundance in Australian Waters

The Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder survey provides phytoplankton abundance data as a guide to ocean health. The data are made available in binned products for ease of use and are applicable for time series analysis. The project is a joint effort of CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and the Australian Antarctic Division, funded by the Integrated Marine Observing System.

Use Cases

• Map plankton biodiversity and distribution based on the survey's stated aims.
• Develop long-term plankton baselines for Australian waters based on the time-series applicable data.
• Document plankton changes in response to climate change based on the survey's stated aims.
• Provide indices for fisheries management based on the survey's stated aims.
• Validate satellite remote sensing based on the survey's stated aims.

Strengths

• Data includes explicit absence codes (0 for looked-for and not seen, -999 for not looked for), which supports accurate time-series analysis.
• Data is available in five processed products (Raw, Species, Genus, Higher taxonomic group, Derived CPR Indices) for different analytical needs.
• Project is a joint initiative of CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and the Australian Antarctic Division, suggesting institutional oversight.

Limitations

• 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 (AODN) portal, sourced from CSIRO and Australian Antarctic Division.

Collection Method

Collected via Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) surveys on ships of opportunity, with phytoplankton counted in situ on the sampling mesh.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-18 18:26:45.524270; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australian and Antarctic waters.