Australian Phytoplankton Colour Index From Continuous Plankton Recorder Surveys

A long-term plankton baseline survey funded by the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) and conducted by CSIRO and the Australian Antarctic Division. It measures the Phytoplankton Colour Index (PCI) to assess ocean health, biodiversity, and changes in response to climate change. The dataset is accessible via the Australian Ocean Data Network portal.

Use Cases

• Documenting plankton changes in response to climate change by analyzing trends in the Phytoplankton Colour Index (PCI) over time.
• Mapping plankton biodiversity and distribution using PCI data across Australian waters.
• Providing indices for fisheries management by correlating PCI values with fish stock health indicators.
• Detecting harmful algal blooms through anomalous PCI readings in specific geographic regions.

Strengths

• Data collection is part of a long-term baseline project for Australian waters.
• Methodology follows a published standard (Richardson et al. 2006).
• Planned to be interoperable with other national and international marine programs.

Limitations

• The dataset has been superseded by a newer collection as of March 2022.
• Specific data volume (rows, size) and temporal range are unknown.
• Requires reading the specific methodology paper before use.

Provenance

Source

Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) Ships of Opportunity facility, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Analyzed from Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey samples, following the methodology of Richardson et al. 2006.

Time Range

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Freshness

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Geography

Australian waters.