IMOS - AusCPR: Phytoplankton Colour Index for Australian Waters

Phytoplankton colour index data collected by the Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder survey, a joint project of CSIRO and the Australian Antarctic Division. The survey aims to map plankton biodiversity, develop a long-term baseline for Australian waters, and document changes in response to climate change. Data is available through the Australian Ocean Data Network portal and was funded by the Integrated Marine Observing System.

Use Cases

• Mapping plankton biodiversity and distribution based on survey aims mentioned in the description
• Developing long-term plankton baselines for Australian waters as stated in the project goals
• Documenting plankton changes in response to climate change based on the survey's objectives
• Providing indices for fisheries management as outlined in the description
• Validating satellite remote sensing data using the in-situ measurements described

Strengths

• Data is part of a long-term baseline project for Australian waters, as stated in the aims
• Analysis follows a published methodology (Richardson et al 2006), providing a standard reference
• Project is a joint effort by CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research and the Australian Antarctic Division
• Data storage and access is planned to be interoperable with other national and international programs

Limitations

• This dataset has been superseded by a newer collection as of March 2022
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) Ships of Opportunity facility

Collection Method

Continuous Plankton Recorder survey, samples analyzed at CMAR and AAD laboratories

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-28 12:47:04.579164; freshness should be verified

Geography

Australian waters