IMOS - National Mooring Network - Acidification Moorings (AM) Sub-Facility - Automatically

The IMOS National Mooring Network - Acidification Moorings sub-facility provides near real-time measurements of surface CO2 at three National Reference Stations and one Great Barrier Reef site. Observations include CO2 concentration in air and water, surface water temperature, and salinity, with data automatically flagged using range checking and error propagation. The collection is managed by the Australian Ocean Data Network, with the last metadata update recorded on 2026-06-17.

Use Cases

• Monitoring trends in ocean acidification based on surface water CO2 concentration data.
• Studying the influence of ocean currents like the East Australian Current on CO2 uptake based on the mooring locations.
• Assessing the exposure of marine ecosystems to acidification based on measurements from upwelling regions like Kangaroo Island.
• Calibrating and validating ocean carbon cycle models based on in-situ CO2, temperature, and salinity time-series.

Strengths

• Data is automatically quality-controlled using range checking, individual instrument error returns, and error propagation for calculated parameters.
• Observations are collected in near real-time from three National Reference Stations and one Great Barrier Reef site, providing timely data.
• The moorings use proven and robust technology for surface CO2 measurements, as stated in the description.
• The sub-facility aims to build a complete carbonate system monitoring network, with plans for total alkalinity and pH data.

Limitations

• Historical near real-time data files, including from the Yongala mooring, are no longer available via the AODN Portal and are only accessible on a separate THREDDS catalog.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analyses.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) for the IMOS National Mooring Network Facility.

Collection Method

Measurements from surface CO2 systems deployed on ocean moorings, based on pre-deployment calibrations.

Time Range

Data collection includes historical records, with a system change noted in 2019. Specific start date is not provided.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-17 00:50:04.269435; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australian waters, specifically at the Yongala (Queensland), Maria Island (Tasmania), and Kangaroo Island (South Australia) National Reference Stations, plus a site adjacent to Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef.