IMOS NRS Phytoplankton Pigment Composition from Nine Australian Coastal Stations

Nine Australian coastal stations have been sampled for phytoplankton pigment composition via HPLC analysis as part of the IMOS National Reference Station network. Sampling began between September 2008 and November 2010 and is ongoing at seven sites, with monthly collection from small vessels. The dataset is managed by the Australian Ocean Data Network and includes historical data from CSIRO's coastal monitoring program for three sites dating back to the 1940s.

Use Cases

• Modeling phytoplankton community composition shifts based on HPLC pigment analysis.
• Analyzing long-term oceanographic trends at fixed reference stations.
• Calibrating satellite ocean color data with in-situ pigment measurements.
• Studying coastal marine biogeochemistry across different Australian climate zones.

Strengths

• Long-term time-series data with sampling ongoing since 2008-2010.
• Spatial coverage includes nine distinct coastal stations around Australia.
• Integration with historical CSIRO monitoring data for three sites, with records from the 1940s.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Sampling ceased at two sites (Ningaloo and Esperance) in 2013, creating temporal gaps.

Provenance

Source

Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) National Mooring Network - National Reference Station (NRS) field sampling.

Collection Method

Monthly (or three-monthly) water column sampling from small vessels, with pigment analysis via HPLC.

Time Range

2008-09-29 to present (ongoing at 7 sites), with historical data from 1944 for some stations.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-28 12:25:55.645821; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Nine Australian coastal stations: Maria Island (TAS), Kangaroo Island (SA), Esperance (WA), Rottnest Island (WA), Ningaloo (WA), Darwin (NT), Yongala (QLD), North Stradbroke Island (QLD), Port Hacking (NSW).