IMOS NRS: Phytoplankton Pigment Composition from Australian Coastal Stations

Nine Australian coastal stations have collected phytoplankton pigment samples from the water column since 2008. The Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) coordinates this ongoing monthly sampling, which includes historical data from CSIRO's coastal monitoring program dating back to 1944 for some sites. Data storage is planned to be interoperable with other national and international oceanographic programs.

Use Cases

• Modeling phytoplankton community composition based on pigment biomarkers mentioned in the description
• Analyzing long-term trends in marine primary productivity based on the multi-decade time series for some stations
• Studying spatial variability in coastal phytoplankton ecology across the nine Australian reference sites

Strengths

• Includes historical data from CSIRO's monitoring program, with records for some stations beginning in 1944, 1951, and 1953
• Spatial coverage includes nine distinct coastal reference stations around Australia
• Sampling is described as ongoing for seven sites as of the dataset description

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) via data.gov.au, collected by members of the IMOS NRS Biogeochemical project.

Collection Method

Monthly (or 3-monthly) field sampling of the water column (0-50m) from small vessels at fixed mooring sites.

Time Range

Sampling began between September 2008 and November 2010 and is ongoing for 7 sites, with historical data for 3 sites extending back to 1944.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-27 16:20:51.201391; freshness should be verified

Geography

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