IMOS Picoplankton Flow Cytometry from Nine Australian Coastal Stations

Nine Australian coastal stations have been sampled monthly for picoplankton analysis via flow cytometry as part of the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS). Sampling began between September 2008 and November 2010 and is ongoing for seven sites, with two sites ceasing in 2013. The data is managed by the Australian Ocean Data Network and is interoperable with other national and international marine programs.

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal picoplankton community dynamics based on long-term monthly sampling.
• Analyzing regional biogeochemical differences based on data from nine distinct Australian sites.
• Studying long-term environmental trends based on time-series data initiated between 2008 and 2010.

Strengths

• Long-term time-series data with sampling initiated between 2008 and 2010 for nine sites.
• Spatial coverage includes nine distinct coastal reference stations around Australia.
• Data collection follows a documented operations manual for consistent methodology.

Limitations

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• This specific dataset has been superseded by a combined collection as of February 2022.

Provenance

Source

Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) National Mooring Network, Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Monthly (or 3-monthly) field sampling off small vessels, with analysis by flow cytometry.

Time Range

2008-09-29 to ongoing (with two sites ending in 2013).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 08:14:06.769957; 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), Port Hacking (NSW).