IMOS Picoplankton Flow Cytometry Data from Nine Australian Coastal Stations

Monthly and three-monthly sampling began between September 2008 and November 2010 and is ongoing for seven of nine Australian coastal stations, with sampling at two sites ceasing in 2013. The dataset contains picoplankton component data analyzed by flow cytometry from the Integrated Marine Observing System's National Reference Station network. Data storage and access is planned to be interoperable with other national and international programs through IMOS Infrastructure.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal trends in picoplankton populations based on monthly sampling at multiple stations.
• Compare marine microbial communities across different Australian coastal regions based on data from nine geographically distinct sites.
• Study the impact of environmental changes on picoplankton based on long-term time-series data.
• Integrate flow cytometry data with other biogeochemical parameters for ecosystem modeling.

Strengths

• Data collection spans over a decade, starting between 2008 and 2010 for different sites.
• Covers nine geographically distinct National Reference Station sites around Australia.
• Linked to historical coastal monitoring data from CSIRO for three sites, extending records back to 1944.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Samples collected monthly (or three-monthly) from small vessels as part of the IMOS National Mooring Network field sampling.

Time Range

2008-09-29 to ongoing (for 7 sites), with two sites ending in 2013.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 07:58:25.755438; 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).