IMOS Picoplankton Flow Cytometry Data from Australian Coastal Stations

Integrated Marine Observing Systems (IMOS) provides picoplankton data analyzed by flow cytometry from nine National Reference Station sites around Australia. Sampling began between September 2008 and November 2010 and is ongoing for seven sites, with monthly sampling conducted 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.

Use Cases

• Monitoring long-term changes in picoplankton populations based on monthly time-series sampling.
• Comparing marine microbial communities across different Australian coastal regions based on data from nine sites.
• Integrating flow cytometry data with other biogeochemical parameters for ecosystem modeling, as suggested by the superseding combined dataset.

Strengths

• Data collection spans over a decade, with sampling ongoing since 2008-2010 for most sites.
• Covers nine geographically distinct coastal stations around Australia, including Maria Island, Kangaroo Island, and Darwin.
• Planned to be interoperable with other national and international oceanographic data programs.

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• This specific dataset has been superseded by a combined collection, suggesting it may not be the most current version.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) / Integrated Marine Observing Systems (IMOS)

Collection Method

Field sampling conducted monthly from small vessels at fixed coastal stations, with samples analyzed by flow cytometry.

Time Range

2008-09-29 to present (ongoing for 7 sites; ceased 2013 for two sites)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-18 18:05:00.507533; 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).