IMOS National Reference Stations: Total Suspended Solids and Secchi Depth Measurements

IMOS National Reference Station data includes measurements of Secchi depth and total suspended solids from nine Australian coastal sites. Sampling began between 2008 and 2010 and is ongoing at seven sites, with historical data available for some locations dating back to the 1940s. The dataset is managed by the Australian Ocean Data Network as part of the Integrated Marine Observing System.

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal water clarity based on Secchi depth measurements.
• Analyzing temporal trends in total suspended solids across Australian reference stations.
• Comparing biogeochemical parameters between different coastal regions mentioned in the description.
• Validating satellite-derived ocean color products using in-situ water quality data.

Strengths

• Data collection spans multiple years, with sampling ongoing since 2008-2010 for most sites.
• Includes historical data from CSIRO monitoring programs for three sites, with records dating back to the 1940s.
• Covers nine distinct geographic locations around the Australian coastline.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

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

Collection Method

Monthly field sampling from small vessels at nine National Reference Stations.

Time Range

2008 to present (ongoing for 7 sites), with historical data from 1944-2010 for three sites.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-18 18:02:27.681016; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Nine coastal sites 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).