Near real-time Sea Surface Temperature observations collected daily from the merchant vessel Fantasea Wonder on its route between Shute Harbour and Hardy Reef. Data includes skin and bulk SST from two sensor types, quality-controlled by the Bureau of Meteorology and provided as 1-minute averages. The dataset is part of the IMOS Ships of Opportunity program, aiming to supply SST data within 24 hours of collection.
Use Cases
- Validating satellite-derived sea surface temperature products based on in-situ sensor data.
- Analyzing diurnal and seasonal temperature variability in the Whitsunday region based on the 1-minute averaged time series.
- Calibrating oceanographic models using quality-controlled skin and bulk SST measurements from a consistent ferry route.
Strengths
- Data undergoes daily quality control by the Bureau of Meteorology.
- Provides near real-time data, typically available within 24 hours of observation.
- Includes both skin and bulk sea surface temperature measurements from two sensor types.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to a single vessel's route in the Australian region.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) via the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) Ships of Opportunity program.
- Collection Method
- Underway observations collected from sensors on the merchant vessel Fantasea Wonder, retrieved and processed daily.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-29 11:28:15.899089; data is supplied in near real-time.
- Geography
- Route between Shute Harbour and Hardy Reef in the Whitsundays, Australian region.