Nutrient Patterns in Port Phillip Bay During High and Low Runoff Periods

Nutrient and chlorophyll a distributions from the Port Phillip Bay Environmental Study, measured monthly for two years. The dataset compares high runoff (September 1993) and low runoff (January 1995) periods, with nutrient concentrations measured via continuous profiling at 10-second intervals. The data was collected by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Modeling nutrient source attribution based on ammonium/salinity and silicate/salinity relationships mentioned in the description.
• Analyzing spatial variability of nutrient concentrations during different runoff conditions described for the bay's northern and western perimeters.
• Studying the link between freshwater runoff and phytoplankton biomass based on chlorophyll a data collected simultaneously.
• Comparing nutrient input from distinct sources like the Yarra/Maribyrnong and Werribee rivers as discussed in the description.

Strengths

• High-resolution temporal sampling with measurements taken every 10 seconds.
• Explicit comparison of two distinct environmental conditions: high runoff (September 1993) and low runoff (January 1995).
• Bay-wide surveys covering approximately 2000 km², completed within 3 days.
• Concentration ranges for key nutrients (ammonium, oxidised N, phosphate, silicate) are provided.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified; last metadata update was 2026-06-04.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Continuous profiling technique with seawater pumped into a mobile laboratory, filtered, and measured by flow-segmented colorimetric analysis.

Time Range

Monthly intervals over two years, with specific focus on September 1993 and January 1995.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 06:49:48.981998; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia.