Nutrient and Chlorophyll Distributions in Port Phillip Bay During High and Low Runoff

The Port Phillip Bay Environmental Study measured bay-wide nutrient and chlorophyll a distributions monthly for two years. Reported data focus on nutrient variation in northern Port Phillip Bay during a high runoff period in September 1993 and a low runoff period in January 1995, collected via continuous profiling from a ship. Measurements resolved features at scales of about 200 meters, covering the entire bay (approximately 2000 km²) in 3-day surveys.

Use Cases

• Modeling nutrient source attribution based on ammonium/salinity and silicate/salinity relationships.
• Analyzing spatial variability of phosphate and silicate concentrations during different runoff conditions.
• Studying the impact of freshwater inputs from the Yarra/Maribyrnong and Werribee River sources on marine biomass.
• Investigating the role of internal nutrient recycling from the seafloor during low runoff periods.

Strengths

• Data includes specific concentration ranges for ammonium (<0.5-40 mM), oxidised N (<0.2-20 mM), phosphate (<1-8 mM), and silicate (<1-80 mM).
• High spatial resolution, with measurements allowing features to be resolved over scales of about 200 meters.
• Surveys covered the entire Port Phillip Bay (approximately 2000 km²) and could be completed in 3 days.
• Simultaneous collection of hydrographic and chlorophyll a data alongside nutrient measurements.

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; the last metadata update is 2026-04-10 17:35:56.831666.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Nutrients measured by a continuous profiling technique aboard ship using flow-segmented colorimetric analysis.

Time Range

Includes data from September 1993 and January 1995.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 17:35:56.831666; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Northern Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia.