Nutrient Patterns in Port Phillip Bay During High and Low Runoff

From 1993 to 1995, this dataset captures nutrient concentrations in northern Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, focusing on periods of high runoff (September 1993) and low runoff (January 1995). It includes measurements of ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate, and chlorophyll a, collected via continuous profiling from a ship to resolve features at scales of about 200 meters. The data highlight spatial variability and identify major nutrient input areas from riverine and treatment plant sources.

Use Cases

• Analyzing spatial nutrient gradients to identify pollution sources based on ammonium/salinity relationships.
• Modeling the impact of seasonal runoff on coastal water quality using nitrate and phosphate concentration data.
• Comparing nutrient input from distinct sources like the Yarra/Maribyrnong and Werribee rivers using silicate concentration patterns.
• Assessing chlorophyll a distribution in relation to nutrient availability for phytoplankton studies.

Strengths

• High-resolution spatial data with measurements taken every 10 seconds, resolving features over scales of about 200 meters.
• Explicit temporal coverage for two contrasting hydrological conditions: high runoff (September 1993) and low runoff (January 1995).
• Comprehensive nutrient panel including ammonium, oxidised nitrogen, phosphate, and silicate, with reported concentration ranges.

Limitations

• Critical metadata such as row count, specific column names, file size, license, and author are missing from all platform entries.
• The dataset's temporal coverage is limited to two specific months over a two-year study, not a continuous time series.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates (2026-04-30 and 2026-03-07) on the same platform suggest potential metadata management issues.

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia, as part of the Port Phillip Bay Environmental Study.

Collection Method

Data collected via continuous profiling technique aboard a ship, using flow-segmented colorimetric analysis of filtered seawater.

Time Range

1993 to 1995 (specific focus on September 1993 and January 1995).

Freshness

2026-04-30 12:37:17.438779

Geography

Northern Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia (approximately 2000 km² bay area).