Australian South-East Coast Upwelling Variability from 14 Years of MODIS Data

14 years of monthly MODIS satellite data map the spatial and temporal variability of two persistent upwelling systems along 4500 km of Australia's south-eastern coast. The dataset, from the Australian Ocean Data Network, reveals significant month-to-month, seasonal, and inter-annual changes in area, sea surface temperature anomaly, chlorophyll-a concentrations, and upwelling speed. Research published in 2019 indicates the New South Wales system is driven by the East Australian Current, while the western Victoria/South Australia system is wind-driven.

Use Cases

• Modeling the impact of the East Australian Current (EAC) on coastal upwelling based on the described NSW system dynamics.
• Analyzing inter-annual variability and the influence of ENSO events on upwelling intensity as indicated in the description.
• Mapping seasonal patterns of chlorophyll-a concentrations to study marine productivity cycles.
• Comparing wind-driven versus current-driven upwelling mechanisms based on the characteristics of the two identified systems.

Strengths

• 14-year temporal coverage provides a substantial baseline for variability analysis.
• Spatial coverage spans a 4500 km coastline, capturing two distinct upwelling systems.
• Derived metrics include area of influence, SST anomaly, chlorophyll-a concentrations, and upwelling speed.

Limitations

• 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

Collection Method

Developed using a scale-independent, semi-automatic image processing technique on MODIS SST data.

Time Range

14 years (specific start/end years not provided)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 21:26:46.509463; freshness should be verified.

Geography

South-eastern coast of Australia (4500 km), including New South Wales, western Victoria, and South Australia.