Geoscience Australia Data provides a dataset mapping the spatial and temporal variability of coastal upwelling systems along 4500 km of Australia's south-eastern coast. The data was derived from 14 years of monthly MODIS sea surface temperature (SST) observations. It identifies two persistent systems, the NSW and WVIC/SA upwelling systems, and characterizes their variability in area, SST anomaly, chlorophyll-a concentrations, and upwelling speed.
Use Cases
- Analyze spatial patterns of upwelling intensity based on mapped upwelling areas and SST anomalies.
- Study inter-annual variability of upwelling characteristics based on the 14-year time series.
- Compare the dynamics of wind-driven versus current-driven upwelling systems based on the described NSW and WVIC/SA systems.
- Investigate the impact of ENSO events on coastal upwelling intensity based on the described moderate influence.
- Model primary productivity in coastal waters based on the correlation with chlorophyll-a concentrations mentioned in the description.
Strengths
- Covers a 4500 km coastline, providing broad spatial coverage.
- Based on 14 years of monthly MODIS satellite data, offering a long-term temporal perspective.
- Identifies and compares two distinct upwelling systems with different drivers and seasonal patterns.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Freshness should be verified; the last metadata update was 2026-05-14.
Provenance
- Source
- Geoscience Australia Data
- Collection Method
- Derived from MODIS satellite sea surface temperature data using a scale-independent, semi-automatic image processing technique.
- Time Range
- 14 years (specific years not stated)
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-05-14 03:51:19.788595
- Geography
- South-eastern coast of Australia, spanning 4500 km from New South Wales to western Victoria and adjacent South Australia.