Australian South-Eastern Coast Upwelling Systems Mapped from 14 Years of MODIS Data

14 years of monthly MODIS sea surface temperature data were used to map upwelling areas along a 4500 km stretch of Australia's south-eastern coast. The dataset, published in a 2019 Remote Sensing of Environment study, reveals significant spatial and temporal variability in two persistent upwelling systems. It includes metrics on area of influence, SST anomaly, chlorophyll-a concentrations, and upwelling speed.

Use Cases

• Analyzing spatial and temporal variability of upwelling intensity based on mapped SST anomalies and chlorophyll-a concentrations.
• Modeling the influence of the East Australian Current and wind patterns on coastal upwelling systems.
• Investigating the impact of El Niño and La Niña events on upwelling characteristics over a 14-year period.
• Comparing the dynamics of two distinct upwelling systems (NSW and WVIC/SA) in terms of seasonality and intensity.

Strengths

• 14-year temporal coverage provides a substantial baseline for studying inter-annual variability.
• Spatial coverage spans a 4500 km coastline, enabling regional comparison.
• Derived metrics include multiple upwelling characteristics (SST anomaly, area, speed, chlorophyll-a).
• Method is described as scale-independent and semi-automatic, potentially enhancing consistency.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and data size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified; the last metadata update is dated 2026-06-05.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data.gov.au, based on research published in Remote Sensing of Environment (2019).

Collection Method

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

Time Range

14 years of monthly data (specific years not provided in input).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-05 07:03:08.841419; freshness should be verified

Geography

South-eastern coast of Australia, spanning approximately 4500 km from New South Wales to western Victoria and South Australia.