Seasonal means of chlorophyll a concentrations in ocean surface waters derived from MODIS Aqua satellite images. The dataset covers the entire Australian Exclusive Economic Zone and surrounding waters, including the southern ocean, using monthly data from July 2002 to December 2017. This research is supported by the National Environmental Science Program Marine Biodiversity Hub.
Use Cases
- Analyze seasonal phytoplankton bloom patterns based on chlorophyll a concentrations.
- Monitor long-term changes in ocean productivity based on satellite-derived chlorophyll data.
- Model marine ecosystem health based on chlorophyll a levels across the Australian EEZ.
- Compare seasonal oceanographic conditions based on winter, spring, summer, and autumn averages.
Strengths
- Long-term temporal coverage from July 2002 to December 2017.
- Geographic extent covers the entire Australian EEZ and surrounding waters.
- Data derived from MODIS Aqua satellite imagery using NASA's SeaDAS software.
Limitations
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
- Data may reflect temporal bias inherent to the 2002-2017 period.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Derived from MODIS Aqua images using NASA's SeaDAS image processing software.
- Time Range
- July 2002 to December 2017
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-04-16 13:50:48.229778; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Australian Exclusive Economic Zone and surrounding waters, including the southern ocean.