NESP TWQ Project 3.2.5: Great Barrier Reef Water Quality Metrics from Satellite Data, 2017

NESP TWQ Project 3.2.5 data from the Australian Ocean Data Network concerns the testing and implementation of a water quality metric for the 2017 and 2018 Great Barrier Reef report cards. The metric is based on satellite remote sensing of near-surface chlorophyll and total suspended solids concentrations, providing wide spatial and temporal coverage. The dataset is associated with a research program to develop a new approach for the reef report card, as the current metric has faced criticism.

Use Cases

• Assessing marine water quality trends for the Great Barrier Reef based on satellite-derived chlorophyll and total suspended solids data.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of the Reef Plan using the annual reef report card metric described.
• Developing new water quality assessment methodologies for coral reef ecosystems as suggested by the Independent Science Panel.

Strengths

• Data provides wide spatial and temporal coverage of marine water quality for the Great Barrier Reef.
• Dataset is associated with a formal research program (NESP TWQ Project 3.2.5) aimed at improving environmental reporting.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The description indicates the current metric has issues, suggesting potential data quality concerns for the 2017 period.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Satellite remote sensing of near-surface concentrations of chlorophyll and total suspended solids.

Time Range

2017-2017

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 14:09:04.108486; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Great Barrier Reef