Gulf of Papua - Torres Strait Satellite Water Type Maps, 2008-2019

Twelve years of daily MODIS-Aqua water type images from mid-2008 to mid-2019, plus one year of weekly Sentinel-3 images from 2019, cover the Gulf of Papua - Torres Strait region. The data was produced by the TropWATER Catchment to Reef Research Group through NESP Projects 2.2.1 and 5.14 to monitor turbidity and the Fly River plume. Processed satellite imagery includes daily color class maps and spatial summaries like median and frequency composites at seasonal and annual scales.

Use Cases

• Mapping the movement and extent of the Fly River sediment plume based on processed satellite water type classifications.
• Establishing a multi-year baseline of coastal water composition for the Gulf of Papua - Torres Strait region using long-term MODIS imagery.
• Identifying seasonal trends and instances of likely plume intrusion into the Torres Strait protected zone from spatial summary maps.
• Comparing future water quality changes against a historical reference derived from 12 years of satellite data.

Strengths

• Twelve-year temporal coverage from mid-2008 to mid-2019 provides a long-term baseline.
• Includes data from two satellite sources: MODIS-Aqua (daily) and Sentinel-3 (weekly for 2019).
• Processed outputs include multiple spatial summaries like median, frequency, and difference composite maps at seasonal and annual scales.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset was under embargo until 31/01/2022, which may affect immediate historical relevance.

Provenance

Source

TropWATER Catchment to Reef Research Group, JCU, via the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Collection Method

Medium-resolution MODIS-Aqua and Sentinel-3 satellite imagery downloaded and processed into daily color class and water type maps using specific color classification scales.

Time Range

Mid-2008 to mid-2019 for MODIS; 2019 for Sentinel-3.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-10 13:07:31.603465; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Gulf of Papua - Torres Strait region, including the Fly River plume influence area.