Decadal Sea Surface Warming Rates for Australian Marine Parks

1992 to 2016 data measures mean decadal sea surface temperature warming rates across 58 Australian Marine Parks. The dataset is derived from the Sea Surface Temperature Atlas of the Australian Regional Seas (SSTAARS) and supported by the National Environmental Science Program Marine Biodiversity Hub. It provides linear SST trends in degrees Celsius per decade for a 25-year period.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial patterns of warming rates (trend_d) across different marine parks to identify hotspots of temperature change.
• Correlate the decadal warming rate (trend_d) with other marine biodiversity or habitat datasets for impact studies.
• Model future sea surface temperature projections based on the established 25-year linear trend (trend_d).
• Compare warming rates (trend_d) between different Australian Marine Park regions over the 1992-2016 period.

Strengths

• 25-year temporal coverage from 1992 to 2016 provides a long-term climate signal.
• Spatial coverage includes 58 distinct Australian Marine Parks for broad regional analysis.
• Data derived from the authoritative Sea Surface Temperature Atlas of the Australian Regional Seas (SSTAARS).

Limitations

• Sample size (number of data points per park) and data resolution are unknown.
• Excludes the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Park, creating a geographic gap.
• Data ends in 2016, lacking the most recent decade of warming trends.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, supported by the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Marine Biodiversity Hub.

Collection Method

Derived from the Sea Surface Temperature Atlas of the Australian Regional Seas (SSTAARS).

Time Range

1992 to 2016

Freshness

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Geography

58 Australian Marine Parks (excluding Heard Island and McDonald Islands).