Surveys of Macrocystis pyrifera kelp beds on Tasmania's south and east coasts were conducted by the CSIRO Division of Fisheries between 1950 and mid-1953. The data was collected to assess the beds as a source of alginates and was published in a 1954 paper. The dataset is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.
Use Cases
- Assess historical biomass of Macrocystis pyrifera based on survey locations and dates mentioned in the description
- Map the spatial distribution of kelp beds along Tasmania's coast based on the geospatial file formats
- Study changes in alginate resource availability over a multi-year period based on the 1950-1953 survey timeframe
Strengths
- Data collection spans a defined multi-year period from 1950 to mid-1953.
- Surveys were conducted by a named research organization, the CSIRO Division of Fisheries.
- The dataset has a specific geographic focus on Tasmania's south and east coasts.
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 its 1950s collection period.
Provenance
- Source
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industry Research Organization (CSIRO) Division of Fisheries
- Collection Method
- Field surveys conducted as part of a seaweed program.
- Time Range
- 1950 to mid-1953
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-06-27 15:48:35.361638; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- South and east coasts of Tasmania, Australia