Bonney Coast Upwelling Analysis Using MODIS Satellite Data, 2002-2016

More than 170 satellite images from July 2002 to December 2016 map a key seasonal upwelling system off southern Australia. The data, with a spatial resolution of ~1km, includes Sea Surface Temperature and Chlorophyll-a imagery used to analyze the system's dynamics. This study was presented at the 2017 Australian Marine Science Association Conference and is hosted by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Mapping spatial extent of coastal upwelling based on Sea Surface Temperature and Chlorophyll-a signatures.
• Analyzing inter-annual variability of upwelling intensity and duration over a 14-year period.
• Investigating correlations between upwelling events and marine life aggregations like krill swarms and blue whale presence.
• Studying the influence of climate phenomena like ENSO on seasonal upwelling patterns.

Strengths

• Contains more than 170 satellite images spanning over 14 years (July 2002 to Dec 2016).
• Provides high spatial resolution of approximately 1 kilometer for Sea Surface Temperature and Chlorophyll-a data.
• Identifies upwelling events influencing over 10,000 km2 with temperature anomalies exceeding 1°C.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data freshness should be verified; the last metadata update is listed as 2026-06-27, but the core data ends in 2016.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Analysis of MODIS satellite imagery using Topographic Position Index and image segmentation techniques.

Time Range

July 2002 to December 2016

Freshness

Data covers July 2002 to December 2016; metadata last updated 2026-06-27.

Geography

Bonney Coast, Australia, from Cape Jaffa (SA) to Cape Nelson (VIC)