Bonney Coast Upwelling Spatial and Temporal Variability from MODIS Satellite Data

More than 170 satellite-derived Sea Surface Temperature and Chlorophyll-a images from July 2002 to December 2016, with a spatial resolution of approximately 1 kilometer, were used to map the Bonney Coast upwelling system. The data was processed by the Australian Ocean Data Network using Topographic Position Index and image segmentation techniques. Results confirm the upwelling is a seasonal system occurring between November and April, with strong inter-annual variation.

Use Cases

• Mapping the spatial extent of coastal upwelling based on Sea Surface Temperature and Chlorophyll-a signatures.
• Analyzing inter-annual variability in upwelling intensity and timing, potentially linked to ENSO events.
• Investigating the relationship between upwelling events and marine life aggregations, such as krill swarms and blue whale presence.
• Quantifying the surface area influenced by intensive upwelling events, which can exceed 10,000 km².

Strengths

• Includes more than 170 images spanning over 14 years (July 2002 to Dec 2016), providing a long-term time-series.
• Uses high-resolution satellite data with a spatial resolution of approximately 1 kilometer.
• Applies a combination of Topographic Position Index and image segmentation techniques for systematic mapping.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Freshness should be verified; the analysis was presented at a conference in 2017.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Processed from MODIS satellite imagery using Topographic Position Index and image segmentation techniques.

Time Range

July 2002 to December 2016

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-16 22:21:13.629691; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Bonney Coast, Australian southern shelves from Cape Jaffa (SA) to Cape Nelson (VIC)