Water Properties of Ashmore Reef, Australia, with Observations Since 1991

Observations of regional, lagoonal, and well water quality at Ashmore Reef have been recorded from 1991, with a more intensive program since 1999. Sea surface temperatures in surrounding oceanic waters seasonally range from 25.48°C to 30.2°C, and salinity from 34.51 to 34.75. The data was published in The Beagle journal and is provided by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Modeling the relationship between water chemistry and reef biodiversity based on long-term monitoring data.
• Analyzing seasonal and tidal influences on lagoon temperature and salinity ranges mentioned in the description.
• Studying the characteristics of freshwater lenses on vegetated cays based on well water data.
• Investigating the impact of monsoonal climate on reef water balance based on evaporation and rainfall figures.

Strengths

• Long-term monitoring with observations beginning in 1991 and intensifying from 1999.
• Includes specific, quantified ranges for key parameters like temperature, salinity, pH, and dissolved oxygen.
• Covers multiple water bodies: regional oceanic water, lagoons, and freshwater well lenses.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The primary data format is HTML, which may require parsing to extract structured data.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Field observations and satellite-derived measurements.

Time Range

Observations from 1991 onward.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 08:36:59.362350; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Ashmore Reef, North-west Shelf, Australia