IMOS National Reference Stations: A Continental-Wide Physical, Chemical and Biological Coastal Observing System

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113652
• Publication Date: 2014-12-18T04:29:45Z
• Authors: Tim P. Lynch; Elisabetta B. Mor...; Karen Evans; Anthony J. Richar...; Wayne Rochester; Craig R. Steinberg; Moninya Roughan; Peter Thompson; John F. Middleton; Ming Feng; Robert Sherrington; Vittorio Brando; Bronte Tilbrook; Ken Ridgway; Simon Allen; Peter Doherty; Katherine Hill; Tim C. Moltmann
• Keywords: Ocean observations; Marine ecosystem

Sustained observations allow for the tracking of change in oceanography and ecosystems, however, these are rare, particularly Southern Hemisphere. To address this part, Australian Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) implemented a network nine National Reference Stations (NRS). The builds on one long-term location, where monthly water sampling has been sustained since 1940s two others that commenced 1950s. In-situ continuously moored sensors an enhanced regime now collect more than 50 data streams. Building temperature, salinity nutrients, observes dissolved oxygen, carbon, turbidity, currents, chlorophyll both phytoplankton zooplankton. Additional parameters studies ocean acidification bio-optics collected at sub-set sites all is made freely publically available. Our preliminary results demonstrate increased utility to observe extreme events, such as marine heat waves coastal flooding; rare plankton blooms; have, first time, allowed consistent continental scale analysis zooplankton communities. Independent allows cross validation deployed quality control tracks daily, seasonal annual variation. NRS will provide multi-decadal time series, against which spatially replicated short-term can be referenced, models remote sensing products validated, improvements our understanding how large-scale, variability global affecting Australia's seas ecosystems. provides example scaled observing systems developed integrate across physics, chemistry biology.