Data

The Great Barrier Reef Long-term Chlorophyll Monitoring (1992-2009)

Name: The Great Barrier Reef Long-term Chlorophyll Monitoring (1992-2009)
Published: 2026

Australian Institute of Marine Science

Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)

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ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2FANDS&rft_id=https://apps.aims.gov.au/metadata/view/eb16c150-c7b4-11dc-b99b-00008a07204e&rft.title=The Great Barrier Reef Long-term Chlorophyll Monitoring (1992-2009)&rft.identifier=https://apps.aims.gov.au/metadata/view/eb16c150-c7b4-11dc-b99b-00008a07204e&rft.publisher=Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS)&rft.description=The chlorophyll monitoring under the Reef Plan Marine Monitoring Programme (Reef Plan MMP) is an extension from the Long-term Chlorophyll Monitoring Program, which was initiated by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) in December 1992 as a long-term water quality monitoring program. The chlorophyll monitoring has been managed by the Australian Institute of Marine Science since 1999 and is an important part of the AIMS water quality research and monitoring activities. Since 2005, the Chlorophyll Monitoring is a component of the Reef Plan Marine Monitoring Program, a responsibility of the GBRMPA under the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan. Sample analysis and data management has been undertaken by AIMS.The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the largest contiguous coral reef ecosystem in the world. The biological productivity of the GBR is supported by nutrients (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus, silicate, iron) supplied from a number of sources, including upwelling from the Coral Sea, rainwater, nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria and runoff from the adjacent catchment. Freshwater runoff is the largest source of new nitrogen to the GBR, however, the nutrients used by GBR marine primary producers (phytoplankton, benthic algae, seagrasses and mangroves) come predominantly from recycling of nutrients already in the system. Water quality is one of the most important factors determining the long-term health of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).Increased nutrient availability, for example from human activity (e.g. agricultural runoff, soil erosion, discharges of sewage and aquaculture waste) usually leads to an increase in chlorophyll concentrations in coastal waters because of increased phytoplankton biomass. Phytoplankton can rapidly deplete nutrients to levels which would be difficult to sample and analyse directly. Concentrations of the plant pigment chlorophyll a (occurs in all marine phytoplankton) are a useful proxy indicator of the amount of nutrients incorporated into phytoplankton biomass. Chlorophyll a is today the most commonly used parameter for the monitoring of phytoplankton biomass and nutrient status, as an index of water quality.The data can be downloadedData have been used for the e-Atlas:http://e-atlas.org.au/content/water-column-chlorophyllMaintenance and Update Frequency: notPlannedStatement: Statement:Samples were collected by fully-trained community groups, tourism operators and government agencies. All AIMS data, products and services are provided as is and AIMS does not warrant their fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. While AIMS has made every reasonable effort to ensure high quality of the data, products and services, to the extent permitted by law the data, products and services are provided without any warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of title, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. AIMS make no representation or warranty that the data, products and services are accurate, complete, reliable or current. To the extent permitted by law, AIMS exclude all liability to any person arising directly or indirectly from the use of the data, products and services. Chlorophyll a and Phaeophytin concentrations are measured fluorometically using a Turner designs 10AU fluorometer after grinding the filters in 90% acetone [Parsons, T.R., Maita,Y. and Lalli, C.M. (1984). A Manual of chemical and Biological Methods for Seawater Analysis. Oxford, Pergamon Press]. The concentration of primary standard used for calibration is determined spectrophotometrically using the equations laid out in the paper by Jeffrey, S.W. and G.F. Humphrey, (1975), New Spectrophotometic equations for determining chlorophylls a, b, c1 and c2 in higher plants, algae and natural phytoplankton. Biochem Physiol. Pflanzen, 167:191-194.&rft.creator=Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) &rft.date=2026&rft.coverage=westlimit=143.0; southlimit=-26.0; eastlimit=153.5; northlimit=-11.0&rft.coverage=westlimit=143.0; southlimit=-26.0; eastlimit=153.5; northlimit=-11.0&rft_rights=Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/au/&rft_rights=Use Limitation: All AIMS data, products and services are provided as is and AIMS does not warrant their fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. While AIMS has made every reasonable effort to ensure high quality of the data, products and services, to the extent permitted by law the data, products and services are provided without any warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of title, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. AIMS make no representation or warranty that the data, products and services are accurate, complete, reliable or current. To the extent permitted by law, AIMS exclude all liability to any person arising directly or indirectly from the use of the data, products and services.&rft_rights=Attribution: Format for citation of metadata sourced from Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in a list of reference is as follows: Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). (2009). The Great Barrier Reef Long-term Chlorophyll Monitoring (1992-2009). https://apps.aims.gov.au/metadata/view/eb16c150-c7b4-11dc-b99b-00008a07204e, accessed[date-of-access].&rft_subject=oceans&rft_subject=Secchi depth&rft_subject=Concentration of chlorophyll per unit volume of the water body&rft_subject=Temperature of the water body&rft_subject=Practical salinity of the water body&rft.type=dataset&rft.language=English Access the data

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/au/

Use Limitation: All AIMS data, products and services are provided "as is" and AIMS does not warrant their fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. While AIMS has made every reasonable effort to ensure high quality of the data, products and services, to the extent permitted by law the data, products and services are provided without any warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of title, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. AIMS make no representation or warranty that the data, products and services are accurate, complete, reliable or current. To the extent permitted by law, AIMS exclude all liability to any person arising directly or indirectly from the use of the data, products and services.

Attribution: Format for citation of metadata sourced from Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) in a list of reference is as follows: "Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). (2009). The Great Barrier Reef Long-term Chlorophyll Monitoring (1992-2009). https://apps.aims.gov.au/metadata/view/eb16c150-c7b4-11dc-b99b-00008a07204e, accessed[date-of-access]".

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Full description

The chlorophyll monitoring under the Reef Plan Marine Monitoring Programme (Reef Plan MMP) is an extension from the Long-term Chlorophyll Monitoring Program, which was initiated by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) in December 1992 as a long-term water quality monitoring program. The chlorophyll monitoring has been managed by the Australian Institute of Marine Science since 1999 and is an important part of the AIMS water quality research and monitoring activities. Since 2005, the Chlorophyll Monitoring is a component of the Reef Plan Marine Monitoring Program, a responsibility of the GBRMPA under the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan. Sample analysis and data management has been undertaken by AIMS.

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is the largest contiguous coral reef ecosystem in the world. The biological productivity of the GBR is supported by nutrients (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus, silicate, iron) supplied from a number of sources, including upwelling from the Coral Sea, rainwater, nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria and runoff from the adjacent catchment. Freshwater runoff is the largest source of new nitrogen to the GBR, however, the nutrients used by GBR marine primary producers (phytoplankton, benthic algae, seagrasses and mangroves) come predominantly from recycling of nutrients already in the system. Water quality is one of the most important factors determining the long-term health of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR).

Increased nutrient availability, for example from human activity (e.g. agricultural runoff, soil erosion, discharges of sewage and aquaculture waste) usually leads to an increase in chlorophyll concentrations in coastal waters because of increased phytoplankton biomass. Phytoplankton can rapidly deplete nutrients to levels which would be difficult to sample and analyse directly. Concentrations of the plant pigment chlorophyll a (occurs in all marine phytoplankton) are a useful proxy indicator of the amount of nutrients incorporated into phytoplankton biomass. Chlorophyll a is today the most commonly used parameter for the monitoring of phytoplankton biomass and nutrient status, as an index of water quality.

The data can be downloaded

Data have been used for the e-Atlas:
http://e-atlas.org.au/content/water-column-chlorophyll

Lineage

Maintenance and Update Frequency: notPlanned

Statement: Statement:Samples were collected by fully-trained community groups, tourism operators and government agencies. All AIMS data, products and services are provided "as is" and AIMS does not warrant their fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. While AIMS has made every reasonable effort to ensure high quality of the data, products and services, to the extent permitted by law the data, products and services are provided without any warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of title, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. AIMS make no representation or warranty that the data, products and services are accurate, complete, reliable or current. To the extent permitted by law, AIMS exclude all liability to any person arising directly or indirectly from the use of the data, products and services. Chlorophyll a and Phaeophytin concentrations are measured fluorometically using a Turner designs 10AU fluorometer after grinding the filters in 90% acetone [Parsons, T.R., Maita,Y. and Lalli, C.M. (1984). A Manual of chemical and Biological Methods for Seawater Analysis. Oxford, Pergamon Press]. The concentration of primary standard used for calibration is determined spectrophotometrically using the equations laid out in the paper by Jeffrey, S.W. and G.F. Humphrey, (1975), New Spectrophotometic equations for determining chlorophylls a, b, c1 and c2 in higher plants, algae and natural phytoplankton. Biochem Physiol. Pflanzen, 167:191-194.

Notes

Credit
Gruber, RK (Point Of Contact)

Modified: 11 09 2026

This dataset is part of a larger collection

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text: westlimit=143.0; southlimit=-26.0; eastlimit=153.5; northlimit=-11.0

Subjects

User Contributed Tags

Other Information

Spatial and temporal patterns of near-surface chlorophyll a in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon: Brodie JE, De'ath AG, Devlin MJ, Furnas MJ and Wright M (2007) Spatial and temporal patterns of near-surface chlorophyll a in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. Marine and Freshwater Research 58: 342-353.

local : articleId=7394

Three lines of evidence to link outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns seastar Acanthaster planci to the release of larval food limitation: Fabricius KE, Okaji K and De'ath AG (2010) Three lines of evidence to link outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns seastar Acanthaster planci to the release of larval food limitation. Coral Reefs 29: 593-605.

local : articleId=8530

CSV Data Download

url : https://data.aims.gov.au/data-download/rwqpp/wqnut/eb16c150-c7b4-11dc-b99b-00008a07204e/GBR_chlorophyll_monitoring_1992-2009.csv External Link

Method for laboratory analysis of chlorophyll a in marine waters

url : https://api.aims.gov.au/data-v2.0/eb16c150-c7b4-11dc-b99b-00008a07204e/files/Method for analysis of chlorophyll a in marine waters.pdf External Link

Exposure of inner-shelf reefs to nutrient enriched runoff entering the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon: Post-European changes and the design of water quality targets: Wooldridge SA, Brodie JE and Furnas MJ (2006) Exposure of inner-shelf reefs to nutrient enriched runoff entering the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon: Post-European changes and the design of water quality targets. Marine Pollution Bulletin 52: 1467-1479.

local : articleId=7293

A guide to the reef monitoring database. Long term monitoring of the Great Barrier Reef. Standard operational procedure No. 5: Baker VJ and Coleman GJ (2000) A guide to the reef monitoring database. Long term monitoring of the Great Barrier Reef. Standard operational procedure No. 5. SOP 5. Australian Institute of Marine Science. 72 p.

local : articleId=5818

Are increased nutrient inputs responsible for more outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish? An appraisal of the evidence: Brodie JE, Fabricius KE, De'ath AG and Okaji K (2005) Are increased nutrient inputs responsible for more outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish? An appraisal of the evidence. Marine Pollution Bulletin 51:266-278.

local : articleId=6904

e-Atlas Water column chlorophyll

url : http://e-atlas.org.au/content/water-column-chlorophyll External Link

Monitoring chlorophyll in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon: trends and variability: Brodie JE, Furnas MJ, Stevens ADL, Trott LA, Pantus F and Wright M (1997) Monitoring chlorophyll in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon: trends and variability. 1: 797-802. In: Proceedings of the 8th International Coral Reef Symposium, Panama, 24-29 June 1996. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

local : articleId=1205

AIMS Chlorophyll monitoring

url : https://www.aims.gov.au/docs/data-centre/chlorophyllmonitoring.html External Link

Historic sample collection method manual for chlorophyll monitoring program

url : https://api.aims.gov.au/data-v2.0/eb16c150-c7b4-11dc-b99b-00008a07204e/files/Community Chlorophyll Manual V6-Apr2009.pdf External Link

Identifiers

global : eb16c150-c7b4-11dc-b99b-00008a07204e