Biogeochemical Sensors Sub-Facility - Australia's Integrated Marine Observing System
Original (non-English) name
Acronym
Biogeochemical Sensors Sub-Facility - IMOS
Citation
Users of IMOS data are required to clearly acknowledge the source material by including the following statement:
Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). It is operated by a consortium of institutions as an unincorporated joint venture, with the University of Tasmania as Lead Agent.
Abstract
Biogeochemical Sensors collect high-quality underway CO2 observations from ships specially fitted with CO2 underway systems. Biogeochemical Sensors increase the spatial coverage of CO2 observations in both Australian waters and the Southern Ocean, complementing data collected by moorings (Acidification Moorings and Southern Ocean Time Series Observatory). Using ships that routinely undertake the same voyage tracks allow for high-resolution and temporal information on the changes in CO2 in the environment.
The data collected is used to track both the size and variability of the ocean carbon sink in Australian regional seas and the Southern Ocean. This information is used to directly assess ocean biogeochemical models and provide baseline information used to help establish an understanding of the vulnerability of marine ecosystems to ocean acidification. Providing CO2 data that would otherwise not be measured by other Facilities, Biogeochemical Sensors contribute to international efforts to track the ocean carbon sink and inform processes in the Australian region and the Australian sector of the Southern Ocean.