title: IMOS National Reference Stations: a continental-wide physical, chemical and biological coastal observing system.
abstract: Sustained observations allow for the tracking of change in oceanography and ecosystems, however, these are rare, particularly for the Southern Hemisphere. To address this in part, the Australian Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) implemented a network of nine National Reference Stations (NRS). The network builds on one long-term location, where monthly water sampling has been sustained since the 1940s and two others that commenced in the 1950s. In-situ continuously moored sensors and an enhanced monthly water sampling regime now collect more than 50 data streams. Building on sampling for temperature, salinity and nutrients, the network now observes dissolved oxygen, carbon, turbidity, currents, chlorophyll a and both phytoplankton and zooplankton. Additional parameters for studies of ocean acidification and bio-optics are collected at a sub-set of sites and all data is made freely and publically available. Our preliminary results demonstrate increased utility to observe extreme events, such as marine heat waves and coastal flooding; rare events, such as plankton blooms; and have, for the first time, allowed for consistent continental scale sampling and analysis of coastal zooplankton and phytoplankton communities. Independent water sampling allows for cross validation of the deployed sensors for quality control of data that now continuously tracks daily, seasonal and annual variation. The NRS will provide multi-decadal time series, against which more spatially replicated short-term studies can be referenced, models and remote sensing products validated, and improvements made to our understanding of how large-scale, long-term change and variability in the global ocean are affecting Australia's coastal seas and ecosystems. The NRS network provides an example of how a continental scaled observing systems can be developed to collect observations that integrate across physics, chemistry and biology.
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Tim P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, 41 Boggo Rd, Dutton Park, Queensland, 4102, Australia.
authors.forename: Elisabetta B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Morello
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, 41 Boggo Rd, Dutton Park, Queensland, 4102, Australia; Centre for Applications in Natural Resource Mathematics, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Anthony J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, 41 Boggo Rd, Dutton Park, Queensland, 4102, Australia.
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rochester
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB #3, Townsville MC, Queensland 4810, Australia.
authors.forename: Craig R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: Moninya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roughan
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.affiliation: South Australian Research and Development Institute, PO Box, 120 Henley Beach, South Australia 5022, Australia.
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Floreat, Western Australia 6014, Australia.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sherrington
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Land and Water, Clunies Ross St, Black Mountain, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brando
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Bronte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tilbrook
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ridgway
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB #3, Townsville MC, Queensland 4810, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Doherty
authors.affiliation: Integrated Marine Observing System, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Integrated Marine Observing System, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 110, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Tim C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Moltmann
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D001686:Biological Phenomena; D055598:Chemical Phenomena; D007753:Laboratories; D009791:Oceanography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D055585:Physical Phenomena; D010839:Phytoplankton; D011786:Quality Control; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013686:Telemetry; D013696:Temperature