IMOS - Ships of Opportunity – Sensors on Temperate Merchant Vessels Sub-Facility
Updated: 2025-12-04
The IMOS Ships of Opportunity - Sensors on Temperate Merchant Vessels Sub-Facility maintains an autonomous marine monitoring system on the Spirit of Tasmania I vessel to monitor long-term climate change indicators and measures of ecosystem health in Bass Strait surface waters and coastal waters of Victoria and Tasmania.
Data
- Link to temperate merchant vessel page on IMOS website
- Full metadata link
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- {"title":"IMOS - Ships of Opportunity Facility","recordAbstract":"The Ships of Opportunity Facility (formerly known as Enhancement of Measurements on Ships of Opportunity (SOOP)) encompasses both the open ocean and coastal waters, in support of short time-scales associated with ocean prediction and the longer term scales of climate research. The aim of the Facility is to implement an integrated observing system in Australian regional seas that link physical, chemical and biological oceanography and ecology. Our ships of opportunity include both volunteer commercial vessels on regular routes and research vessels covering more varied routes. \n\nThe target regions are the boundary current systems off Eastern and Western Australia, the Southern Ocean, the shelf seas across northern Australia, and the Great Barrier Reef. This is achieved by the following specific goals:\n1.\tImplement vessels on suitable routes with an integrated system of measurements including physical and biogeochemical parameters \na.\tMonitor the major boundary currents systems around Australia.\nb.\tMonitor both local processes and the interactions of the boundary currents on the continental shelf \n2.\tProvide in situ input and/or validation to model and data analyses covering the waters around Australia.\n\nThe use of vessels that undertake continuous transects between ports or regions allow seasonal and annual datasets to be established. The Ships of Opportunity Facility builds upon similar pre-existing programs, expanding to collect a wider variety of data and increasing the number of vessels fitted with the various sampling equipment. The Ships of Opportunity Facility consists of nine different sub-facilities (+ 1 inactive sub-facility) :\n\nExpendable Bathythermographs - Expendable Bathythermographs (XBTs) are single-use instruments that are used to measure temperature profiles of the ocean. Using ships that undertake the same path on a regular basis allows the collection of high-density transects, capturing high-resolution and temporal information that allows for smaller-scale oceanic features, including fronts and eddies to be resolved.\n \nBiogeochemical 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). \n \nAustralian Plankton Survey - measures plankton communities around Australia using Continuous Plankton Recorders (CPRs). \n\nSouthern Ocean Plankton - measures plankton communities using Continuous Plankton Recorders (CPRs), using ships that regularly traverse the Southern Ocean, it will provide species-specific information on both phytoplankton and zooplankton from approximately 43⁰S to the Antarctic sea-ice edge.\n\nSensors on Tropical Research Vessels (inactive) - AIMS research vessels the RV Solander and the RV Cape Ferguson. The instruments obtain underway observations of near-surface water properties, including temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, fluorescence and turbidity. \n\nSea Surface Temperature Sensors for Australian Vessels - Implemented on Australian Volunteer Observing Fleet (AVOF) vessels and several passenger ferries. Hull-mounted sensors supply high-quality bulk SST data fed into existing data management systems and broadcast via satellite back to Australia. Radiometers on ferries supply high-quality skin SST data in near real-time. \n\nResearch Vessels Real-time Air-Sea Fluxes - Research vessels have been equipped with \"climate quality\" met. systems, providing high quality air-sea flux measurements and delivered in near real-time. \n\nBioacoustics - Uses vessels equipped with echosounders, at single and multiple frequencies to estimate the abundance and distribution of these mid-tropic level organisms.\n\nSensors on Temperate Merchant Vessels - Use autonomous water sampling equipment installed on the Spirit of Tasmania 1 to continuous monitor Port Phillip Bay and the Bass Strait. The regularity and consistency in voyage track between the two ports provides high-quality repeat sampling of marine conditions.\n\nFishing Vessels as Ships of Opportunity - Works with the fishing industry to collect near real-time subsurface sea temperature measurements by installing equipment on fishing gear deployed by a network of commercial fishing vessels."}
- {"title":"Bioacoustics data from Ships of Opportunity (2008 - 2020)","recordAbstract":"Shedding light on the distribution and ecosystem function of mesopelagic communities in the twilight zone (~200–1000 m depth) of global oceans can bridge the gap in estimates of species biomass, trophic linkages, and carbon sequestration role. Ocean basin-scale bioacoustic data from ships of opportunity programs are increasingly improving this situation by providing spatio-temporal calibrated acoustic snapshots of mesopelagic communities that can mutually complement established global ecosystem, carbon, and biogeochemical models. This data descriptor provides an overview of such bioacoustic data from Australia’s Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) Bioacoustics Ships of Opportunity Program. Until 30 September 2020, more than 600,000 km of data from 22 platforms have been processed. Approximately 67% of total data holdings were collected by 13 commercial fishing vessels, fostering collaborations between researchers and ocean industry.\n\nA snapshot of this data (up to 30/09/2020) has been assigned a DOI and will be maintained in perpetuity by the Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN). The ongoing version of this dataset is freely available through the AODN Portal (https://portal.aodn.org.au/search?uuid=8edf509b-1481-48fd-b9c5-b95b42247f82)."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Ships of Opportunity - Bioacoustics Sub-Facility","recordAbstract":"The IMOS Ships Of Opportunity Bioscoustics Sub-Facility is part of a major international effort that aims to develop a global ocean Mid-trophic Automatic Acoustic Sampler (MAAS) being proposed as part of the CLimate Impacts on Oceanic TOp Predators (CLIOTOP) program. This dataset covers the Indian Ocean and waters south and east of Australia and across to New Zealand. This program commenced on the 1st of July 2010 to collect underway acoustic data while vessels are transiting ocean basins. The program utilises a mix of commercial fishing vessels, that have agreed to record data during transits to and from fishing grounds, and scientific research vessels collecting underway acoustic data during transits and science operations. \n\nBio acoustic signals allow understanding how mid-water prey species (known collectively as micronekton) such as small fish, squid, krill and jellyfish are distributed. Micronekton form the core of the ocean food web, transferring energy from primary producers at the ocean surface to top predators such as tunas, billfish, sharks, seals and seabirds. The mass and distribution of micronekton reflects broad-scale patterns in the structure and function of the ocean, as well as the dynamics of marine ecosystems. The mapping complements established observing systems such as physical sampling of ocean currents, surveys of ocean chemistry and biology (plankton and zooplankton), and electronic tagging and tracking of large marine fish and mammals. The combined information greatly enhances the capacity of marine scientists to monitor shifts in food availability over time, assisting in the monitoring and modelling of oceanography, ecosystems, fisheries and climate change, and in understanding the behaviour of top predators. \n\nData Collection: All vessels collect 38 kHz acoustic data from either Simrad EK60, ES60 (split beam) or ES70 echosounders. In all cases the 38 kHz echosounders are connected to Simrad ES38B transducers. This is a narrow-beam (7 o) ceramic transducer with good long term stability and manufacturer supplied calibration parameters. Research vessel Southern Surveyor also collected concurrent acoustic data at 12 and 120 kHz. The research vessel Aurora Australis collected concurrent acoustic data at 12, 120 and 200 kHz. The primary data-type recorded from the vessel-mounted echosounder systems is georeferenced calibrated water column volume backscatter, Sv [dB re 1 m-1], (Maclennan et al. 2002) . The raw acoustic data is post processed to (i) identify on-transit data and prioritise processing, (ii) apply calibration offsets, (iii) apply semi-automated filters to identify and reject bad data and (iv) create output stored in netCDF format, mean echointegrated Sv for cells of 1000 m distance and 10 m height. A full metadata record is also stored in each netCDF file. \n\nReference: *Maclennan, D.N., Fernandes, P.G., and Dalen, J. 2002. A consistent approach to definitions and symbols in fisheries acoustics. ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 59(2): 365."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Ships of Opportunity - Australian Plankton Survey Sub-Facility","recordAbstract":"The Ships of Opportunity Facility encompasses both the open ocean and coastal waters, in support of short time-scales associated with ocean prediction and the longer term scales of climate research. \n\nThe IMOS Ships of Opportunity Australian Plankton Survey Sub-Facility (formerly known as the Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder (AusCPR)) uses a number of Continuous Plankton Recorders (CPR), the only platform that can assess plankton species and be towed behind ships of opportunity. \n\nSpecies-level data are vital to examine mesoscale productivity, biodiversity, and climate impacts on marine ecosystems. Two seasonal routes will be operated, in the Southern Ocean, and the East Australian Current.\n\nData from Southern Ocean CPR (SO-CPR) surveys are also available, managed by the Southern Ocean Plankton Sub-Facility. In addition to data currently being collected, historical data from 1990 have been made available by scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Ships of Opportunity - Research Vessels Real-Time Air-Sea Flux (ASF) Sub-Facility","recordAbstract":"The Ships of Opportunity - Research Vessels Real-Time Air-Sea Flux (ASF) Sub-Facility, collects underway meteorological and oceanographic observations during scientific and Antarctic resupply voyages in the oceans adjacent to Australia. Data products are quality controlled observations, and bulk air-sea fluxes and input observations.\n\nResearch Vessel Real Time Air-Sea Fluxes, equips the Marine National Facility (MNF) (Research Vessels Southern Surveyor and Investigator), the Australian Antarctic Division (Research and Supply Vessels Aurora Australis and Nuyina), and Research Vessel Tangaroa with \"climate quality\" meteorological measurement systems, capable of providing high quality air-sea flux measurements and delivered to researchers on a near real-time basis. Obtaining the full set of air-sea fluxes essential for climate studies requires observations of: wind, air and sea temperature, humidity, pressure, precipitation, long- and short-wave radiation. \n\nThe existing ship meteorological sensor sets have been completed with IMOS instruments and a comprehensive annual calibration programs implemented. Data streams are fed into the existing ship data management system, and broadcast via satellite back to Australia routinely. The observations are quality controlled at the Bureau of Meteorology and air-sea fluxes calculated using the COARE Bulk Flux algorithm. \n\nA daily file of 1-minute averages of the observations and a daily file of calculated bulk fluxes are generated shortly after 0000UTC and provided to IMOS."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Ships of Opportunity - Sensors on Tropical Research Vessels Sub-Facility","recordAbstract":"The research vessels (RV Cape Ferguson and RV Solander) of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) routinely record along-track (underway) measurements of near-surface water temperature, salinity, chlorophyll (fluorescence) and turbidity (NTU) during scientific operations in the tropical waters of northern Australia, particularly the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). All data records include sampling time (UTC), position (Latitude, Longitude) and water depth (under keel). \n\nData are recorded at 10 second intervals. Data are measured with a Seabird SBE38 thermometer, Seabird SBE21 thermosalinograph and Wetlabs ECO-FLNTU-RT (optical sensor for chlorophyll fluorescence and turbidity). The turbidity data (NTU) are currently regarded as provisional in the absence of local validation due to intermittent bubble contamination. The sampling intakes are located at depths of 1.9m (RV Cape Ferguson) and 2.5m (RV Solander).\n\nThe data is used to inform spatial patchiness of these variables and for ongoing validation of satellite ocean temperature and ocean colour products.\n\nThe IMOS Ships of Opportunity, Sensors on Tropical Research Vessels sub-Facility was discontinued in June 2022. Sea surface temperature data collected by Australian Institute of Marine Science research vessels continues to be provided via the IMOS Ships of Opportunity, Sea Surface Temperature Sensors for Australian Vessels sub-Facility records on the AODN Portal. The near real time sea surface temperature data are quality controlled by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and uploaded onto the Global Telecommunication System (GTS) for global dissemination to be used in real time sea surface temperature analyses and climate data records. Access to the additional data collected by the AIMS research vessels, is provided on the AIMS data repository here: https://apps.aims.gov.au/metadata/view/8af21108-c535-43bf-8dab-c1f45a26088c."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Ships of Opportunity - Biogeochemical Sensors - Near real-time raw data","recordAbstract":"The IMOS Ships of Opportunity Biogeochemical Sensors Sub-Facility was formerly known as the Underway CO2 Measurements group, a research and data collection project working within the former IMOS Ship of Opportunity Multi-Disciplinary Underway Network Sub-Facility. The CO2 group sample critical regions of the Southern Ocean and the Australian shelf waters have a major impact on CO2 uptake by the ocean. These are regions where biogeochemical cycling is predicted to be particularly sensitive to a changing climate. The data represented by this record are presented in real-time mode. The pCO2 Underway System measures variables such as mole fraction of CO2, sea surface salinity (SSS), and sea surface temperature (SST) using an automated system. \n\nThe RV Aurora Australis provides data on surface ocean CO2 for the Southern Ocean, while the RV Investigator, covers shelf and offshore waters around Australia from the tropics to the sea-ice edge."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Ships of Opportunity - Biogeochemical Sensors - delayed mode data","recordAbstract":"The IMOS Ships of Opportunity Biogeochemical Sensors Sub-Facility was formerly known as the Underway CO2 Measurements group, a research and data collection project working within the former IMOS Ship of Opportunity Multi-Disciplinary Underway Network Sub-Facility. The CO2 group sample critical regions of the Southern Ocean and the Australian shelf waters have a major impact on CO2 uptake by the ocean. These are regions where biogeochemical cycling is predicted to be particularly sensitive to a changing climate. The pCO2 Underway System measures the fugacity of carbon dioxide (fCO2) along with other variables such as sea surface salinity (SSS) and sea surface temperature (SST) using an automated system. The data represented by this record are presented in delayed mode. \n\nThe RV Aurora Australis, and its replacement in 2025, RV Nuyina, provides data on surface ocean CO2 for the Southern Ocean, while the Southern Surveyor and its replacement in 2014, RV Investigator, covers shelf and offshore waters around Australia from the tropics to the sea-ice edge. The RV L'Astrolabe is also used to collect data on route from Tasmania to Dumont d'Urville station, Antarctica. The New Zealand National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd. (NIWA) has supported the setup of underway CO2 measurements on the RV Tangaroa. The Tangaroa covers oceans adjacent to New Zealand."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Ships of Opportunity - Fishing Vessels as Ships of Opportunity Sub-Facility - Real-time data","recordAbstract":"Fishing Vessels as Ships of Opportunity (FishSOOP) is an IMOS Sub-Facility working with fishers to collect real-time temperature and depth data by installing equipment on a network of commercial fishing vessels using a range of common fishing gear.\n\nEvery day, fishing vessels operate broadly across the productive areas of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone where we have few subsurface ocean measurements. The Sub-Facility is utilising this observing opportunity to cost-effectively increase the spatial and temporal resolution of subsurface temperature data in Australia’s inshore, shelf, upper-slope, and offshore waters. The data is currently returned to each fishing boat in near-real time, so skippers can relate their catches to temperature-at-depth information. The same data will also be collated to provide oceanographers with quality-controlled data for ground-truthing coastal models and to improve analysis and forecasts of oceanic conditions.\n\nThe IMOS funded data collection follows on from a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) funded pilot project (2022-007) with the University of New South Wales, Fishwell Consulting and IMOS. In the first year of the project 32 commercial fishing vessels had been equipped with sensors. They covered a range of fishing vessels, including scallop dredges, tuna longlines, shark gillnets, otter board trawlers, lobster pots, fish traps, prawn trawlers, squid jigs, and danish seines. We also had a pre-trial test with one boat the year prior, with the sensor installed on a trawler."}
- {"title":"IMOS - Ships of Opportunity – Expendable Bathythermographs Sub-Facility","recordAbstract":"The IMOS Ships of Opportunity Expendable Bathythermographs Sub-Facility was formerly known as the Underway Expendable Bathythermographs (XBT), a research and data collection project working within the former IMOS Ship of Opportunity Multi-Disciplinary Underway Network Sub-Facility.\n\nFive major (HRX) high-resolution XBT lines provide boundary to boundary profiling and closely spaced sampling to resolve mesoscale eddies, fronts and boundary currents. The lines are repeated 4 times per year by an on-board technician. The routes sample each major boundary current system using available commercial vessel traffic. All of the transects transmit data in real-time."}
- {"title":"IMOS Ships of Opportunity - Sea Surface Temperature Sensors for Australian Vessels Sub-Facility","recordAbstract":"The Sea Surface Temperature Sensors for Australian Vessels Sub-Facility aims to enable accurate, quality controlled, sea surface temperature (SST) data to be supplied in near real-time (within 24 hours) from ships of opportunity and research vessels in the Australian region.\n\nRemotely sensed SST data is an important input to ocean, numerical weather prediction, seasonal and climate models. In order to improve calibration and validation of satellite SST in the Australian region, there is a need for high quality in situ SST observations with greater timeliness, spatial and temporal coverage than is currently available. Regions particularly lacking in moored or drifting buoy observations are the Western Pacific Tropical Warm Pool region (Indonesia), close to the Australian coast (including Bass Strait) and the Southern Ocean. Past ship SST observations from ships of opportunity are either of questionable accuracy or difficult to access in a timely manner. \n\nThere are five vessels carrying automatic weather stations (AWS) that participate in the Australian Volunteer Observing Fleet (AVOF) program and two vessels equipped with a newly designed system for real-time SST data acquisition. Their routes include the Southern Ocean, coastal Australia (Queensland to South Australia), Bass Strait, Pacific Ocean, South-East Asia and the Tasman Sea. Four AVOF vessels with hull-mounted temperature sensors (Sea Bird SBE 48) and one with a digital oceanographic thermometer (Sea Bird SBE 38, RV L’Astrolabe) are supplying high-quality bulk SST data hourly. There is also one passenger ferry that is currently taking SST measurements using the high-accuracy SBE 38 sensor (MV SeaFlyte – Hillarys Harbour-Rottnest Island). In addition, there are now near real-time SST data streams available from two Australian research vessels (RV Southern Surveyor and RSV Aurora Australis), one New Zealand research vessel (RV Tangaroa), and a small research vessel operated by CSIRO near the south-east coast of Western Australia (RV Linnaeus). In total, twelve vessels send SST data in real-time. \n\nAll SST data are being quality assured, placed on the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) and fed into the Bureau of Meteorology's near real-time satellite SST data validation system and operational regional and global SST analyses. Additionally, there are historical SST observations from four vessels which are not currently available in real-time: passenger ferry MV Fantasea, Whitsundays area, radiometer and bulk SST (November 2008 to March 2010); two AVOF vessels: MV Iron Yandi (February 2010 to January 2011) and PV Pacific Sun (December 2010 to July 2012); and one Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS), MV Pacific Celebes which has been carrying high-quality scientific equipment (January 2008 to March 2012)."}
- {"title":"Spirit of Tasmania 1 - a platform of the IMOS Ships of Opportunity - Sensors on Temperate Merchant Vessels Sub-Facility","recordAbstract":"The Spirit of Tasmania 1 platform collects oceanographic observations (including sea surface temperature) during\npassenger transportation through Bass Strait between Melbourne (Victoria)/Geelong and Devonport (Tasmania).\n\nThe IMOS Ships of Opportunity - Sensors on Temperate Merchant Vessels Sub-Facility maintains an underway sampling Seabird SBE45 thermo-salinograph (TSG), a Wetlabs combination fluorometer and turbidity sensor (ECO-FLNTU), a GPS were deployed in June 2008 on the Spirit of Tasmania I for initial trials. Routine data collection commenced on 28 August 2008.\n\nThe Spirit of Tasmania 1 is owned by the TT-Line Company Pty Ltd and give a regular and reliable service linking mainland Australia to Tasmania.\n\nThe Spirit of Tasmania operates under the ship callsign VLST and has the following characteristics:\n- Owner : TT-Line Company Pty Ltd\n- Builder : Kvaerner Masa-Yards Finland\n- Year Built : 1998\n- Ship type : RO/RO Passenger V/L\n- Class : American Bureau of Shipping\n- Overall length : 194.33 metres\n- Overall width : 25 metres\n- Gross tonnage : 29.338 tonnes\n- Dead weight 5651 tonnes\n- Engines : 4x4 Stroke single acting turbo charged diesel of 10.560 kw each. Connected to twin variable pitch propellers via reduction gearboxes 510/147 RPM."}
