This data contains weather data from Rib Reef, covering the periods 29-2-1980 to 25-6-1983, and 3-7-1983 to 30-12-1985. Both sets of data were recorded at the same location, the Rib Reef beacon. The earlier sequence was derived from data recorded on tape at the station, collected and then uploaded back at AIMS. The second sequence used telemetery to send binary data daily to a computer controlled base station. Data was verified by comparing three sets of the same data, received over three days. The base station passed data to the central computing facility at AIMS for processing. Lightning destroyed this system in 1985.

Data recorded: Wind direction (0-360°); Wind speed (km/hr); Air temperature (°C); Barometric pressure (mb); Solar radiation PAR (µE/sec/m²).

Other variables: Time of day (e.g. 21:53:54); Day of year (e.g.118); Year (e.g. 86).

Sensor network infrastructure was installed at Rib Reef in the central Great Barrier Reef off Townsville, Australia from 14-12-2011 to 20-04-2016. The infrastructure consists of a single 1300 mm buoy located off the north (front) of the reef. The buoy has an Inductive Modem (IM) line that extends from the buoy to the bottom and then along the bottom for around 50 m and then rises to flotation located 9 m below the surface. Instruments are located on this riser to give a profile through the water column.

The station is designed to measure temperature of the water column at the front of the reef and in particular to detect upwelling and other events where warmer bottom water is pushed across the shelf onto the reefs. This not only indicates processes operating across the shelf but also conditions when coral bleaching may be more common.

The sensor network lnfrastructure is part of the Wireless Sensor Networks Facility (formerly known as Facility for The Automated Intelligent Monitoring of Marine Systems (FAIMMS)), part of the Great Barrier Reef Ocean Observing System project (GBROOS) (IMOS) is part of the GBROOS or Great Barrier Reef Ocean Observing System project which in turn is part of the Australian Integrated Marine Observing System or IMOS.

These data were collected to support scientific research at AIMS. Data are available on request to other researchers and to the public.

Information about accuracy and the sensors used are in the Data Quality section of this metadata record.