HF ocean radar measurements of sea surface currents, wind direction, and wave height from the Capricorn Bunker Group site in the Great Barrier Reef. The data were collected by a WERA phased array system with two receive arrays operating at 8.348 MHz, providing coverage from the coast to beyond the continental shelf. The system was funded by an ARC LEIF Grant and partners including James Cook University and was decommissioned in April 2017.
Use Cases
- Tracking filaments of different water types and their impact on coral reefs based on surface current velocity data.
- Investigating the frequency and location of regional upwelling that fuels marine productivity based on current patterns.
- Studying connectivity between reefs and islands within the Great Barrier Reef lagoon based on water movement data.
- Validating ocean circulation models using measured surface currents, wind directions, and significant wave height.
Strengths
- Provides surface current measurements with a maximum range of 200 km and a range resolution of 4.5 km.
- Data also allow for calculation of wind directions and significant wave height.
- Covers a dynamic oceanographic region where the East Australian Current interacts with the Great Barrier Reef.
Limitations
- The site was decommissioned in April 2017, limiting data to a historical period.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network via the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS).
- Collection Method
- Collected by a WERA phased array HF ocean radar system with receive arrays at Tannum Sands and Lady Elliot Island.
- Time Range
- Data collection period ended in April 2017.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-07-10 12:33:31.037833; freshness should be verified as the data collection ended in 2017.
- Geography
- Southern Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Queensland, Australia, from the coast to beyond the continental shelf.