IMOS Ocean Radar: Real-Time Sea Water Velocity in the Great Barrier Reef

Real-time surface current data collected by a WERA phased array HF ocean radar system in the southern Great Barrier Reef until its decommissioning in April 2017. The system, funded by an ARC LEIF Grant and contributions from several universities and research institutes, measured currents, wind direction, and significant wave height. It covered an area from the coast to beyond the continental shelf, focusing on the dynamic region influenced by the East Australian Current.

Use Cases

• Tracking filaments of different water types and their impact on coral reefs and fisheries 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 for larval dispersal based on ocean current mapping.
• Validating operational ocean models by comparing predicted currents with observed HF radar data.

Strengths

• Data includes measurements for surface currents, wind direction, and significant wave height from a dual-site radar system.
• System had a maximum range of 200 km and a range resolution of 4.5 km, providing broad spatial coverage.
• Radar sites were strategically located at Tannum Sands and Lady Elliot Island to monitor a dynamic oceanic region.

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 for large-scale analysis.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS).

Collection Method

Data gathered by a WERA phased array HF ocean radar system operating at 8.348 MHz.

Time Range

Data collection period ended in April 2017.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 11:14:27.490235; 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.