CORL HF Ocean Radar: Sea Water Velocity for Western Australia's Coral Coast

Two SeaSonde HF radar stations at Dongara and Green Head measure surface currents along the Western Australia coast. The system operates at 4.463 MHz with a 200 km maximum range and 6 km resolution, monitoring the Leeuwin Current and its eddies. Data is provided by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in July 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling the Leeuwin Current's variability and eddy formation based on sea water velocity measurements.
• Studying larval species dispersal and marine foraging patterns based on current data.
• Assessing coastal wind and tide coupling with ocean currents based on the radar's spatial coverage.
• Providing continuous shelf monitoring from Fremantle to Geraldton based on the overlap with adjacent radar systems.

Strengths

• Data is collected by a defined two-station HF radar system with specific technical parameters (4.463 MHz frequency, 200 km range).
• Coverage area is explicitly described, including a small overlap with adjacent monitoring systems for broader spatial context.
• The dataset's purpose is clearly linked to studying a specific oceanographic feature, the Leeuwin Current, and its ecological impacts.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Measured by the Coral Coast (CORL) HF ocean radar system, consisting of two SeaSonde crossed loop direction finding stations.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-09 23:19:41.314304; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Western Australia Coast, specifically the Coral Coast area from approximately Dongara to Green Head, with an overlap to the Turqoise Coast system.