IMOS Coral Coast HF Radar: Real-Time Sea Water Velocity in Western Australia

The Coral Coast HF ocean radar system measures surface currents along the Western Australia coast, an area influenced by the Leeuwin Current. It consists of two SeaSonde stations at Dongara and Green Head operating at 4.463 MHz with a 200 km range. The data is provided by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated on 2026-05-05.

Use Cases

• Modeling the Leeuwin Current's variability based on real-time velocity measurements.
• Studying larval species dispersal patterns based on current and eddy data.
• Analyzing the coupling between coastal winds, tides, and waves based on the radar's coverage area.
• Monitoring the shelf from Fremantle to Geraldton based on the continuous coverage from the CORL, TURQ, and ROT systems.

Strengths

• Provides real-time measurements of surface currents.
• System operates at a maximum range of 200 km with a range resolution of 6 km.
• Offers continuous shelf monitoring through overlap with the TURQ and ROT radar systems.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific coastal region monitored.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Measured by two SeaSonde HF ocean radar stations.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 10:58:05.052245; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Western Australia Coast, specifically the Coral Coast area from Dongara to Green Head.