Newcastle HF Ocean Radar: Sea Water Velocity from the East Australian Current Region

Two SeaSonde HF radar stations at Sea Rocks and Red Head measure surface currents off the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. The system operates at 5.2625 MHz with a maximum range of 200 km and a 6 km range resolution. Data is provided by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in July 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling the separation of the East Australian Current from the coast based on sea water velocity measurements.
• Analyzing eddy generation and its impact on larval and marine species distribution based on current data.
• Studying the coupling of coastal winds, tides, and waves with ocean currents in the Central Coast region.
• Validating hydrodynamic models of the New South Wales shelf using direct surface current observations.

Strengths

• Data is collected by two specific radar stations with precise locations: Sea Rocks (32.441575 S 152.539022 E) and Red Head (33.010245 S 151.727059 E).
• System specifications are detailed: 5.2625 MHz frequency, 25 KHz bandwidth, 200 km maximum range, and 6 km range resolution.
• Focuses on a scientifically dynamic area influenced by the East Australian Current, coastal winds, tides, and waves.

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 of New South Wales, Australia.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Measured by a two-station SeaSonde crossed loop direction finding HF ocean radar system.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-10 23:00:02.521368; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Central Coast, New South Wales, Australia, within a 200 km maximum radar range from the specified stations.