HF ocean radar data measures surface currents, wind directions, and significant wave height off the coast of Western Australia. The system covers the Ningaloo Peninsula and Ningaloo Reef, an area known for high marine biodiversity. Data is collected by the Australian Ocean Data Network using a WERA phased array system with a maximum range of 200 km.
Use Cases
- Modeling surface current patterns based on radar-derived sea water velocity.
- Analyzing wind direction influence on coastal oceanography mentioned in the description.
- Studying the relationship between physical oceanographic processes and marine biodiversity aggregations like sharks and turtles.
- Estimating significant wave height for coastal management and safety.
Strengths
- Radar system operates at a specific frequency of 5.2625 MHz with a bandwidth of 25 KHz.
- System has a defined maximum measurement range of 200 km.
- Data covers the biologically significant Ningaloo Reef, one of the longest and most pristine reefs in the world.
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 data_gov_au, focusing on a specific region of Western Australia.
Provenance
- Source
- Australian Ocean Data Network
- Collection Method
- Collected by a WERA phased array HF ocean radar system with 12-element receive arrays.
- Freshness
- Last updated 2026-07-10 21:00:23.225454; freshness should be verified.
- Geography
- Northwest Shelf of Western Australia, covering the Ningaloo Peninsula and Ningaloo Reef.