IMOS Northwest Shelf HF Ocean Radar: Real-Time Sea Water Velocity and Wave Data

Real-time data from a WERA phased array HF ocean radar system operating at 5.2625 MHz off Western Australia. The system, managed by the Australian Ocean Data Network, measures surface currents and collects data for calculating wind direction and significant wave height within a 200 km range. It covers the Ningaloo Peninsula and Ningaloo Reef, an area known for high marine biodiversity.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface current patterns based on HF radar measurements to understand coastal hydrodynamics.
• Analyzing relationships between physical oceanographic processes and marine biodiversity in the Ningaloo Reef area.
• Calculating wind direction and significant wave height from the collected radar data for maritime safety applications.
• Monitoring real-time sea water velocity for environmental impact assessments or search and rescue operations.

Strengths

• Data is collected in real-time, providing up-to-date observations.
• The radar system has a maximum range of 200 km, offering broad spatial coverage of the Northwest Shelf.
• The description specifies precise technical parameters, including a frequency of 5.2625 MHz and a 25 KHz bandwidth.
• Data supports derivation of multiple oceanographic variables: surface currents, wind direction, and significant wave height.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale statistical modeling.
• Last updated 2026-07-13 20:19:46.898619; freshness should be verified as the date is in the future.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Collected by a WERA phased array HF ocean radar system with 12-element receive arrays at two sites: Jurabi Turtle Centre and Point Billie.

Time Range

Real-time (ongoing).

Freshness

Last updated date is listed as 2026-07-13, but this appears to be a future timestamp; data is described as real-time.

Geography

Northwest Shelf of Western Australia, covering the Ningaloo Peninsula and Ningaloo Reef.