ROT HF Ocean Radar: Surface Currents and Wave Data for Rottnest Shelf, Western Australia

The Rottnest Shelf HF ocean radar system monitors a region with the highest marine biodiversity in Western Australia, including the Perth Canyon and whale aggregations. Data from two 16-element phased array radars operating at 8.512 MHz provide surface current measurements, wind direction, and significant wave height calculations over a maximum range of 200 km. This delayed-mode wave dataset is provided by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in July 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling surface current dynamics based on radar-derived velocity fields.
• Analyzing wind patterns and significant wave height for coastal hazard assessment.
• Studying the influence of topographic upwelling and the Leeuwin Current on marine productivity.
• Monitoring the combined coastal shelf coverage provided by the overlapping ROT and TURQ radar systems.

Strengths

• Radar system provides specific technical parameters: 8.512 MHz frequency, 33 KHz bandwidth, and a 200 km maximum range.
• Covers a scientifically significant area including the biodiverse Perth Canyon and the dynamic Leeuwin Current.
• Data collection method is explicitly described as a WERA phased array system with two 16-element receive arrays.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset scale are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Freshness should be verified despite the 2026 update date, as it is a delayed-mode product.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Data collected by a WERA phased array HF ocean radar system with receive arrays at Fremantle and Guilderton.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-10 16:52:43.697480

Geography

Rottnest Shelf, Western Australia, including Rottnest Island, the Perth Canyon, and coastal waters from Fremantle to Jurien Bay.