IMOS Ocean Radar: Real-Time Sea Water Velocity in South Australia Gulfs

HF ocean radar data from the South Australia Gulfs region, covering approximately 40,000 square kilometers. The WERA phased array system, operated by the SA Node of IMOS, measures surface currents, wind direction, and significant wave height. Most capital was contributed by the South Australia Research and Development Institute.

Use Cases

• Modeling shelf current connections to the Flinders Current based on real-time velocity data.
• Analyzing cross-shelf exchange and summertime upwelling systems based on measured oceanic currents and processes.
• Studying the impact of ocean circulation and eddies on sediment and nutrient distribution mentioned in the description.
• Assessing environmental effects on aquaculture and fisheries based on measured surface currents and wave data.

Strengths

• Covers a key ocean area of approximately 40,000 square kilometers bounded by Kangaroo Island and the Eyre Peninsula.
• Data is collected by a WERA phased array system with a maximum range of 200 km, operating at 8.512 MHz.
• Measures surface currents and collects data for calculating 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.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific radar sites at Cape Wiles and Cape Spencer.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, SA Node of IMOS (Integrated Marine Observing System).

Collection Method

Data collected by a WERA phased array HF ocean radar system with 16-element receive arrays.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-05 11:05:43.558606; freshness should be verified.

Geography

South Australia Gulfs region, Australia, bounded by Kangaroo Island and the Eyre Peninsula.