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

The South Australia Gulfs HF ocean radar system covers an area of about 40,000 square kilometres bounded by Kangaroo Island and the Eyre Peninsula. Data from the WERA phased array system, operating at 8.512 MHz with a maximum range of 200 km, measures surface currents and can be used to calculate wind direction and significant wave height. The Australian Ocean Data Network provides this data, which was last updated on 2026-07-13.

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal circulation and exchange processes based on real-time sea water velocity measurements.
• Studying upwelling events and their impact on nutrient distribution based on the described ocean dynamics.
• Assessing larval dispersal for fisheries management based on data linking ocean currents to biological productivity.
• Analyzing the influence of the Flinders Current and Southern Ocean on shelf currents based on specific research questions.
• Monitoring shipping thoroughfares and aquaculture sites for environmental variability based on the key ocean area description.

Strengths

• Covers a large observation area of about 40,000 square kilometres.
• Operates at a specific frequency of 8.512 MHz with a defined maximum range of 200 km.
• Provides multiple data types, including surface currents and derived wind and wave parameters.
• Data is linked to the dynamics of the Great Australian Bight, Bonney Coast, and Tasmania.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last updated 2026-07-13 19:53:41.527292; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Data collected by a WERA phased array HF ocean radar system with 16-element receive arrays at Cape Wiles and Cape Spencer.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 19:53:41.527292.

Geography

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