IMOS TURQ: HF Ocean Radar Sea Water Velocity for Western Australia's Turquoise Coast

Western Australia's Turquoise Coast shelf is monitored by an HF ocean radar system measuring sea water velocity. The system consists of two SeaSonde stations, operating at 5.211 MHz with a maximum range of 200 km and 3 km resolution, to study the Leeuwin Current system. Data is provided by the Australian Ocean Data Network and was last updated in July 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the variability of the Leeuwin Current and its response to the ENSO cycle based on surface current measurements.
• Studying Leeuwin Current eddies and their interaction with shelf waters using the radar's spatial coverage.
• Investigating the interaction between the Leeuwin Current, Capes Current, and coastal currents during summer months.
• Modeling the influence of warm Leeuwin Current meanders on Western Rock lobster recruitment ecology.

Strengths

• Radar system provides a maximum range of 200 km and a range resolution of 3 km for surface current measurement.
• System offers continuous monitoring of the shelf from Fremantle to Jurien Bay through overlap with the adjacent ROT radar system.
• Specific station locations and operational frequencies (5.211 MHz, 50 KHz bandwidth) are documented.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data freshness should be verified despite the 2026 update timestamp.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Measured by an HF ocean radar system consisting of two SeaSonde crossed loop direction finding stations.

Time Range

Data collection began at least by 2012-12-15, with station replacements noted through 2013-03-19.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-10 16:49:46.268914; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Covers the continental shelf between Seabird and Jurien Bay, Western Australia, with a small overlap with the Rottnest Shelf (ROT) system.