New South Wales Nearshore Wave Buoy Observations from 2016 to 2023

Over 7,000 days of wave measurements from 20 shallow water locations in New South Wales, Australia, collected between 2016 and 2023. The dataset includes time series of spectral and time-domain parameters describing wave height, period, and direction at half-hourly resolution, along with buoy displacement and wave spectra. Data were collected and processed by the NSW Government Environment Coastal and Marine Science team and a snapshot is maintained by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Calibrating numerical wave models based on in-situ wave buoy observations.
• Predicting sediment transport and shoreline change based on nearshore wave conditions.
• Assessing coastal hazards like beach erosion based on captured ambient and storm condition data.
• Analyzing wave direction and period variability based on half-hourly spectral parameters.

Strengths

• Over 7,000 days of wave measurements provide a substantial temporal record.
• Data from 20 locations captures spatial variability along the New South Wales coast.
• Half-hourly temporal resolution allows for detailed analysis of wave dynamics.
• Includes both standard parameters and advanced data like wave spectra and buoy displacement.

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 data_gov_au, focusing solely on New South Wales, Australia.

Provenance

Source

NSW Government Environment Coastal and Marine Science team; Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN).

Collection Method

In-situ measurements from temporarily moored GPS/GNSS wave buoys.

Time Range

2016 - 2023

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-13 10:25:57.894414; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Shallow coastal waters (< 35 m depth) in New South Wales, Australia.