East Australian Current Shoreward Intrusion Mapped from 26 Years of Satellite SST Data

A 26-year remotely sensed dataset of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) from 1992 to 2018, used to map the East Australian Current (EAC) off northern New South Wales. The data was processed by Geoscience Australia using a Topographic Position Index (TPI) technique to quantify the current's seasonal shoreward intrusion. The analysis provides direct measurements of intrusion area and distance from the coast.

Use Cases

• Modeling seasonal coastal upwelling patterns based on the quantified distance of the EAC from the shore.
• Analyzing long-term variability in shelf circulation based on the 26-year time series of SST-derived current mapping.
• Studying bio-physical ecosystem dynamics driven by the seasonal migration pattern of a major ocean current.

Strengths

• 26 years of continuous data spanning 1992 to 2018 provides a long-term record.
• Quantitative mapping enables direct measurement of intrusion area and distance-to-coast.
• Analysis reveals a specific seasonal pattern, with intrusion ~6 km closer and occupying ~12% more shelf area in summer/autumn.

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 on a specific region (28°S - 32.5°S).

Provenance

Source

Geoscience Australia Data

Collection Method

Remotely sensed AVHRR Sea Surface Temperature data processed with a Topographic Position Index (TPI) image processing technique.

Time Range

1992 to 2018

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-20 03:48:32.894902; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Coastal ocean off northern New South Wales, Australia, between 28°S - 32.5°S.