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

A 26-year dataset spanning 1992 to 2018 uses AVHRR Sea Surface Temperature (SST) to map the East Australian Current (EAC) off northern New South Wales. The mapping, performed with a Topographic Position Index technique, enables direct measurement of the current's area and distance-to-coast. This data provides quantitative evidence that the EAC moves closer to the coast in austral summer and autumn, influencing seasonal coastal ocean dynamics.

Use Cases

• Analyzing seasonal migration patterns of a major ocean current based on distance-to-coast and area measurements.
• Investigating links between current intrusion and coastal upwelling/shelf circulation dynamics mentioned in the description.
• Validating or calibrating ocean circulation models using long-term, remotely sensed sea surface temperature data.
• Studying interannual variability in the East Australian Current's influence on the southeastern Australian margin.

Strengths

• Long-term temporal coverage spanning 26 years from 1992 to 2018.
• Enables direct quantitative measurement of current intrusion via area and distance-to-coast metrics.
• Spatial analysis covers a defined coastal region between 28°S and 32.5°S off northern New South Wales.

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 Australian coastal region.

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

1992-2018

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-30 13:32:08.670805; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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