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

26 years of AVHRR Sea Surface Temperature data from 1992 to 2018 were used to map the East Australian Current off northern New South Wales. The dataset, sourced from the Australian Ocean Data Network, applies a Topographic Position Index technique to quantify the current's seasonal shoreward intrusion. It provides direct measurements of intrusion area and distance-to-coast, revealing a seasonal migration pattern.

Use Cases

• Modeling seasonal coastal upwelling patterns based on the quantified distance of the East Australian Current to the coast.
• Analyzing long-term variability in shelf circulations based on the mapped area of current intrusion.
• Correlating marine ecosystem changes with current dynamics based on the seasonal migration pattern described.
• Validating ocean circulation models using the direct, quantitative measurements of shoreward intrusion.

Strengths

• Long-term temporal coverage spanning 26 years from 1992 to 2018.
• Provides direct quantitative measurements of intrusion area and distance-to-coast.
• Enables detection of a seasonal pattern, with mean distance-to-coast ~6 km shorter in summer/autumn.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is derived from a single sensor type (AVHRR SST), which may limit variable diversity.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1992-2018

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 18:50:57.380290; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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