Seasonal Shoreward Intrusion of the East Australian Current from 26-Year SST Data

A 26-year AVHRR Sea Surface Temperature dataset from 1992-2018 maps the East Australian Current off northern New South Wales. The Australian Ocean Data Network produced this resource using a Topographic Position Index technique to quantify the current's shoreward intrusion. Analysis reveals the current moves closer to the coast in austral summer and autumn.

Use Cases

• Analyze seasonal patterns in the current's distance-to-coast metric to validate ocean circulation models.
• Correlate Sea Surface Temperature gradients with mapped intrusion area to study upwelling drivers.
• Use the long-term temporal coverage to investigate low-frequency variability in the current's path.
• Spatially analyze the intrusion data between 28°S - 32.5°S to understand regional coastal ocean dynamics.

Strengths

• 26 years of temporal coverage from 1992 to 2018.
• Quantitative mapping provides direct measurements of intrusion area and distance-to-coast.
• Analysis identified a mean seasonal distance variation of ~6 km and area change of ~12%.

Limitations

• Specific row and column counts, sample data, and file size are unknown.
• Data is derived from a single sensor type (AVHRR SST), limiting multi-parameter analysis.
• Geographic scope is restricted to a specific segment of the Australian coast (28°S - 32.5°S).

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

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

Time Range

1992-2018

Freshness

null

Geography

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