Australian Wave Buoy Observations from the National Wave Archive

The National Wave Archive contains wave parameter data from buoys deployed around Australia and New Zealand. Data is contributed by multiple organizations including the Bureau of Meteorology, state departments, and universities, using Waverider and Spotter buoy systems. The archive includes both older non-directional and newer directional wave data, with some datasets having been reformatted from previous collections.

Use Cases

• Modeling coastal erosion and flooding based on wave height and period parameters.
• Analyzing long-term wave climate trends based on time-series observations from multiple sources.
• Validating ocean wave models based on directional wave spectra from newer buoy systems.
• Assessing marine renewable energy potential based on wave energy parameters.

Strengths

• Data is sourced from multiple authoritative organizations including the Bureau of Meteorology and state government departments.
• Includes both historical non-directional and modern directional wave measurements, suggesting a temporal evolution of technology.
• The dataset references a specific replaced collection record, indicating some version control.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• The description notes data is 'delayed', implying it is not real-time, which may affect certain use cases.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, aggregating data from Manly Hydraulics Laboratory, Bureau of Meteorology, Western Australia DOT, Queensland DES, Defence Technology Agency (NZ), IMOS, University of Western Australia, and Deakin University.

Collection Method

Data gathered primarily by Datawell Waverider buoys and Sofar Ocean Technologies Spotter Wave Buoys.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-09 23:25:20.939162; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australia and New Zealand coastal waters.