Wave height, direction and sea surface temperature are recorded daily at 12 sites on the Coast of Queensland. Cairns, Weipa, Townsville, Mackay, Hay Point, Emu Park, Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Tweed River, Caloundra, Mooloolaba are monitored daily by waverider buoys fitted with a accelerometer. This website also contains data from Storm surges from Mornington Island down to Caloundra.

The Tantabiddi transect is a subset of and extension to measurements made in the NW Cape region over the summer of 1998/99. Intensive sampling occurred from March to May 1999 with more instrumentation available. Of note was Cyclone Vance, which passed through Exmouth Gulf in Late March 1999. The sites were re-occupied from March 2002 and will be recovered and possibly redeployed in November 2003. The siting of the moorings was made to enable monitoring of the Leeuwin current and the counter Ningaloo current, which is primarily wind-driven. The Leeuwin current intensifies significantly at NW Cape, so it is at a key location that will be useful to compare with other regional ocean current measurements.

The Ocean Radar (formerly known as the Australian Coastal Ocean Radar Network (ACORN)) facility comprises a coordinated network of HF radars delivering real-time, non-quality controlled and delayed-mode, quality controlled surface current data into a national archive. Based on experience in Europe and the USA, deployment of these radars is expected to make a profound change to coastal ocean research in Australia. HF radar provides unprecedented time-resolved surface current maps over the monitoring sites for physical and biological ocean research. Deployment of the radars is in support of regional nodes where there is a range of identified questions concerned with boundary currents and associated eddies and their interactions with shelf water and topography. In turn these are linked to productivity, connectivity of biological populations and phenomena such as coral bleaching and diseases. It provides a basis for applied research in wave prediction and offers test sites for hydrodynamic modelling. The equipment comprises long-range WERA and medium-range WERA systems and long-range SeaSonde systems, and associated spares and transport infrastructure. An existing system that was installed by James Cook University in the Capricorn/Bunker region around Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef was integrated into the network. An HF radar acquisition by a consortium led by South Australian Research and Development Institute in South Australia was also integrated into the network.

This database contains global data of wind speed and wave height obtained from all the altimeter missions which have flown since 1985. The data has been calibrated against NDBC buoy data and validated with independent buoy measurements and at cross-over points with other altimeter missions. The long term stability of the data has been assessed against buoy data and any discontinuities which may occur due to changes in the processing techniques or instrumentation has been removed in the calibration process. There is a static snapshot of the database as at February 2019 (https://dx.doi.org/10.26198/5c77588b32cc1), and this has been documented in a Scientific Data Publication. This metadata record provides access to the dynamic (most recent) version of the database.

As part of the project Predicting the Coastal Marine Environment, the impacts of natural and human-induced factors on the status, evolution and physical degradation of coral reef ecosystems are assessed using observational studies and predictive models. The effects of physical processes such as waves, tides, turbulent flows and circulation around coral reefs, acting in concert with non-conservative chemical processes and active behaviours of marine larvae are taken into account to develop new understandings of their interactions and effects on the dispersal and evolution of coral reef organisms and structures. New elements in this project are the studies of the flow induced by waves and their impact on the flushing of the reef and mixing processes on the reef top. In situ data on physical factors (waves, currents, tidal levels) are acquired from deployments of oceanographic instruments and used to verify numerical modelling results. The aim of this study was to obtain a comprehensive data set on the physical oceanographic processes that influence the circulation and flushing of the reefs in this region. The data obtained will now be utilised to verify theoretical and numerical models of these oceanographic processes, such that these models can be generically applied to the Ningaloo Reef region as a whole.

During normal conditions, each storm tide gauge is accessed once a day, between 5.00 am and 7.00 am each morning Australian Eastern Standard Time. During tropical cyclones or other extreme events, the frequency of update will be increased at affected locations. This website also contains data from Wave Monitoring.

Radial data files contain radial components of sea surface parameters measured by HF ocean radars operated by Ocean Radar (formerly known as the Australian Coastal Ocean Radar Network (ACORN)), a facility of Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS). Regardless of the radar system (WERA or SeaSonde), the primary product is the radial component of the sea surface current along a line between the radar station and a point on the sea surface. By combining radials measured at two stations surface current vectors can be constructed. These surface current vectors can then be used to study tides, wind-driven currents and perform lagrangian particle tracking. Raw data collected at each radar site are re-processed by the facility in order to assign quality control flags to data points. This is not possible in real-time because real-time data are produced by proprietary manufacturer software without quality control flags and it is not feasible to transfer the raw data to the facility in real-time. Each radial file contains a set of standard metadata fields, such as radar system type, operating frequency and bandwidth. Other metadata fields describe radar system type-specific parameters. Radial file metadata fields are described in a separate Ocean Radar data document. In addition, for WERA radar systems, the facility provides quality controlled heights of left and right bragg peaks, from which the wind direction can be inferred.

Water movement, due to tides and surface waves, is the basic forcing mechanism for nutrient fluxes, sediment dynamics and the fate of pollutants within the Exmouth Gulf. The dominant hydrodynamic process in this shallow basin is tidal motion, with a predominant semi-diurnal constituent. Large surface waves are only generated during tropical cyclones but their development is limited by water depth and bottom friction. Therefore, our hypothesis is that long-term water mass balance is predominantly governed by tidal motion and wind-induced currents. To estimate the water mass balance within the Gulf, field observation and numerical modelling were carried out in parallel. During the first stage of the field study, waves, wave-induced velocities and tidal elevations were measured at various locations in the Gulf. This study revealed that outside of cyclone episodes, wind-generated waves are only important at the entrance to the Gulf and wind-induced velocities are less than 0.5 m sec-'. The second stage of the field study involved measuring water velodties along sixteen transects widely distributed throughout the Gulf. Both vertical and horizontal velodties were recorded from the surface to the bottom at a resolution of 0.25 metres, every 10 seconds. Tidal elevations were aiso observed at two locations. The data collected during the field studies are now used for calibration of a computer model of tidal circulation in the Gulf. It is expected that this model will provide a long-term water mass balance for the Gulf and quanhfy the net fluxes of various suspended organic and non-organic substances into and out of the Gulf. The distribution of water flow intensity, also provided by the model, will indicate areas of potential erosion and areas vulnerable to potential pollution.

Since its launch in 1998, Coastalwatch has become Australia's most popular water sports website, and is consistently ranked in the top eight sporting websites. The site displays live vision from over 90 coastal locations around Australia and overseas. It also provides daily surf reports, swell forecasting, weather information and news; as well as video, photographic and editorial content. Coastalwatch has also developed a Coastal Conditions Monitoring System, which utilises the camera network to make a significant contribution to safer coastal use and more efficient and cost effective coastal management. To this end, Coastalwatch has partnered with Surf Life Saving Australia and Surfing Australia; and supports Volunteer Rescue organisations, community groups, and charities such as SurfAid International and the Surfrider Foundation Australia. Coastalwatch is committed to bringing the coast to all Australians and overseas visitors, and becoming the premier reference site for all coastal user groups. With this in mind, Coastalwatch is dedicated to assisting with sound coastal zone research and management through the use of all its resources.

Tide gauge data collected from pressure tide gauge at Hurd Point, Macquarie Island. Data were collected between 1996-03-07 and 1996-10-27. A temporary tide gauge was installed at Hurd Point as it was suspected that there was a 6 minute wave around the island. The installation was made to determine whether this is correct. Photo Oblique aerial photos showing location of tide gauge, bench mark AUS188 and Hurd Point trig and photo mof GPS set up. Gravity meter set up adjacent tide gauge Temporary Bench Mark Survey Scans of survey field notes showing location of tide gauge in relation to Hurd Point huts, AUS188 and old Auroral Camera stand, vertical differences between AUS188, tide gauge temporary mark and tide gauge housing.