In-situ ocean wave measurements have been collected at nearshore locations along the NSW coast. Wave data are collected using GPS wave buoys that are deployed by NSW DCCEEW scientists on moorings in shallow coastal waters (< 35 m water depth) adjacent to beaches or rocky shores. The program currently uses Sofar Spotter wave buoys (https://www.sofarocean.com/products/spotter). During 2016-2017, Datawell DWR-G4 wave buoys (https://www.datawell.nl/Products/Buoys.aspx) were used, while in 2018 and 2019 both Datawell and Spotter wave buoys were used. A buoy comparison experiment was carried out in 2018, which found that wave data measured by Datawell and Spotter buoys at the same location could be considered equivalent.

The wave buoys are tethered to moorings at deployment locations and float on the water surface, measuring the height, period and direction of passing waves by tracking the motion of the buoy through time using GPS. The deployments are temporary, and the duration of each wave buoy deployment varies with operational needs, ranging from several months to years. Deployment locations are chosen to support scientific research carried by NSW DCCEEW and partners on coastal dynamics along the NSW coastline and to develop nearshore wave modelling tools and data. Wave data and research support the development of Coastal Management Programs (CMPs) under the Coastal Management Act (2016).

The processed wave data from completed buoy deployments include a comma-separated value (CSV) table of widely used spectral and time-domain parameters describing wave height, period and direction, derived from spectral and zero-crossing analysis techniques. Data are provided at half-hourly temporal resolution with timestamps corresponding to the end of the half-hour buoy displacement measurement period in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Timestamps are included for each half-hour from the beginning to the end of each deployment, including when data was not recorded or when the buoy was temporarily removed from the water during mooring servicing. The time-series data have been quality controlled using standard diagnostic tests to identify suspect data points. Quality control fields (Qflag, Qcode, Percent, Dof) describe the provenance, completeness and quality of each data point. Sea surface temperature data are also provided for locations where buoys with water temperature sensors were deployed.

For more information on wave buoy data collection and processing, please see:

Kinsela, M.A., Morris, B.D., Ingleton, T.C., Doyle, T. B. et al. (2024) Nearshore wave buoy data from southeastern Australia for coastal research and management. Scientific Data. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02865-x

Wave buoy equipment and deployments have been primarily funded by NSW DCCEEW with equipment grant funding from the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer’s Research Attraction and Acceleration Program (RAAP) awarded to the NSW Node of the Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) and administered by the Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS). The Water Research Laboratory (UNSW Sydney) also provided wave buoys used in the program.

Real-time data from active nearshore wave buoy deployments is also available on SEED: https://datasets.seed.nsw.gov.au/dataset/nsw-nearshore-wave-buoy-parameter-time-series-data-active-deployments

For more information on the NSW Nearshore Wave Data program please visit: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/research-and-publications/our-science-and-research/our-research/water/ocean-and-coastal-waves

Data are provided as a ZIP file for each deployment under Dataset Packages below.