[IIOE2-EP62] Deriving key ocean circulation variables to enhance IMOS observation off Western Australia

Lead Investigator :

1. Ming Feng ,CSIRO, CSIRO Environment, Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre, The University of Western Australia, M097, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
     Ming[dot]Feng[at]csiro[dot]au

Other Key participants:

1. Jessica Benthuysen,Co-PI, AIMS, Australia
     J[dot]Benthuysen[at]aims[dot]gov[dot]au

Period of Project: May 2025 - June 2027

Brief description of the Project:

Understanding the strength and variability of ocean boundary currents is critical to inform operational decisions of fisheries and aquaculture, understanding coastal change, including erosion and inundation, and predicting potential marine heatwave events and their marine environmental impacts. Along the west coast of Australia, has been maintaining long-term moored observations off Ningaloo in the north (22°S, since 2010) and off Two Rocks/Rottnest Island in the south (32°S, since 2011). These moorings mainly measure the physical variables of ocean temperature and current velocities. Quality-controlled datasets are produced by the IMOS Australian National Mooring Network facility and are available through AODN. The project plans to derive indices for the strength and variability of the Leeuwin Current, the variability of the Ningaloo and Capes Currents, and the upwelling strength associated with these coastal currents from 2011-2026, using the IMOS mooring datasets available from AODN. Based on ocean reanalysis products, the project plans to derive Indonesian Throughflow indices for its transport and induced heat content variability off northwest Australia. We plan to service the derived ocean indices to the public through the IMOS OceanCurrent web server (https://oceancurrent.aodn.org.au/index.php).

Region(s) of study:

Southeast Indian Ocean off the Western Australian coast