IMOS - Ocean Radar - Capricorn Bunker Group HF ocean radar site (Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia) - Real-time sea water velocity

The Capricorn Bunker Group site is in the southern region of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park World Heritage Area (GBR). The HF ocean radar coverage is from the coast to beyond the edge of the continental shelf. This is an area where the East Australian Current (EAC) meanders as it moves south from the Swain Reefs and loses touch with the western land boundary. The area is dynamic with warm EAC water recirculating and being wind-driven northwards along the coast inside the GBR lagoon. The recirculating warm water contrasts with the upwelling tendency of the parts of the EAC which continue to move southwards. The CBG radar is ideally placed to follow filaments of different water types and to investigate their impacts on coral reefs and fisheries. Applications of the CBG radar data are in the frequency and location of regional upwelling that fuels productivity, and in the connectivity between reefs and islands. At the central point of the CBG area of coverage is the Heron Island Research Station which hosts many coral reef and ecology research programs. The data will also be useful for validation of the operational Bluelink model, and the embedded higher resolution Whole-of-Reef model. The CBG HF ocean radar is a WERA phased array system with 12-element receive arrays located at Tannum Sands (-23.942 S, 151.371 E) and Lady Elliot Island (-24.111 S, 152.713 E). These radars operate at a frequency of 8.348 MHz, with a bandwidth of 33 KHz and a maximum range of 200 Km and a range resolution of 4.5 Km. Within the HF radar coverage area surface currents are measured. Data are also collected from which wind directions and significant wave height can be calculated. The capital funding for this system was provided originally as an ARC LEIF Grant, assisted by contributions from James Cook University, The University of Queensland, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Australian Institute of Marine Science.This site was decommissioned in April 2017.

摩羯邦克群（Capricorn Bunker Group，CBG）站点坐落于大堡礁海洋公园世界遗产区（Great Barrier Reef Marine Park World Heritage Area，GBR）南部区域。该区域的高频（High Frequency，HF）海洋雷达覆盖范围从海岸延伸至大陆架外缘以外海域。该海域是东澳洋流（East Australian Current，EAC）从斯温暗沙（Swain Reefs）向南流动时蜿蜒穿行的区域，且该洋流在此脱离与西侧陆地边界的接触。该区域海洋动力环境复杂：东澳洋流携带的暖水在此循环回流，并受海风驱动沿大堡礁潟湖内的海岸向北流动。这类循环回流的暖水与继续向南流动的东澳洋流部分区域的上升流趋势形成鲜明对比。摩羯邦克群雷达的布设位置极佳，可追踪不同水团的细丝状流束，并研究其对珊瑚礁与渔业的影响。该雷达数据的应用场景包括：解析驱动区域海洋生产力的上升流发生频率与空间位置，以及珊瑚礁与岛屿间的连通性。摩羯邦克群雷达覆盖区域的中心点为赫伦岛研究站（Heron Island Research Station），该站点承载了大量珊瑚礁与生态学研究项目。本数据集还可用于验证业务化运行的Bluelink模型及其内嵌的高分辨率全礁模型（Whole-of-Reef model）。摩羯邦克群高频海洋雷达采用WERA相控阵系统，分别在坦纳姆桑兹（Tannum Sands，南纬23.942°，东经151.371°）与埃利奥特夫人岛（Lady Elliot Island，南纬24.111°，东经152.713°）布设了12元接收阵列。两台雷达的工作频率为8.348 MHz，带宽33 kHz，最大探测距离200千米，距离分辨率为4.5千米。在该高频雷达覆盖范围内，可获取表层海流观测数据；同时还可通过采集的原始数据反演风向与有效波高。该系统的原始建设资金由澳大利亚研究委员会（Australian Research Council，ARC）LEIF项目拨款提供，并得到詹姆斯·库克大学、昆士兰大学、美国国家海洋和大气管理局（National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration，NOAA）以及澳大利亚海洋科学研究所的资助。该站点于2017年4月正式退役。