Assessing the design of the NSW-IMOS moored observation array from 2008–2013: Recommendations for the future

An array of 8 moorings has been deployed on the continental shelf along the coast of southeastern Australia as part of the New South Wales node of Australia´s Integrated Marine Observing System. The array which was first deployed in 2008, was designed to capture the key continental shelf processes associated with the flow of the East Australian Current along the narrow continental shelf off southeastern Australia. As with every such observing program, the initial experimental design is made using the best information available at the time of the design phase. In the case of NSW-IMOS, there were a very limited number of long term observations with which to make an informed decision. The first of the NSW-IMOS moorings was installed in mid-2008 providing more than 4 years of high resolution timeseries data. Parameters measured include current velocity and temperature, salinity, fluorescence, dissolved oxygen and turbidity. In this paper we describe the NSW-IMOS array and its design rationale. We discuss some of the key results to date and then make an assessment of the array based on metrics such as data coverage, data quality, data coherence (vertical) and correlation (spatial) and finally data uptake. We make some informed recommendations for the short term consolidation of the array in the face of recent budget cuts. We suggest improvements to the array for such times as additional funding is forthcoming. Finally we propose ideas for the use of data assimilation modelling to provide a more comprehensive assessment of the array and its utility in diagnosing coastal circulation in the EAC.