Numerical predictions of ocean wave characteristics are provided by the AUSWAVE model, adapted from the WAVEWATCH III model developed by NOAA in the US and implemented operationally by the Bureau of Meteorology. This model uses wind-forcing from the Bureau's ACCESS model and surface currents from the Bureau’s OceanMAPS.
The full suite of charts from the AUSWAVE model is listed in the tables below and the charts are accessible on Interactive Weather Maps
AUSWAVE Wave Charts
| Model | AUSWAVE-G3 |
|---|---|
| Version | WAVEWATCH III version 6.07 |
| Forcing | ACCESS-G4 surface winds (10m) OceanMAPS 4.1i surface currents |
| Domain | Global 75°S-75°N 0-359°E |
| Resolution | 0.0625 - 0.125° ~12.5 km spatial resolution globally to match with ACCESS-G3 horizontal resolution with refinement around sub-grid scale feature ~6.25 km over shallow/coastal regions |
| Time Step and Duration | Hourly data out to +72hrs (06Z, 18Z runs); 3-hourly data out to +240hrs (00Z,12Z runs) |
| Model Run Times and Typical Availability Times |
00Z run available 1030Z 06Z run available 1300Z 12Z run available 2230Z 18Z run available 0100Z |
For more details about AUSWAVE please refer to Zieger (2025) and the Bureau Research Report No 51 (Zieger and Greenslade 2021). Users interested in accessing raw data via FTP should refer to the AUSWAVE Data Documentation.