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Speaker: Dr. Jack Harlan, High-Frequency Radar Project Manager for NOAA IOOS.
This seminar will give participants an in-depth look at High Frequency Radar (HFR) - a technology for measuring ocean surface current velocities (speed and direction) and surface waves in near real time. This information can be used during search and rescue operations to track the probable path of victims and drifting ships. HFR data can also be used to support oil spill response, harmful algal bloom monitoring, and assessment of coastal water quality. The information can additionally provide value in ecosystem assessment and fisheries management, when evaluated retrospectively. Unlike many other techniques, HFR is unaffected by weather conditions such as clouds, fog or precipitation. Because its signal hugs the oceans surface, and is conducted by it, HFR can observe the ocean at distances far beyond the line-of-sight (distances often exceed 200 km). Also, this surface-hugging mode makes the placement of HFRs more flexible, in that they can be located almost anywhere along the shoreline. By combining data from two HFRs, a two-dimensional map of surface currents can be produced, spanning thousands of square kilometers. Currently, about 100 HFRs are operating on US coastlines. Nearly all are owned by research universities working in partnership with NOAA IOOS. NOAAs current HFR efforts are led by the IOOS Program in partnerships with NOS/CO-OPS and NWS/NDBC. This technology was developed in the 1970s and 1980s in a NOAA Research laboratory in Boulder, Colorado and was referred to as Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radar (CODAR). After that development, a commercial company was spun off that markets the HFRs under the name CODAR Ocean Sensors SeaSondes. More than 90 percent of the HFRs in the US are of the CODAR type. The seminar will give an HFR overview including details on the national HFR data server and management system, regional capabilities and future plans. HF Radar (CODAR type)
Deployment and Maintenance A fact sheet was passed out at this event. |
