Phased implementation of the Mid-Atlantic regional HF radar system

Abstract

Surface currents are an integral component of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and High Frequency (HF) radar technologies provide the means to measure these data across regional scales. A national committee on surface current mapping, supported by OCEAN.US, has outlined an organizational structure for a national HF radar system. This plan separates the national system into regional centers responsible for the operation and maintenance of the network. Recently MACOORA, the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association, identified HF radar as an important component of the coastal observatory. In the context of MACOORA and the regional landscape outlined in the IOOS plan, the HF radar operators from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras have formed a consortium for the operation and maintenance of the HF radar network, including system hardware, data management, and product delivery. Through this consortium the existing pockets of systems can be operated as part of one regional network. This network consists of 11 long-range sites providing total vector coverage across a large majority of the region. Additional sites are proposed in Moriches, NY, Block Island, RI, and Martha's Vineyard, MA to completely fill in the shelf-wide coverage from Cape Cod, MA to Cape Hatteras, NC. In addition there are three higher resolution systems made up of 13 sites in operation in the Chesapeake Bay, New York Harbor, and Long Island Sound estuaries with plans for 2 more sites in Delaware Bay. This nested network makes the Mid-Atlantic Bight the most heavily HF radar instrumented region in the world. In addition to scientific research and education applications, the data has already been ingested into United States Coast Guard Search and Rescue planning tools. An overview of the network including existing products and system infrastructure will be discussed as well as plans for the continued operation and reliable product delivery supporting the regional IOOS mission. By leveraging off national efforts like the Radiowave Oceanography Working Group (ROWG) for operation and maintenance and ROADNET for data management, the Mid-Atlantic HF radar consortium has moved from small groups of systems to a single integrated regional system, a model that could be scaled nationally and internationally. The coastal geometry surrounding the Baltic Sea is particularly well suited for a similar system with continuous coverage across the entire sea. A preliminary analysis of this system will also be presented in collaboration with existing HF radar work in the area.