HF Radar and Near-Shore Buoy Ocean Wave Measurement

HF Radar and Near-Shore Buoy Ocean Wave Measurement

Siena Dante¹, Dr. Tarendra Lakhankar², Alan Cope³ , and Dr. Hugh Roarty ⁴

¹ Student Researcher with Noaa Center For Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing
Technologies (CREST)

² NOAA-CREST, The City College of New York, New York, NY

³ Science and Operations Officer, National Weather Service, Mount Holly, NJ

⁴ Research Project Manager, Center for Ocean Observing Leadership, Rutgers University

The main purpose of this research study is to develop a better understanding of characteristic strengths and limitations of the HF radar wave data over the northern New Jersey coastal waters so the NWS can use the data with confidence. The National Weather Service (NWS) currently uses wave data collected from near-shore buoys as part of their operational marine forecast process. However, the buoys collect data only for a very few point locations. To supplement the buoy data and provide data for larger areas of the ocean, High frequency (HF) radar can be used (Figure 1). In addition to HF radar, data collected from Jason satellites can be analyzed to study sea surface conditions and height. The data collected from the satellites is accurate within four centimeters and is currently used to determine accuracy of ocean wave operational models such as WAVEWATCH III.

This project aims to determine if the National Weather Service can use the data from the HF radar with confidence in their marine forecasts. The immediate benefit of a forecast with more locational coverage would be for boaters in the area. However, over time large data sets can be produced on the information from the marine forecasts, and in theory this data will be more accurate and inclusive if the radar is used. These data sets, along with data sets from the Jason satellites, may be studied to see larger trends in wave height and weather, potentially relating to climate change, rising sea level, and increasing storm intensity and frequency. This may help in understanding how to better prepare coastal areas for flooding or erosion.

Figure 1: Significant Wave Height Data from Buoy and HF-Radar in January 2018