1. Coastal Ocean Dynamics Radar (CODAR) Mapping of
New England Surface Ocean Currents
Ocean Observation Laboratory (OCEANOL)
..part of the
Mid-
Atlantic
Regional
Association
Coastal
Ocean
Observing
System’s
30-station
High Frequency Radar Network
The two most eastern stations
Transmit Antenna
sends 5 MHz or 60m electromagnetic (em)
waves seaward
Receive Antenna
captures backscattered signals which have a
slight frequency change
due to ocean wave & current movement
Bragg Backscatter
60m em waves (red) scatter off of 30 m ocean waves
& return to shore (blue)
Onsite Electronics Shed
Doppler frequency shifts are converted to radial surface currents
and averaged for 3 hours
RADIAL SURFACE CURRENTS
CODAR signals are backscattered from ocean waves.
The Doppler frequency shift
in the received signal
=> radial surface currents .
averaged radial currents are transmitted real-time to ….
Hourly Maps available at:
OCEANOL in SMAST
Nantucket
Nauset
HOURLY TOTAL CURRENT MAPS
Every hour the radial currents from at least two CODAR stations are combined to produce a total surface current map of the Southern New England Coastal Ocean.
East of Cape Cod Tidal currents dominate.
Acknowledgements
Funded by NOAA IOOS via subcontract to Rutgers Univ.
Nauset station hosted by the National Park Service’s Cape Cod National Seashore