Remote sensing and validation of surface currents from HF radar

• Main Author: Melton, Darryl C.
• Other Authors: Paduan, Jeffrey D.
• Language: en_US
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2013
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/35170

Radial current data from the CODAR HF radar network around Monterey Bay, California, were analyzed for the period of August-December 1994. Previous studies in Monterey Bay used total vector current data. Long-term percent coverage maps showed that coverage decreased radially, vice range, from the site. Through statistical exarnination of radial current data from the Santa Crux and Point Piiios SeaSonde sites and the Moss Landing CODAR site, comparisons along and around the baseline between systems were used to assess system performance. Significant discrepancies were discovered in the directional information from the Point Pinos and Moss Landing sites. Point Pinos' error was approximately 10 counterclockwise and Moss Landing's error was approximately 5 counterclockwise. RMS differences among even the best correlated baseline pairs were approximately 15 cm/s. Data from the baseline was used to select vector currents when the baseline difference was less than 10 cm/s for comparisons with independent nearby moored current observations. This subsampled data did not show significantly better correlation with the moored data than the full data set. Analysis of the radial error estimates provided by the system algorithms determined that no correlation exists between absolute value difference of the radial velocities along the baselines between systems and these built in error estimates