HF radar surface current measurements in the Mississippi sound compared to in-situ measurements by ADCP and Lagrangian GPS surface drifters

摘要

High Frequency Radars are unique and powerful tools for measuring surface currents. Ocean Technologies, LLC (OT) operates and maintains two HF Radar sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Surface current vector data in the combined coverage area of the two sites are collected and disseminated to the web in near real time by OT (www.oceantech.net). These HF Radar Systems installed along the coast of the Mississippi Sound, provide two-dimensional vector current estimates over an area of ～520km{sup}2. Conventional and widely accepted methods to measure surface currents include Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and Lagrangian GPS Surface Drifter (also called Davis Drifters). This study evaluates the performance of the HF Radar measurements in the MS Sound against in-situ measurements by ADCP's and results of Davis Drifters deployments.