Remote sensing of icebergs by ground-wave Doppler radar

A software detection model has been developed to predict the returned Doppler spectrum for an iceberg target for ground-wave Doppler radars. This software model is based on proposed new estimates for the backscattered Doppler-dependent iceberg cross section for assumed iceberg models, as well as the backscattered Doppler spectrum from the ocean surface. The model includes estimates for forward and reverse transmission losses, based on classical spherical earth derivations. In addition, the transmission losses account for the effects of surface roughness through a modified surface impedance. Standard estimates for man-made and atmospheric noise have been considered in the detection model. A comparison between the results predicted by the detection model and data acquired during an experiment conducted at Byron Bay, Labrador, Canada has been effected. The hardware used for the experiment was an HF Doppler radar operating at 25.40 MHz. The transmitting antenna was a three-element Yagi array and the receiving antenna a 24-element narrow-beam linear array. By using iceberg ground truthing information the Doppler spectrum for individual icebergs was predicted using the software model. The predicted spectra were compared with the received spectra on a target signal-to-noise power ratio basis. The results of this comparison give a degree of confidence to the detection model and show that ground-wave radars are effective ice hazard remote sensors.     

On the performance of a shipborne current mapping HF radar

High-frequency (HF) radars have been developed to map surface currents offshore by means of land-based stations. Presently available radar systems use frequencies between 25 and 30 MHz and allow a spatial resolution of 1 km and ranges of up to 50 km. This paper reports on the experience with a shipborne radar and discusses problems which arise for the azimuthal resolution on a metal ship, the correction for the ship's speed, and limitations due to pitch-and-roll motions. Current measurements during cruises to the North Atlantic are presented. It has been found that, with the support of the satellite-supported Global Positioning System, the shipborne HF radar can measure surface current velocities with an accuracy of some 5 cm·s^-1     

Mapping wind by the first-order Bragg scattering of broad-beam high-frequency radar

Mapping wind with high-frequency(HF) radar is still a challenge. The existing second-order spectrum based wind speed extraction method has the problems of short detection distances and low angular resolution for broad-beam HF radar. To solve these problems, we turn to the first-order Bragg spectrum power and propose a space recursion method to map surface wind. One month of radar and buoy data are processed to build a wind spreading function model and a first-order spectrum power model describing the relationship between the maximum of first-order spectrum power and wind speed in different sea states. Based on the theoretical propagation attenuation model, the propagation attenuation is calculated approximately by the wind speed in the previous range cell to compensate for the first-order spectrum in the current range-azimuth cell. By using the compensated first-order spectrum, the final wind speed is extracted in each cell. The first-order spectrum and wind spreading function models are tested using one month of buoy data, which illustrates the applicability of the two models. The final wind vector map demonstrates the potential of the method.     

Phase Corrections of Small-Loop HF Radar System Receive Arrays With Ships of Opportunity

This paper is an extension of other work that addresses the use of radar echoes from ships of opportunity to determine the proper phase corrections for small-loop phased-array antennas used within high-frequency (HF) ground-wave radar systems. This technique also yields estimates for unknown ship bearings that (for cases where there is adequate signal-to-noise ratio of 20 dB or more) are consistent to within 2deg-3deg among measurements from independent radar frequencies. Within this paper, phase corrections gathered from actual ships of opportunity are compared to phase corrections gathered during a calibrated transponder run, in which the ship bearing is known. The phase corrections derived from the ship of opportunity presented in this paper were consistent with the known phase corrections to within 13.2deg (for the worst case). Furthermore, the estimates of the ship bearings collected from the two usable radar frequencies were consistent to within 1deg of each other     

A study of environmental constraints in the coastal harbor radiotelephone system

This paper presents a new study of the effects on communications within the coastal harbor system of such environmental factors as nonstationary signal propagation characteristics and nonstationary atmospheric noise. Propagation of signals during daylight hours is predominantly by ground-wave propagation over sea water. During the evening hours, sky-wave and ground-wave propagation takes place. The noise at receiving sites during daylight hours is predominantly set by the level of galactic or man-made noise some 40 to 45 dB above thermal. During the evening hours, the level of atmospheric noise may at times reach some 90 dB above thermal. For daylight hours, it is shown that usable quality will not be achieved for distances greater than 400 mi; while at night, usable quality will be achieved beyond 200 mi with less than 20-percent probability. The conditional distribution of intraarea signal-to-interference ratio at the receiving antenna is shown to be approximately lognormal with a standard deviation of 23 dB during the day and a standard deviation of 16 dB during the night, for an area of high atmospheric noise. It is also shown that channel frequency separations of greater than 9 kHz are necessary if the probability of detecting crosstalk is to be kept below 25 percent during interfering transmissions from the same coverage area under low noise conditions. The probability of detecting intelligible crosstalk from a eochannel interferer transmitting at night from a different coverage area located from 400 to 1200 mi away could be as high as 58 percent.     

Evaluation of HF ground-wave radar on the east coast of Canada

HF ground-wave radar runs of roughly ten days duration were carded out in two tidally dominated regions off the Canadian East Coast in conjunction with oceanographic experiments. The surface current deduced from the HF radar observations are here compared with Eulerian velocities from various moored current meters and Lagrangian velocities derived from surface drifters. The agreement with the current meters is generally better than 0.05 m/s. Real current shear in the top 15 m of the water column of up to 0.1 m/s, lasting for up to 12 h, was observed on several occasions, coincident with wind reversals. The agreement between moored instruments and shallow-draft rectangular drifters was good, and with deeper draft cylindrical drifters it was excellent.     

Ship detection with high-resolution HF skywave radar

This paper presents an overview of ship detection by high-frequency (HF) skywave backscatter over-the-horizon radar (OTHR). Ships have been detected at ranges of 2000 km or more by OTHR that uses sufficient resolution in the radar spatial and Doppler frequency domains. The HF sea-echo Doppler spectrum limits the target signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR), as a function of the ocean wave-height distribution, wind direction, radio frequency, and ship target radial velocity. Maximum sea-clutter spectrum purity, and hence larger SCR, is achieved with the use of stable single-mode ionospheric propagation. Real-time measurement and interpretation of ionospheric propagation features therefore must guide the choice of OTHR operating frequency. Experimental data recorded at the ONR/SR1 Wide Aperture Research Facility (WARF) bistatic OTHR in central California demonstrate reliable ship detection in the Northeast Pacific Ocean. WARF transmits 1-MW average effective radiated power, using a linear frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) waveform, and receives with a 2.55-km broadside array of vertical monopole element pairs. Swept bandwidths as high as 200 kHz have been used. Sufficient spectral resolution is achieved with a coherent integration time (CIT) of 12.8 s. Longer CIT, and autoregressive (AR) spectral analysis techniques such as Marple's algorithm, have been used to improve Doppler resolution.     

基于BP神经网络的高频地波雷达海流空间插值

高频地波雷达是海洋环境监测的重要手段,当前已经实现对海流的业务化观测,但是外部因素常引起海流空间探测的不连续性。为解决此问题,尽量保障区域数据的完整性和准确性,本文将BP神经网络技术与空间插值相结合,建立了海流的BP神经网络插值模型,并进行了针对实测数据的缺失插值仿真,通过与反距离权重法和线性插值法插值结果的对比,分析该模型在区域海流大面积缺失、流速整体较大和流速整体较小3个方面的性能。结果表明,BP神经网络插值模型的海流预测效果明显优于其他两种方法,且在流场数据大范围缺失下也取得了良好的效果。     

A comparison of four methods for bubble size and void fractionmeasurements

We compare the performance of four different bubble-sensing techniques in a range of environment from the surf zone to the open ocean: a remote sensing method using high-frequency backscatter, two in situ methods using an acoustical resonator and a pulse propagation sensor, and a bulk method using electrical conductivity. Comparisons between the techniques show general consistency within the appropriate operational bubble density ranges, although spatial variability in bubble clouds introduces substantial variance. Each technique has its strengths and limitations. Our acoustical resonator is suitable for bubble concentrations with air fractions greater than approximately 10 ^-9 and the pulse propagation sonar for air fractions from 10 ^-6; the upper limit for both is constrained by attenuation and the validity of the Foldy scattering approximation. Both sensors can be implemented to encompass a wide frequency range with high resolution, corresponding to resonant bubble radii of 10~1200 μm. For air fractions higher than ~5×10^-4, bulk measurement using electrical conductivity provides a measure of air fraction. Sufficient overlap in operational air-fraction range exists between in situ acoustical techniques and conductivity measurement to permit comparison and demonstrate consistency in the measurement. Single- and multi-frequency backscatter sonars may be used for low air fractions (<1×10^-5) and provide a continuous vertical profile from a deployment beneath the active surface zone, but are subject to masking by dense bubble clouds and are unable to resolve high air fractions close to the surface. This study suggests that the best approach is to use a combination of sensors to probe the bubble field     

一种新型多功能海洋浮标

介绍一种多功能海洋考察与观测用浮标的结构、性能。浮标带有短波无线电遥控和数据传输功能、可外挂多种传感器;该浮标采用小水线结构,在较高海况下,具有较好的安定性。浮标配置了差分型全球定位（DGPS）接收机和短波电台,可对浮标的位置和工作状况实施实时监测,对浮标的工作程式实时遥控并进行必要的数据传输。浮标电子舱内具有大容量多通道数据采集记录系统,DGPS的lpps（1 pulse per second）信号被用于多浮标数据采集的精确同步。浮标可用于海洋监测、考察;也可用于水下目标高精度大地坐标测量等海洋工程。     

A Method of Swell-Wave Parameter Extraction From HF Ocean Surface Radar Spectra

A new method for the extraction of swell-wave parameters from high-frequency (HF) radar spectra is presented. The method of extraction of the parameters, period, direction, and height, relies on a frequency-modulation approach that describes the hydrodynamic interaction of the swell waves with the resonant, shorter, Bragg waves. The analysis process minimizes the electromagnetic second-order interaction and a simulation model was used to validate the approach. This simplified method provides a fast means of examining swell conditions over large areas of the ocean surface. Data are acquired using a pair of coastal ocean surface radar (COSRAD) systems deployed at Tweed Heads, Qld., Australia. The radar covers a sweep (approximately 60deg) every 30 min with spatial resolution of the order of 3 km. A sample set of data from this deployment is used in a case study to show the extraction of swell direction and amplitude using these methods. The results support the use of the COSRAD HF radar for mapping swell in the near-shore zone     

Rijkswaterstaat's interest in HF radar

In this paper an explanation is given of Rijkswaterstaat's need for hydrological and meteorological information. The present means to gather this information are described together with their limitations. Future developments in the field of HF narrow-beam groundwave radar systems are indicated and some recommendations are given for the design of an operational HF radar system for Rijkswaterstaat (RWS).     

Measurements of high-frequency shallow-water acoustic phasefluctuations

A shallow-water high-frequency (HF) acoustic propagation experiment was conducted just off shore in Panama City, FL. Several broad-band high-resolution sources and receivers were mounted on stable platforms and deployed in water depths of 8-10 m. Signals covering the frequency range from 20 to 200 kHz were transmitted from the sources to two spatially separated receivers. The data were analyzed to provide estimates of the signal phase variances as a function of frequency and source-to-receiver range. These phase variabilities are correlated with small-scale water column thermal variabilities and ocean swell conditions     

High-resolution mapping of oceanic wind fields with skywave radar

The direction of the mean surface wind field in the North Pacific Ocean was mapped on September 25 and 26, 1973, over an area of3 times 10^{6}(km)²by OTH-B HF radar. A spatial resolution of 60 km in range and 15 km in cross range was used at points spaced by 150 km in range and 80 km in cross range. Wind directions were inferred from the upwind/downwind first-order Bragg ratio and the measure of the maximum ratio occuring for radial winds at points near each observation. Over 90 percent of the recorded data were usable for this purpose.High spatial resolution is essential to make detailed measurements of the wind speed and direction across and along an atmospheric cold front. The location of the atmospheric cold front derived from the wind field agreed well with the ESSA VIII satellite frontal location.     

HF radar detection of tsunamis

This paper demonstrates that HF radar systems can be used to detect tsunamis well before their arrival at a coastline. We solve the equations of motion and continuity on the ocean surface using models to simulate the signals produced by a tsunami approaching the east U.S. coast. Height and velocity profiles are derived along with expressions for the radar-observed current velocities in terms of bathymetry and tsunami height and period. Simulated tsunami-generated radial current velocities are superimposed on typical maps of radial velocity generated by a Rutgers University HF radar system. A detection parameter is defined and plotted to quantify the progress of the tsunami, which is shown to be detectable well before its arrival at the coast. We describe observations/warnings that would have been provided by HF radar systems at locations in the path of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.     

An adaptable radio-controlled measuring system for oceanographic research in shallow water

The scientific objective of the system presented in this paper is to conduct in situ measurements of environmental parameters and to support several marine in situ experiments which are carried out in order to investigate the interaction between the sea and the sea bottom in shallow-water ecosystems. Automated in situ measurements are carried out by means of the radio-controlled data acquisition and control system "OBS" which is mounted on an unattended platform in the western Baltic. The shore station, at a distance of about 25 km, is located at the Institute of Applied Physics of Kiel University and is equipped with a central computer for real-time data retrieval and remote programming. Part of the OBS system is a vertical scanning profiling system which provides measurements of temperature, electrical conductivity, turbidity, scalar irradiance, downwelling and upwelling irradiance, pH, and dissolved oxygen in a water column of about 10-m depth. The vertical resolution is 10 cm. Profiling depth range was automatically determined from the shore by means of an adjustable upper depth limit, in order to protect the probes from surface waves. The research conducted here requires simultaneous measurements of various environmental parameters. This is done by about 20-30 fixed probes mounted on the platform in the air and in the water as well on the sea bottom in the neighborhood of the platform. The radio-controlled data acquisition system serves all probes and samples the sensors repeatedly in time.     

Surface current measurements by HF radar in freshwater lakes

HF radar has become an increasingly important tool for mapping surface currents in the coastal ocean. However, the limited range, due to much higher propagation loss and smaller wave heights (relative to the saltwater ocean), has discouraged HF radar use over fresh water, Nevertheless, the potential usefulness of HF radar in measuring circulation patterns in freshwater lakes has stimulated pilot experiments to explore HF radar capabilities over fresh water. The Episodic Events Great Lakes Experiment (EEGLE), which studied the impact of intermittent strong wind events on the resuspension of pollutants from lake-bottom sediments, provided an excellent venue for a pilot experiment. A Multifrequency Coastal HF Radar (MCR) was deployed for 10 days at two sites on the shore of Lake Michigan near St. Joseph, MI. Similarly, a single-frequency CODAR SeaSonde instrument was deployed on the California shore of Lake Tahoe. These two experiments showed that when sufficiently strong surface winds (2 about 7 m/s) exist for an hour or more, a single HE radar can be effective in measuring the radial component of surface currents out to ranges of 10-15 km. We also show the effectiveness of using HF radar in concert with acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) for measuring a radial component of the current profile to depths as shallow as 50 cm and thus potentially extending the vertical coverage of an ADCP array     

High-Capacity, Long-Range, Over Ocean Microwave Link Using the Evaporation Duct

This communication reports the first ever use of the over ocean evaporation duct to implement a high-capacity radio link from the Australian mainland to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), North Queensland, Australia. Conventional long-distance radio communication techniques such as high-frequency (HF) radio, satellite, or cell phone are either too slow or too expensive to operate continuously in this situation. A microwave radio link overcomes these problems but would generally not be viable due to the limited range possible with a standard line-of-sight microwave link. This communication shows that by properly choosing the antenna height and operating frequency though, it is possible to trap signals in the ocean evaporation duct and substantially extend the propagation range. A 78-km link that operates at a frequency of 10.6 GHz and provides a data rate of 10 Mb/s has been established to verify the technique. The communication also provides preliminary results of the measured performance of this link and a comparison with existing radio propagation models.      

Maritime satellite requirements and utilization

The basic purpose of this paper is to identify the potential requirements for maritime satellite communication and position fixing as it relates to both present and future operational systems (e.g., MARISAT, INMARSAT, etc.). Particular emphasis is given to the need for position fixing and ship terminal equipment utilization in national waters, as well as other major aspects. Present MARISAT operation and industry evaluation activities are briefly discussed, highlighting a few major programs and some of the potential benefit area thus far generally identified by the users of MARISAT. A comparison is made between satellite communication and the existing MF/HF system, including direct-printing radio telegraph (marine radio telex). From various standpoints, it appears that maritime satellite systems are more desirable than conventional (nontelex) marine telegraph/telephone. In addition, the improved performance, capability, and potential of satellites could outweigh the slightly lower annual traffic and equipment cost for HF marine telex.     

Short-wave radiolocation in oceanography

This paper reports on the application of coastal radar systems operating in the short-wave frequency band (wavelengths from 10 to 100 m), designed to determine the parameters of wind fields over the sea surface, as well as those of waves and currents. The regularities of radar signal generation by the sea surface and the propagation of short-frequency radiowaves are discussed. The possibility of employing radars in oceanography (including CODAR systems), using ionospheric and ground beams, is considered.Translated by Vladimir A. Puchkin.