CODAR Data visualization - Ocean Observation Laboratory at UMass Dartmouth's School for Marine Science and Technology
Original (non-English) name
Acronym
CODAR Data visualization - OCEANOL-SMAST
Citation
Abstract
OCEANOL researchers have been monitoring coastal ocean surface currents for over a decade using a long range Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radar (CODAR) station at the Cape Cod National Seashore near Nauset, MA. This high frequency (HF) radar system transmits a 5-MHz radio signal over the water and listens for this signal to return after being back-scattered by the ocean waves. Employing the principles of Bragg scattering and the Doppler shift, these data are used to calculate the speed and radial direction of the surface current. Data from our CODAR site on Cape Cod are combined with data from similar systems on Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and Block Island to produce hourly maps of surface ocean current vectors out to about 150 km offshore and with a spatial resolution of about 6 km.
Use the interactive map below to view these current data in either 1- or 25- hour averages. Our CODAR site is one of many deployed along the United States coastline. Zoom out and move around to view similar data for other parts of the continental U.S., Hawaii, and Puerto Rico!