Microwave and HF multi-frequency radars for dual-use coastal remote sensing applications

We discuss the synergistic application of microwave radars and HF radars to remote sensing of ocean waves and currents in the coastal zone. A new marine radar family (coherent and non-coherent) operating at 10-m scales can map nearshore bathymetry, and measure ocean currents and wave spectra at distances out to a few kilometers. The HF radar family operates using multiple frequencies on a pulse-to-pulse basis at 1-km scales, making use of either beam-forming or direction-of-arrival methods to map radial current fields. Both radar families are designed around a digital transceiver PCI card family supporting antenna arrays of one to 32 elements. Some results are presented for both radar systems.