High frequency radar applications in coastal monitoring, planning and engineering

This paper reviews some existing and potential applications of high frequency (HF) radar surface current, wave and wind data drawing on experiences within Australia and also from elsewhere in the world. These include oil spill transport, search and rescue services, navigational safety, marine renewables, tsunami detection, water quality and coastal development projects, and many different applications in the area of marine ecology. The data are also used for studies of ocean dynamics and for the validation of hydrodynamic and wave models. Some new wind direction and wave measurements from the Australian radar systems are presented. The quality of the data is crucial to all these applications and some examples of data validation are discussed. Learning from the experiences of other more developed networks, and in particular building solid links with the user communities in Australia, is essential to ensure long-term sustainability of the Australian HF radar network.