SURFACE CURRENTS REMOTELY OBSERVED BY MEANS OF RADAR

[摘要] Surface currents normally are difficult to measure. Only a set of Lagrangian drifters observed from fixed stations or from an aircraft or by satellite can give adequate information. Beneath this there is a new and powerfull field measuring tool which functions with a decametre backscatter radiowave RADAR. Two (or more) such fixed RADAR stations on land or on islands can remotely measure the surface currents in front of them with high resolution in space and time. This paper has two aims: first, to give a short explanation of the physical principles of the backscatter RADAR and to show its requirements and its limits, and secondly, to demonstrate the possibilities offered by this RADAR with an example of the coastal surface current off Norway.

[学科分类] 建筑学

[关键词] RADAR;current;surface currents