Projects and Partnerships

Partnerships with the larger NOAA community and with external partners in the regions are critical to the success of NOAA's IOOS program.  By making use of existing investments in observing technology and by applying the vast expertise and resources around the country the NOAA IOOS program is able to support development of national applications, products, and services that meet critical needs at the state and local level. 

The High-Frequency Radar example mentioned below is just one example of a successful Federal/regional partnership. Others will be highlighted over time as the Program continues to develop.

High Frequency Radar

This photo represents a type of HF radar system, known as CODAR.  The CODAR ocean sensor is used to measure the speed and direction of surface currents. Click image for larger view.

The expanded implementation of the observing technology known as high frequency radar (HF radar) represents an example of successful and effective partnership among Federal and regional IOOS components with benefits at the national and local levels. HF radar systems collect data about ocean currents, including speed and direction, in near-real time. This information is needed to support a range of applications including search and rescue, oil spill response, and assessment of beach water quality, among others. This broad range of uses has motivated development of and support for a national network of surface current mapping systems as part of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). 

NOAA's Role

A number of IOOS partners at the state and regional levels, as well as academia, have devoted significant resources to develop this observing capacity within their respective geographies; however, these data are provided through many different avenues and not accessible on a national scale. Recognizing the importance of this technology and potential benefits gained through increased access to these data, the NOAA IOOS program supported a partnership between NOAA's National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography to develop of a National HF radar server and data management system. The development of national data standards for HF radar make it possible for a national data server to provide access to data produced by these various radar sites around the country. The intent is to maximize benefit of these investments by bringing the data together in an easily accessible and useable format to support decision-making. 

Uses and Applications of HF Radar

The above image of the Prestige spill in Spain in 2003 shows the spread of oil through the water as it leaks from the vessel. NOAA scientists can use HF Radar to track the expected movement of an oil spill, enhancing the ability to mitigate and respond to environmental impacts

Surface current maps generated from HF radar stations along the east coast now deliver up-to-the-minute information on currents to the U.S. Coast Guard's (USCG) Search and Rescue models, greatly improving their ability to rescue ships in distress.  This allows the USCG to more quickly identify the likely location of a disabled vessel based on speed and direction of coastal currents causing the vessel to drift.

Although a large part of any USCG disaster-response effort goes to search and rescue (SAR) activities, the USCG must also find, repair, and/or replace aids to navigation (e.g., buoys, channel markers), locate and salvage damaged vessels, work with other agencies to re-establish safe and secure marine commerce, and help with the response to disaster-related pollution (e.g., oil spills). This last responsibility is one for which IOOS can be a beneficial enhancement for the USCG.

Similar to search and rescue applications, surface currents data generated by HF radar stations along the coast allow the USCG and other state and local environmental agencies to track movement of oil spills.  Surface currents impact where and how the oil will spread in the ocean; therefore, response agencies are able to determine the expected impact on coastal resources and living marine resources and to develop appropriate response measures to mitigate the damage.

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