Measurements of ocean surface currents using shipborne High-Frequency radar

Abstract

In this paper, MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm is applied to determine the Direction of Arrival (DoA) of ocean surface current by shipborne High-Frequency (HF) radar moving with a constant velocity, based on principles of broadened first-order Bragg peaks. The velocity of the signal in DoA is compared with that of platform in the same direction, from which the radial velocity of currents can be obtained. As the platform moves forward, the currents are observed at different locations, thus obtaining the ocean surface vector currents. Simulation results show that the algorithm performs well in the overlapping areas.