Caption: A snapshot of the present-day coverage of HFR-based surface currents from the MARACOOS HFR array at left, with the current speed shown in color and the direction by the arrows. At right, the same snapshot, but with the portions that would be affected by all planned offshore wind energy installations within the Mid-Atlantic Bight removed. This simulation illustrates the worst-case scenario of potential future HFR observations of surface currents given the planned offshore wind energy installations.

Caption: A snapshot of the present-day coverage of HFR-based surface currents from the MARACOOS HFR array at left, with the current speed shown in color and the direction by the arrows. At right, the same snapshot, but with the portions that would be affected by all planned offshore wind energy installations within the Mid-Atlantic Bight removed. This simulation illustrates the worst-case scenario of potential future HFR observations of surface currents given the planned offshore wind energy installations.

A multi-institution group led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has been awarded a 3-year grant to develop software-based mitigation of wind turbine interference for oceanographic high-frequency radar data. Building on initial mitigation research efforts by CODAR Ocean Sensors, funded by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, this project will conduct the necessary system integration, testing, validation, and verification needed for operational capacity. Offshore wind turbines create interference with HFR measurements that can lead to blind spots in the national HFR network. As the implementation of offshore wind-based energy grows, the potential for interference with HFR operations will also grow, creating sizable gaps in high-quality data and coverage. Recent research has been able to characterize this interference, creating the opportunity to implement software-based solutions that mitigate this interference and close those gaps. This project will: collect wind turbine interference data using a range of HFR systems; develop a focused dataset of simulated, hybrid, and observed wind turbine interference to test mitigation; document operational changes of the networked IOOS HFR systems that will increase the accuracy of mitigation methods; and conduct a full scale, in situ validation of mitigation methods at the first major U.S. offshore wind farm. HFR is a critical component of the IOOS mission, capable of making both high spatial and temporal resolution observations of surface currents over the continental shelf. The plan outlined here, paired with the recommendations of an IOOS-tasked community working group, will result in validated software operating on HFR site computers, enabling radars to observe ocean currents in and around operating offshore wind farms. Year 1: $398,067 Year 2: $398,351 Year 3: $399,646 Total Award: $1,196,064 Partners: Department of Physical Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; CODAR; MARACOOS; Rutgers University; University of California, Santa Barbara; SECOORA; SCCOOS; National Renewable Energy Laboratory