Ocean Radar

Ocean currents and surface waves are considered core variables by IOOS, variables which are “required to detect and predict changes in the oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes” (IOOS, 2020).  A study by the National Transportation Safety Board showed that there are over 5,000 marine accidents per year in the United States and found that 75% of vessel traffic controllers attributed the prevailing environmental conditions (wind severity, poor visibility, strong currents and other hazards) as affecting safety the most within their port (NTSB, 2016).  Environmental conditions ranked 3rd out of 10 among watchstanders with traffic conditions and waterway complexity being first and second respectively.  The USCG responds to more than 17,000 search and rescue cases annually (USDOT, 2018).  While 90% of those cases involve only assistance or rescue the other 10% does involve search that require significant resources ($50M Thomas, 2013).  In 2014 there were 2,700 SAR cases within the MARACOOS region which equated to $8M expended on search.  Several studies (O’Donnell et al. 2005; Ullman et al. 2006; Roarty et al. 2010) have shown that the use of measured surface currents reduced USCG search areas by a factor of 3 when compared against global ocean models.  We estimate that the USCG saves $16M per year by utilizing MARACOOS surface currents.  Figure 1 documents the increased usage of HFR surface current products by the USCG for search and rescue.  Therefore, providing accurate surface current and wave information to mariners and Coast Guard personnel is essential for safe and efficient maritime commerce.