Ocean Radar System to Monitor Surface Currents in the Tsushima Straits

A radar observation system to monitor surface currents in the Tsushima Straits was constructed. The system consists of seven high frequency (HF) ocean radars remotely controlled from the central site set up at Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University. This paper describes the hardware specification and configuration of the system. The data processing flow of the radar observation is also explained. Furthermore, some troubleshooting cases which occurred in practical operation of the system are reported. Finally, a few examples of recent oceanographic results derived from the radar data are shown. It is expected that the data obtained by this radar system will be important bases for future research works on Japan Sea oceanography