Report on the status of HF-radar systems and cabled coastal observatories

The JERICO network is constantly working to improve its core functionality, which is the ability to provide comprehensive observations of Europe’s coastal seas and oceans. This means integrating new, promising observing technologies that can expand its spatial reach. While building the JERICO-NEXT project, HF-radar systems and cabled coastal observatories were identified as particularly attractive choices from this point of view, and a distinct task, Task 2.3 in Work Package 2 (WP2), was designed to facilitate their assimilation into the network’s established observing system. High Frequency radar (HF-radar) technology offers the means to gather information on surface currents and sea state over wide areas with relative ease in terms of technical effort, manpower and costs. There are twelve HF-radar sites, operated by five JERICO-NEXT partners, involved in Task 2.3. Together, they constitute 23.5% of the HF-radars currently operating in Europe. Cabled observatories, on the other hand, offer the attractive advantage of freeing marine observing activity from the merciless restrictions of limiting power and constrained bandwidth for communication and data transfer. Such observatories can therefore be used with a broad variety of sensors and systems, and allows measurements to be made even under extreme conditions (e.g., storm events, under ice, etc.). Six such observatories are being operated by JERICO-NEXT partners, all of whom are participating in Task 2.3.