EuroGOOS – HF radar Task Team

The European Global Ocean Observing System EuroGOOS is an international non-profit organisation, made up of 42 members from 19 countries, committed to operational oceanography at European level in the context of global observing system. It is the European component of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the body created by UNESCO to ensure the coordination and dissemination of scientific ocean data that support the global marine science policy

On June 2018,  AZTI’s oceanographic research joined the list of full member in EuroGOOS, as an expert in the field of operational oceanography, a discipline that includes the measuring and sampling of oceans, seas and atmospheres, as well as their dissemination and interpretation to obtain socioeconomic benefits.

Among the different roles inside the organization (AZTI is a member of the regional alliance of the maritime area of Ireland -Biscay-Iberia IBI-ROOS, one of the five regional systems of EuroGOOS, and the working groups on Data Management and Quality – DATAMEQ and the Coastal Working Group) AZTI is chairing since 2019 in the HF radar Task Team.

The EuroGOOS HFR Task Team helps coordinate the European activities around the development and use of coastal HF radars. High-frequency radar (HFR) is a unique technology mapping ocean surface currents and wave fields (along with other variables) over wide areas with high spatial and temporal resolution. HFR is cost-effective, requiring only small manpower and technical costs.

Users of HFR technology include meteorology services, search and rescue agencies, governments, and regional and local authorities, as well as private companies working in assessment of coastal water quality, renewable energy, or other environmental services.

The Task Team is providing a European HFR operational network delivering data and products for science, environmental management, and operational needs.

Julien Mader – chair of the group