An in-depth look at coastal high-frequency radars in the Mediterranean Sea co-led by SOCIB and Puertos del Estado

According to researchers, the Mediterranean Sea is a prominent climate-change hot spot, with many socioeconomically vital coastal areas being the most vulnerable targets for maritime safety, diverse met-ocean hazards, and marine pollution, thus negatively impacting sustainable growth of the maritime and marine sectors (Blue Growth). Aimed at responding adequately to scientific priorities and societal challenges, High-Frequency Radars (HFR) have increasingly been acknowledged as an effective land-based remote sensing technology for continuously monitoring surface circulation, increasingly waves, and occasionally winds over coastal areas; with more than half of the European sites located in the Mediterranean. Their integration in ocean observing systems has boosted progress in research on small-scale features and their interaction with larger scales, also underpinning the further development of applications.

Figure: Map of the Mediterranean Sea showing the location and the coverage of the HFR sites. SOCIB.

Map of the Mediterranean Sea showing the location and the coverage of the HFR sites. SOCIB. 

In this context, collaborative research led by Puertos del Estado and the Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB), within the framework of the Mediterranean Operational Network for the Global Ocean Observing System (MONGOOS) HFR task team, has assessed the status of operations, framework for future development, and applications in support of science priorities and societal needs of the Mediterranean HFR network. Published in the journal Ocean Science (Special Issue: Advances in interdisciplinary studies at multiple scales in the Mediterranean Sea) as two companion papers, this work has involved the participation of a multidisciplinary and intersectoral group of 42 scientists, HFR operators, and manufacturers from 22 institutions, which together operate 15 HFR systems in the coastal areas of Croatia, France, Israel, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, and Spain.

The first part of this work (Lorente et al., 2022) showcases the current status of the Mediterranean HFR network, providing a detailed overview of the main achievements and ongoing activities; the alignment with diverse multi-institutional initiatives, and alliances at regional, European and global level; and the roadmap towards an integrated, mature, HFR network operated permanently in the Mediterranean Sea. As stated by the authors, coordinated endeavors between HFR operators are mandatory to reach a mature stage, striving to harmonize deployment and maintenance practices; standardize data, metadata, and quality control procedures; centralize data management, visualization, and access platforms; and develop practical applications of societal benefit that can be used for strategic planning and informed decision-making in the Mediterranean. In addition, future prospects addressing economic, technical, and scientific aspects are delineated.

The second part (Reyes et al., 2022) reviews the capabilities of the existing advanced and emerging scientific and societal applications using HFR data, developed to address the major challenges identified in the Mediterranean coastal waters, organized around three main topics: maritime safety, extreme hazards, and environmental transport processes. In particular, such applications can serve for search and rescue operations, safe vessel navigation, tracking of marine pollutants, monitoring of extreme events, investigating transport processes, and the connectivity between offshore waters and coastal ecosystems. Furthermore, this work provides a set of recommendations for future improvement prospects to support blue growth in the Mediterranean, thus contributing to meeting the UN's Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and the EU's Green Deal goals, including the training of new generations of HFR technicians and scientists.

Reference articles

Lorente, P., Aguiar, E., Bendoni, M., Berta, M., Brandini, C., Cáceres-Euse, A., Capodici, F., Cianelli, D., Ciraolo, G., Corgnati, L., Dadić, V., Doronzo, B., Drago, A., Dumas, D., Falco, P., Fattorini, M., Gauci, A., Gómez, R., Griffa, A., Guérin, C.-A., Hernández-Carrasco, I., Hernández-Lasheras, J., Ličer, M., Magaldi, M. G., Mantovani, C., Mihanović, H., Molcard, A., Mourre, B., Orfila, A., Révelard, A., Reyes, E., Sánchez, J., Saviano, S., Sciascia, R., Taddei, S., Tintoré, J., Toledo, Y., Ursella, L., Uttieri, M., Vilibić, I., Zambianchi, E., & Cardin, V. (2022). Coastal high-frequency radars in the Mediterranean–Part 1: Status of operations and a framework for future development. Ocean Science, 18(3), 761-795.

Reyes, E., Aguiar, E., Bendoni, M., Berta, M., Brandini, C., Cáceres-Euse, A., Capodici, F., Cardin, V., Cianelli, D., Ciraolo, G., Corgnati, L., Dadić, V., Doronzo, B., Drago, A., Dumas, D., Falco, P., Fattorini, M., Fernandes, M. J., Gauci, A., Gómez, R., Griffa, A., Guérin, C.-A., Hernández-Carrasco, I., Hernández-Lasheras, J., Ličer, M., Lorente, P., Magaldi, M. G., Mantovani, C., Mihanović, H., Molcard, A., Mourre, B., Révelard, A., Reyes-Suárez, C., Saviano, S., Sciascia, R., Taddei, S., Tintoré, J., Toledo, Y., Uttieri, M., Vilibić, I., Zambianchi, E, & Orfila, A.(2022). Coastal high-frequency radars in the Mediterranean–Part 2: Applications in support of science priorities and societal needs. Ocean Science, 18(3), 797-837.