Remote sensing with the JINDALEE skywave radar

The JINDALEE skywave radar is being developed primarily for defense surveillance of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), but its remote-sensing potential has long been recognized. Studies which commenced in 1974 led to successful measurements of sea-state and inferred surface wind fields in 1977-78 using a prototype radar; the current radar has been observing the Eastern Indian Ocean region since 1982. The JINDALEE radar is now linked to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology regional forecasting centers by a facsimile transmission network. Wind maps surveying over
1 000 000 km^{2}
of ocean can be produced automatically in real time at the radar facility and transmitted directly to forecasters. This capability, which became operational in January 1985, is supported by active research programs directed at improving the scope and accuracy of the measurements, as well as investigating a variety of meteorological and oceanographic phenomena. This paper presents an overview of the JINDALEE remote-sensing program with emphasis on the design and capabilities of the radar system.