High-Frequency Surface Wave Radars in the Mediterranean Sea: civil and environmental applications

The Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO) has been operating for one decade a network of high-frequency radars for the monitoring of coastal surface currents on the French Mediterranean coast. More recently, ONERA has been developing an original over-the-horizon radar system for the detection and tracking of ships in the coastal zone. The two institutions have joined their efforts to provide dual civil and environmental applications of surface wave radars in the framework of the ROSMED project. We present preliminary results of the unique capabilities of the ONERA radar for the mapping of surface currents at very long range in the Gulf of Lion. We also present new results of the MIO high-frequency radar for the measurement of surface currents and waves and the automatic detection of ships.