Mitigation of Offshore Wind Turbines on High-Frequency Coastal Oceanographic Radar

Observations in Europe [1] indicate that the spinning blades of offshore wind turbines cause interference in HF radars. With the first five U.S. offshore wind turbines in the monitoring area of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS) SeaSonde network already installed, the proximity of radars and turbines prompted a study to better understand the potential effects on the U.S. National HF Radar Network. The construction of several more offshore wind turbines is planned to begin in the coming years, begging the question: what can be done to minimize the impact on the U.S. National HF Radar Network? Using the relation between the rotation rate of the turbine and the structure of the interference found in range-Doppler space of a SeaSonde cross spectra we developed and tested several mitigation techniques. Tests were performed using simulated wind turbine interference added to SeaSonde Doppler spectra.