Ocean-monitoring tests with the U.S. Air Force over-the-horizon radars

NOAA is evaluating the potential of over-the-horizon (OTH) defense radars for providing surface-wind data over very large data-sparse ocean areas. Tests with the U.S. Air Force OTH-B east- and west-coast radar systems have mapped surface wind direction over areas as large as 20 million square kilometers, revealing synoptic weather patterns. The east-coast radar in Maine has also focused on smaller areas to track hurricanes Claudette and Andrew more than 2000 km away. With the end of the Cold War, routine ocean-monitoring tasks could be added to military OTH radars at modest incremental cost.<
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