The Mid-Atlantic Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System: Serving Coast Guard and Fisheries Needs in the Mid-Atlantic Bight

High Frequency (HF) Radar is an established central component of Mid-Atlantic Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARCOOS). The HF Radar network currently consists of 26-sites with multistatic and nested coverage from Cape Hatteras to Cape Cod with high-resolution coverage of the four major estuaries in the region. This network provides regional surface current maps to improve United States Coast Guard search and rescue operations, mitigate hazardous material spills as well as improve rip current forecasting. The radial current files are aggregated into the national data archival system. Specific applications include assimilation into a statistical model and three dynamical models with the goal of improving surface current forecasts for search and rescue. Test bed activities will routinely compare these forecasts with drifters released into the coverage area to determine the parameters necessary for inclusion into the Coast Guard search-planning tool, SAROPS. The MARCOOS HF Radar network has moved from small isolated systems to a single integrated regional system, a model that is being scaled around the world.