First Results on Measuring Surface Current Velocities with WERA HF Radar in MIMO Configuration at Cape Hatteras

Preliminary results are presented on the mapping of surface current velocities measured by two WERAs operating in MIMO configuration. The systems operated by the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography are part of an NSF funded network of instruments deployed at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, investigating the interaction between shallow waters and the open ocean there. The MIMO arrangement of both systems in this study consists of a linear array of 8 receive antennas and two transmitters. The contribution of this paper compared to previous publications of WERA systems in MIMO mode includes the use of a slightly different MIMO geometry and the incorporation of recent modifications in the software that could ease the implementation and configuration of a MIMO system. The paper demonstrates the narrowing of the beamformed antenna pattern obtained when considering MIMO-generated virtual antennas. It also evaluates the performance of the surface current velocity data measured by the MIMO radar by comparing it to an in-situ ADCP.