Evaluation of Beamforming and Direction Finding for a Phased Array HF Ocean Current Radar

• Published in: Journal of atmospheric and oceanic technology Vol. 33; no. 12; pp. 2599 - 2613
• Main Authors: Wang, Wei, Gill, Eric W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston American Meteorological Society 01.12.2016
• Subjects: Algorithms; Antenna arrays; Antennas; Arrays; Beamforming; Current measurement; Current velocity; Direction finding; Doppler effect; Eigenvectors; Environmental factors; Environmental parameters; Music; Ocean currents; Parameters; Phased arrays; Radar; Radar arrays; Radar data; Radial velocity; Signal classification; Signal processing; Time series; Velocity
• ISSN: 0739-0572; 1520-0426
• DOI: 10.1175/JTECH-D-15-0181.1

The errors in the current radial velocity measurements are examined using Bartlett beamforming and Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) direction-finding algorithms with a linear phased array antenna system. A variety of radar and environmental parameters are examined. Suggestions for the optimal choice of operating parameters are proposed. The MUSIC algorithm has shown promising performance in current measurement when beamforming is used to first establish the maximum current velocity. Comparisons of radar field data and current meter measurements show RMS radial velocity differences in magnitude of 7.44 and 6.64 cm s −1 for the Bartlett beamforming and MUSIC–Bartlett algorithms, respectively. The results indicate that there are advantages to using a MUSIC–Bartlett approach in operational applications.