Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Surface ocean radial velocities obtained by HF-radar from stations located along coastal waters of Antarctica, Hawaii, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern US/Gulf of America, and western US during May 2015 (NCEI Accession 0138488)

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This dataset contains surface ocean radial velocities obtained by HF-radar from stations located along coastal waters of the United States. Radial velocity files contain metadata in a key-value format, while the measured velocities and associated ancillary data are reported in a tab-delimited format.

The National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) — in collaboration with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography through June 2025 and thereafter with NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) — assembles the data from the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Surface Currents Program’s High-Frequency (HF) Radar National Network and submits the data on a monthly basis to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Scripps Institution of Oceanography has submitted these data to NCEI to supplement the data previously received from NDBC.

Remote sensing of ocean surface velocity from shore-based HF-radar sensors bridges an operational observational gap between point samples obtained from in-situ sampling and synoptic scale relatively low resolution data obtained from satellites by providing continuous mesoscale coverage at relatively high resolution near the coast. HF-radar systems measure the speed of ocean surface currents in directions radial to the antenna in near real time. Radial velocities alone are a measurement of surface ocean velocity projected along the direction radial to the antenna, which only show those currents’ movement towards or away from the HF-radar sensor’s antenna. Radial measurements of ocean velocity may be used directly in some applications such as model assimilation but are commonly used in combination with overlapping sites to estimate the total vector ocean velocity.

Systems operate continuously in all weather conditions and are installed near the coastline. Range resolution of measured currents is determined by the radar transmit bandwidth used. Bandwidth is controlled by radio frequency licenses and translates to range resolutions of 0.5 to 6 kilometers. Maximum ranges of current measurements also depend on radar transmit frequency and vary from about 40 km offshore to about 200 km offshore. Velocities are measured in the upper 0.3 - 2.5 meters of the ocean depending on the operating frequency and vertical velocity shear profile.

Dataset Citation

Cite as: Hervey, Rex V.; NOAA National Data Buoy Center (2015). Surface ocean radial velocities obtained by HF-radar from stations located along coastal waters of Antarctica, Hawaii, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern US/Gulf of America, and western US during May 2015 (NCEI Accession 0138488). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0138488. In NOAA IOOS Surface Currents Program; NOAA National Data Buoy Center. Surface ocean radial velocities obtained by HF-radar from stations located along coastal waters of Hawaii, North Slope Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern U.S./Gulf of America, western U.S., and the Great Lakes. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/0mgt-5372. Accessed [date].

Dataset Identifiers

ISO 19115-2 Metadata

gov.noaa.nodc:0138488

Full Text · XML

Download Data	HTTPS (download) Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. FTP (download) These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP). HTTPS (download) Navigate directly to the URL for data access and direct download. FTP (download) These data are available through the File Transfer Protocol (FTP). FTP is no longer supported by most internet browsers. You may copy and paste the FTP link to the data into an FTP client (e.g., FileZilla or WinSCP).
Distribution Formats	LLUV (Version: HFRNet 1.51, 2021-07-01) File Specification: WERA Radial LonLatUV
Ordering Instructions	Contact NCEI for other distribution options and instructions.
Distributor	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information +1-301-713-3277 ncei.info@noaa.gov
Dataset Point of Contact	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information ncei.info@noaa.gov

Time Period	2015-05-01 to 2015-05-31
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates	West: -158.289703 East: -64.049417 South: -64.7872 North: 49.215867
Spatial Coverage Map

General Documentation	NCEI Dataset Landing Page Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links. Descriptive Information Navigate directly to the URL for a descriptive web page with download links.
Associated Resources	Surface ocean radial velocities obtained by HF-radar from stations located along coastal waters of Hawaii, North Slope Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern U.S./Gulf of America, western U.S., and the Great Lakes https://doi.org/10.25921/0mgt-5372 NCEI Collection Parent ID (indicates this dataset is related to other data): gov.noaa.nodc:IOOS-HFRadarRadial

Publication Dates	publication: 2015-12-01 revision: 2025-11-01 creation: 2015-11-30
Data Presentation Form	Digital table - digital representation of facts or figures systematically displayed, especially in columns
Dataset Progress Status	Complete - production of the data has been completed Historical archive - data has been stored in an offline storage facility
Data Update Frequency	As needed - NCEI Accession 0138488 was revised and a new version of the archival package was published. Updates to existing archival packages may provide additional files or replace obsolete files. The latest version contains the most complete and up-to-date representation of this archival information package. All of the files received prior to this update are available in the preceding version of this accession. Please see journal.txt in the /about directory for additional details on changes made.
Supplemental Information	Documents about processing HF-radar data and other related information are archived in NCEI accession 0126755. In this accession, NCEI has archived multiple versions of these data. The latest (and best) version of these data has the largest version number.
Purpose	This dataset is available to the public for a wide variety of uses including scientific research and analysis.
Use Limitations	accessLevel: Public Distribution liability: NOAA and NCEI make no warranty, expressed or implied, regarding these data, nor does the fact of distribution constitute such a warranty. NOAA and NCEI cannot assume liability for any damages caused by any errors or omissions in these data. If appropriate, NCEI can only certify that the data it distributes are an authentic copy of the records that were accepted for inclusion in the NCEI archives.

Dataset Citation	Cite as: Hervey, Rex V.; NOAA National Data Buoy Center (2015). Surface ocean radial velocities obtained by HF-radar from stations located along coastal waters of Antarctica, Hawaii, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern US/Gulf of America, and western US during May 2015 (NCEI Accession 0138488). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0138488. In NOAA IOOS Surface Currents Program; NOAA National Data Buoy Center. Surface ocean radial velocities obtained by HF-radar from stations located along coastal waters of Hawaii, North Slope Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern U.S./Gulf of America, western U.S., and the Great Lakes. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/0mgt-5372. Accessed [date].
Cited Authors	Hervey, Rex V. NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) NOAA National Data Buoy Center
Contributors	University of South Carolina (USC) University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) University of Delaware University of South Florida (USF) University of Connecticut (UConn) University of Miami (UM) The University of Rhode Island (URI) The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) University of Victoria, School of Earth & Ocean Sciences (SEOS) Oregon State University (OSU) California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT) University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMass Dartmouth) US Navy/Naval Postgraduate School University of Southern California (USC) NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS) University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Department of Marine Sciences Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (UHM) Autonomous University of Baja California University of Maine (UMO) San Francisco State University Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML) Old Dominion University (ODU) University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (UNC) Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO)
Resource Providers	Rex V. Hervey NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) Mark Otero Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO)
Publishers	NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information

Theme keywords	NODC DATA TYPES THESAURUS CURRENT SPEED - EAST/WEST COMPONENT (U) CURRENT SPEED - NORTH/SOUTH COMPONENT (V) NODC OBSERVATION TYPES THESAURUS current measurements - surface currents physical WMO_CategoryCode oceanography Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CIRCULATION > OCEAN CURRENTS Originator Keywords current radial u-component current radial v-component
Data Center keywords	NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Autonomous University of Baja California Bodega Marine Laboratory California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo NOAA National Ocean Service Old Dominion University Oregon State University Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey San Francisco State University Scripps Institution of Oceanography Skidaway Institute of Oceanography Stevens Institute of Technology The University of Rhode Island The University of Southern Mississippi University of California, Santa Barbara University of Connecticut University of Delaware University of Hawai'i at Mānoa University of Maine University of Massachusetts Dartmouth University of Miami University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Department of Marine Sciences University of South Carolina University of South Florida University of Southern California University of Victoria, School of Earth & Ocean Sciences US Navy/Naval Postgraduate School Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution NODC SUBMITTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS NOAA National Data Buoy Center Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Data Center Keywords DOC/NOAA/NOS > National Ocean Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce DOC/NOAA/NWS/NDBC > National Data Buoy Center, National Weather Service, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce DOD/USNAVY/NPS > Naval Postgraduate School, U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Defense UGA/SkIO > Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, University of Georgia UMAINE > University of Maine WHOI > WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION
Instrument keywords	NODC INSTRUMENT TYPES THESAURUS radar - high frequency oceanographic Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Instrument Keywords OSCR > OCEAN SURFACE CURRENT RADAR
Place keywords	NODC SEA AREA NAMES THESAURUS Caribbean Sea Coastal Waters of Alabama Coastal Waters of Florida Coastal Waters of Gulf of America Coastal Waters of Gulf of Mexico Coastal Waters of Mississippi Coastal Waters of Southeast Alaska and British Columbia Gulf of America Gulf of Mexico New York Bight North Atlantic Ocean North Pacific Ocean South Atlantic Ocean Southern Ocean Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > CARIBBEAN SEA OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF AMERICA OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > GULF OF MEXICO OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > SOUTH ATLANTIC OCEAN OCEAN > PACIFIC OCEAN > NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN HF Radar Site Code and Name AGL1 - Pt. Arguello, CA ANGL - Angel Island, CA ARG1 - Pt. Arguello, CA ASSA - Assateague, MD BIGC - Big Creek BISL - Block Island, RI BLCK - Block Island BML1 - Bodega Marine Laboratory, CA BMLR - Bodega Marine Laboratory Long Range BRAD - Bradley Beach, NJ BRAG - Fort Bragg, CA BRIG - Brigantine, NJ BRMR - Brigantine, NJ BRNT - Brant Beach, NJ CAT - St. Catherine's, GA CBL1 - Cape Blanco, OR CDDO - Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico CDN - Crandon, FL CEDR - Cedar Island, VA CMPT - Cape May Point, NJ COMM - Commonweal Center, Bolinas, CA CON - Conalep, Mexico COP1 - Coal Oil Pt. CORE - Core Banks, NC CPHN - Cape Henry, VA, USA CRIS - Crissy Field, CA CSTM - Cape St. Mary, NS, CA CSW - Fort Caswell, NC DCLR - Diablo Canyon Long Range, CA DCSR - Diablo Canyon Standard Range, CA DUCK - Duck, NC ESTR - Point Estero, CA EXPL - The Exploratorium Museum, CA FBK1 - FallBack22, Pt. Sal, CA FDS - Ft. De Soto, FL FURA - Anasco, Puerto Rico GCAP - Great Captain Island, CT GMNB - Grand Manan, NB, CA GRNI - Green's Island, Maine, USA GTN - Georgetown, SC HATY - Cape Hatteras, NC HBSP - Henderson Beach State Park, FL HEMP - Hempstead, NY HLPN - Cape Henlopen, DE HOOK - Sandy Hook, NJ JEK - Jekyll Island, GA, USA JOUB - Joubin Island KAK - Kaka'ako, HI KAL - Kalaeloa, HI KKH - Keaukaha, HI KNA - Kaena, HI KOK - Koko Head, HI LEND - Land's End, CA LISL - Little Island Park, VA LOVE - Loveladies LPWR - Long Point Wildlife Refuge, MA LUIS - Point San Luis, CA MAN1 - Manhattan Beach, OR MGS1 - Mandalay Generating Station MISQ - Misquamicut, RI MLML - Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, CA MNTK - Montauk, NY MONT - Montara Sanitary District, Montara, CA MRCH - Moriches, NY MVCO - Martha's Vineyard, MA NANT - Nantucket Island, MA NAPL - Naples, FL NAUS - Nauset, MA NIC1 - Nicholas Canyon, CA NPGS - Naval Postgraduate School OBSP - Orange Beach State Park, AL PAFS - Point Arena Field Station PALM - Palmer Station PBON - Point Bonita, CA PESC - Pescadero, CA PILR - Pillar Point Air Force Station, CA, USA PORT - Port Monmouth, NJ PPK - Pepe'ekeo, HI PREY - Point Reyes, CA PSG1 - Point St. George, CA PSLR - Point Sur Long Range, CA PTC1 - Point Conception, CA QTA - Quinta, Mexico RAGG - Ragged Point, CA RDSR - Reddington, FL RFG1 - Refugio State Beach RTC1 - Romberg Tiburon Center, CA SAU - Sauzal, Mexico SAUS - Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District, CA, USA SCCI - Catalina Island, CA SCDB - Dan Blocker, CA SCDH - Dockweiler Headquarters, CA SCNB - Newport Beach, CA SCPF - Point Fermin, CA SCRZ - Santa Cruz SCTB - Torrance Beach, CA SDBP - San Diego, Border Park SDCI - San Diego, Coronado Islands SDDP - Dana Point, CA SDPL - San Diego, Point Loma SDSC - San Clemente Is, CA SDSE - San Elijo State Beach, CA SDSL - San Diego, Scripps Long-range SDUT - Upper Trestles, San Diego, CA SDWW - Point Loma Waste Water Treatment Plant, CA SEA1 - Seaside, OR SGRV - Singing River, MS SHEL - Shelter Cove, CA SILD - Staten Island, NY SLID - Slide Ranch, CA SNI1 - San Nicolas Island, CA SPRK - Seaside Park, NJ SSD1 - Summerland Sanitary District STF - Dania Beach, FL STLI - Stehli Beach, NY STV2 - Fort Stevens, OR SUNS - Sunset Beach Resort, Cape Charles, VA TRIN - Trinidad, CA TRL1 - NULL VCOL - Westshore Coal Terminal, Tsawwassen VEN - Venice, FL VENI - Venice, FL VIEW - Ocean View Beach, VA VIL - Villarino, Mexico VION - Iona Wastewater Treatment Plant, Vancouver VIR - Virginia Key, FL WILD - Wildwood WLD2 - Waldport, OR WOOD - North Wildwood, NJ YHL1 - Yaquina Head Long, OR YHS2 - Yaquina Head South, OR
Project keywords	NODC PROJECT NAMES THESAURUS Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Integrated Ocean Observing System Data Assembly Centers Data Stewardship Program Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Project Keywords IOOS > Integrated Ocean Observing System
Keywords	NCEI ACCESSION NUMBER 0138488

Use Constraints	Cite as: Hervey, Rex V.; NOAA National Data Buoy Center (2015). Surface ocean radial velocities obtained by HF-radar from stations located along coastal waters of Antarctica, Hawaii, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern US/Gulf of America, and western US during May 2015 (NCEI Accession 0138488). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0138488. In NOAA IOOS Surface Currents Program; NOAA National Data Buoy Center. Surface ocean radial velocities obtained by HF-radar from stations located along coastal waters of Hawaii, North Slope Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern U.S./Gulf of America, western U.S., and the Great Lakes. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/0mgt-5372. Accessed [date].
Access Constraints	Use liability: NOAA and NCEI cannot provide any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of furnished data. Users assume responsibility to determine the usability of these data. The user is responsible for the results of any application of this data for other than its intended purpose.
Fees	In most cases, electronic downloads of the data are free. However, fees may apply for custom orders, data certifications, copies of analog materials, and data distribution on physical media.

Lineage information for: dataset
Processing Steps	2015-12-01T13:32:36Z - NCEI Accession 0138488 v1.1 was published. 2025-11-01T14:19:20Z - NCEI Accession 0138488 was revised and v2.2 was published. Rationale: Updates were received for this dataset. These updates were copied into the data/0-data/ directory of this accession. These updates may provide additional files or replace obsolete files. This version contains the most complete and up-to-date representation of this archival information package. All of the files received prior to this update are available in the preceding version of this accession.
Output Datasets	NCEI Accession 0138488 v1.1 NCEI Accession 0138488 v1.1 (download) published 2015-12-01T13:32:36Z NCEI Accession 0138488 v2.2 NCEI Accession 0138488 v2.2 (download) published 2025-11-01T14:19:20Z

Lineage information for: dataset

Processing Steps

2015-12-01T13:32:36Z - NCEI Accession 0138488 v1.1 was published.
2025-11-01T14:19:20Z - NCEI Accession 0138488 was revised and v2.2 was published.
Rationale: Updates were received for this dataset. These updates were copied into the data/0-data/ directory of this accession. These updates may provide additional files or replace obsolete files. This version contains the most complete and up-to-date representation of this archival information package. All of the files received prior to this update are available in the preceding version of this accession.

Output Datasets

NCEI Accession 0138488 v1.1
- NCEI Accession 0138488 v1.1 (download)
  published 2015-12-01T13:32:36Z

NCEI Accession 0138488 v2.2
- NCEI Accession 0138488 v2.2 (download)
  published 2025-11-01T14:19:20Z

Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument	radar - high frequency oceanographic

Last Modified: 2025-12-23T16:00:41Z
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov

Surface ocean radial velocities obtained by HF-radar from stations located along coastal waters of Antarctica, Hawaii, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern US/Gulf of America, and western US during May 2015 (NCEI Accession 0138488)

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