Dataset Overview | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Near-real-time surface ocean velocities obtained by HF-radar in coastal waters of Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern US/Gulf of America, and western US during May 2010 (NCEI Accession 0187101)

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This dataset contains near-real-time ocean surface velocities, also known as total vector velocities, derived from high-frequency (HF) radar stations. The velocities are arranged in a horizontal latitude/longitude grid. Measured velocities are indicative of the upper 0.3 - 2.5 meters of the ocean depending on the operating frequency of the HF-radar and the vertical velocity profile of the water column. Data files are in ASCII columnar format, containing latitude, longitude, surface eastward sea water velocity (U), and surface northward sea water velocity (V). 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 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 the 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.

Dataset Citation

Cite as: Hervey, Rex V.; NOAA National Data Buoy Center (2019). Near-real-time surface ocean velocities obtained by HF-radar in coastal waters of Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern US/Gulf of America, and western US during May 2010 (NCEI Accession 0187101). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0187101. In NOAA IOOS Surface Currents Program; NOAA National Data Buoy Center. Near-real-time surface ocean velocities derived from HF-radar stations located along coastal waters of North Slope Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern U.S./Gulf of America, Hawaii, Great Lakes, and western U.S.. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/2rkz-8443. Accessed [date].

Dataset Identifiers

ISO 19115-2 Metadata

gov.noaa.nodc:0187101

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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). THREDDS (download) These data are available through a variety of services via a THREDDS (Thematic Real-time Environmental Distributed Data Services) Data Server (TDS). Depending on the dataset, the TDS can provide WMS, WCS, DAP, HTTP, and other data access and metadata services as well. For more information on the TDS, see http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/software/thredds/current/tds/. 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	ASCII File Specification: Columnar LLUV netCDF (Version: netCDF-4 classic model) File Specification: HFRNet 1.0.0, CF-1.1
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	2010-05-01 to 2010-05-31
Spatial Bounding Box Coordinates	West: -126.6745 East: -65.6521 South: 17.7364 North: 46.5399
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	Near-real-time surface ocean velocities derived from HF-radar stations located along coastal waters of North Slope Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern U.S./Gulf of America, Hawaii, Great Lakes, and western U.S. https://doi.org/10.25921/2rkz-8443 NCEI Collection Parent ID (indicates this dataset is related to other data): gov.noaa.nodc:IOOS-HFRadarRTVector

Publication Dates	publication: 2019-03-29 revision: 2025-12-31 creation: 2019-03-29
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 0187101 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 (2019). Near-real-time surface ocean velocities obtained by HF-radar in coastal waters of Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern US/Gulf of America, and western US during May 2010 (NCEI Accession 0187101). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0187101. In NOAA IOOS Surface Currents Program; NOAA National Data Buoy Center. Near-real-time surface ocean velocities derived from HF-radar stations located along coastal waters of North Slope Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern U.S./Gulf of America, Hawaii, Great Lakes, and western U.S.. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/2rkz-8443. 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 South Florida (USF) University of Connecticut (UConn) University of Miami (UM) The University of Rhode Island (URI) The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) 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) Humboldt State University (HSU) University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Department of Marine Sciences Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey University of Maine (UMO) San Francisco State University Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML) Old Dominion University (ODU) University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill (UNC) Canadian Coast Guard 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 time series WMO_CategoryCode oceanography Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords EARTH SCIENCE > OCEANS > OCEAN CIRCULATION > OCEAN CURRENTS NetCDF Climate and Forecast (CF) Metadata Convention Standard Names latitude longitude surface_eastward_sea_water_velocity surface_northward_sea_water_velocity time
Data Center keywords	NODC COLLECTING INSTITUTION NAMES THESAURUS Bodega Marine Laboratory California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Canadian Coast Guard Humboldt State University 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 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 US Navy/Naval Postgraduate School 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
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 Bay of Fundy Caribbean Sea Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Coastal Waters of Alabama Coastal Waters of Florida Coastal Waters of Gulf of America Coastal Waters of Gulf of Mexico Coastal Waters of Mississippi Columbia River estuary - Washington/Oregon Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Gulf of America Gulf of Mexico Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary New York Bight North Atlantic Ocean North Pacific Ocean San Diego Bay Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Location Keywords OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > BAY OF FUNDY 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 > PACIFIC OCEAN > NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN HF Radar Site Code and Name ASSA - Assateague, MD BISL - Block Island, RI BLCK - Block Island BML1 - Bodega Marine Laboratory, CA BRIG - Brigantine, NJ BRNT - Brant Beach, NJ BRZY - Breezy Point, NJ CAT - St. Catherine's, GA CBBT - Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, VA CBL1 - Cape Blanco, OR CDDO - Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico CDN - Crandon, FL CEDR - Cedar Island, VA CLHB - Clarke's Harbour, NS COMM - Commonweal Center, Bolinas, CA COP1 - Coal Oil Pt. CPHN - Cape Henry, VA, USA CRIS - Crissy Field, CA CSTM - Cape St. Mary, NS, CA DCLR - Diablo Canyon Long Range, CA DCSR - Diablo Canyon Standard Range, CA DUCK - Duck, NC ERRA - Low Beach, Nantucket, MA ESTR - Point Estero, CA FBK1 - FallBack22, Pt. Sal, CA FORT - Fort Funston, CA FURA - Anasco, Puerto Rico GCAP - Great Captain Island, CT GMNB - Grand Manan, NB, CA GRNI - Green's Island, Maine, USA HATY - Cape Hatteras, NC HBSP - Henderson Beach State Park, FL HOOK - Sandy Hook, NJ HOSR - Sandy Hook, NJ LISL - Little Island Park, VA LOVE - Loveladies LUIS - Point San Luis, CA MAN1 - Manhattan Beach, OR MGS1 - Mandalay Generating Station MISQ - Misquamicut, RI MLML - Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, CA MONT - Montara Sanitary District, Montara, CA MRCH - Moriches, NY NAPL - Naples, FL NAUS - Nauset, MA OBSP - Orange Beach State Park, AL PAFS - Point Arena Field Station PBON - Point Bonita, CA PILR - Pillar Point Air Force Station, CA, USA PREY - Point Reyes, CA PRI - Pritchard's Island, SC PSG1 - Point St. George, CA PSLR - Point Sur Long Range, CA PTC1 - Point Conception, CA PTM1 - Point Mugu, CA RAGG - Ragged Point, CA RDSR - Reddington, FL RFG1 - Refugio State Beach RTC1 - Romberg Tiburon Center, CA SAUS - Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District, CA, USA SCCI - Catalina Island, CA SCDH - Dockweiler Headquarters, CA SCI1 - Santa Cruz Island, CA SCPF - Point Fermin, CA SDBP - San Diego, Border Park SDCI - San Diego, Coronado Islands SDCP - Camp Pendleton, CA 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 SDSM - San Mateo Point, CA SDWW - Point Loma Waste Water Treatment Plant, CA SEA1 - Seaside, OR SEAB - Sea Bright, NJ SGRV - Singing River, MS SHEL - Shelter Cove, CA SILD - Staten Island, NY SLID - Slide Ranch, CA SNI1 - San Nicolas Island, CA SSD1 - Summerland Sanitary District STLI - Stehli Beach, NY STV2 - Fort Stevens, OR TRES - Treasure Island, CA TRIN - Trinidad, CA VENI - Venice, FL VIEW - Ocean View Beach, VA WIN1 - Winchester Bay, OR WLD2 - Waldport, OR 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 0187101

Use Constraints	Cite as: Hervey, Rex V.; NOAA National Data Buoy Center (2019). Near-real-time surface ocean velocities obtained by HF-radar in coastal waters of Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern US/Gulf of America, and western US during May 2010 (NCEI Accession 0187101). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/archive/accession/0187101. In NOAA IOOS Surface Currents Program; NOAA National Data Buoy Center. Near-real-time surface ocean velocities derived from HF-radar stations located along coastal waters of North Slope Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern U.S./Gulf of America, Hawaii, Great Lakes, and western U.S.. [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.25921/2rkz-8443. 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	2019-03-29T13:07:26Z - NCEI Accession 0187101 v1.1 was published. 2025-12-31T17:56:27Z - NCEI Accession 0187101 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 0187101 v1.1 NCEI Accession 0187101 v1.1 (download) published 2019-03-29T13:07:26Z NCEI Accession 0187101 v2.2 NCEI Accession 0187101 v2.2 (download) published 2025-12-31T17:56:27Z

Lineage information for: dataset

Processing Steps

2019-03-29T13:07:26Z - NCEI Accession 0187101 v1.1 was published.
2025-12-31T17:56:27Z - NCEI Accession 0187101 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 0187101 v1.1
- NCEI Accession 0187101 v1.1 (download)
  published 2019-03-29T13:07:26Z

NCEI Accession 0187101 v2.2
- NCEI Accession 0187101 v2.2 (download)
  published 2025-12-31T17:56:27Z

Acquisition Information (collection)
Instrument	radar - high frequency oceanographic

Last Modified: 2025-12-31T22:39:26Z
For questions about the information on this page, please email: ncei.info@noaa.gov

Near-real-time surface ocean velocities obtained by HF-radar in coastal waters of Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands, eastern US/Gulf of America, and western US during May 2010 (NCEI Accession 0187101)

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