Department of Oceanography, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA 93943, USA.
Ann Rev Mar Sci. 2013;5:115-36. doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-121211-172315. Epub 2012 Sep 4.
This article reviews the discovery, development, and use of high-frequency (HF) radio wave backscatter in oceanography. HF radars, as the instruments are commonly called, remotely measure ocean surface currents by exploiting a Bragg resonant backscatter phenomenon. Electromagnetic waves in the HF band (3-30 MHz) have wavelengths that are commensurate with wind-driven gravity waves on the ocean surface; the ocean waves whose wavelengths are exactly half as long as those of the broadcast radio waves are responsible for the resonant backscatter. Networks of HF radar systems are capable of mapping surface currents hourly out to ranges approaching 200 km with a horizontal resolution of a few kilometers. Such information has many uses, including search and rescue support and oil-spill mitigation in real time and larval population connectivity assessment when viewed over many years. Today, HF radar networks form the backbone of many ocean observing systems, and the data are assimilated into ocean circulation models.
本文回顾了高频（HF）无线电波反向散射在海洋学中的发现、发展和应用。高频雷达通常被称为这些仪器，它们通过利用布拉格共振反向散射现象来远程测量海洋表面流。高频波段（3-30MHz）的电磁波的波长与海洋表面风驱动的重力波相当；那些波长正好是广播无线电波一半的海浪负责产生共振反向散射。高频雷达系统网络能够以每小时几公里的水平分辨率，在接近 200 公里的范围内绘制表面流图。这些信息有许多用途，包括实时搜索和救援支持以及减轻溢油的影响，以及多年来评估幼虫种群的连通性。如今，高频雷达网络构成了许多海洋观测系统的骨干，数据被纳入海洋环流模型。
