UAF scientists tune into Cook Inlet currents

Submitted by Carin Bailey
Phone: (907) 322-8730
12/04/06

Homer, Alaska-- Anchor Point and Nanwalek have an unusual new radio station. The next time you are in the area, scan the radio dial and you might just hear the repeated chirping of radar signals bouncing off the waves of lower Cook Inlet.

These signals are emitted by two new high-frequency radars installed in early November on the Anchor Point and Nanwalek shoreline by scientists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Installation of the radars is part of an effort to map the surface currents of a 1,350-square-mile region between Kachemak Bay and Augustine Island. The project is funded by the Minerals Management Service.

"The ability to map real-time surface currents in Alaska waters can greatly increase safety for all water users," said Rachel Potter, an oceanographer with the UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and the deputy program manager on the project. "Having this data at our fingertips can aid in contaminant spill response, search and rescue operations, and marine navigation, just to name a few examples."

The radars send high-frequency signals over the water’s surface where they are reflected off the top of the waves. The radar signals are bounced back to the antennae, where the signal data is transmitted to Potter and other technicians at UAF.

Information gathered by the signals includes the speed and direction of the current. By combining the signals from both the Anchor Point and Nanwalek sites, scientists can produce a map on an hourly basis that displays the surface current speed and direction for lower Cook Inlet.

"If a kayaker gets stranded in lower Cook Inlet, it’s likely that we could tell rescuers where that kayaker may end up," said Andrew Bray, a research technician on the project.

The information collected by the radars will also help other scientists understand how winds, tides and seafloor topography affect changes in surface currents. Scientists and organizations can also use the information to predict the movement of pollutants, sediments and living organisms.

"Most importantly, this information can be used by those people who live, work, and recreate around the ocean," said Bray.

To see the real-time direction and speed of the currents in lower Cook Inlet, visit www.salmonproject.org/research/hf_radar/ci.

CONTACT:

Rachel Potter
Institute of Marine Sciences
UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Tel: (907) 474-5709
E-mail: rpotter@ims.uaf.edu

Carin Bailey
Public information officer
UAF School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
Tel: (907) 322-8730
E-mail: bailey@sfos.uaf.edu

Video animation, high-resolution photographs and an audio file of the signal is available by contacting Carin Bailey.