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Model vs Drifter Radar vs Drifter
Model vs Drifter Image Radar vs Drifter Image

TOSCA: Through the construction of an observational network, based on state of the art technology (HF radars, models and drifters), the project will provide real-time observations and forecasts of the marine environmental conditions.

The experiment: The second experiment in the Gulf of Trieste was carried on in october 2012 with the collaboration of the Istituto Statale di Istruzione Superiore Nautico "Tomaso di Savoia Duca di Genova" of Trieste. The surface circulation of the Gulf was monitored with drifters, radars and models for about one week. Additionally, one waverider buoy and one automatic profiling float were deployed and operated during the same period.

Radars: A network of three HF radars operating in the 25 MHz frequency band will provide near-real time surface current in the Gulf of Trieste during the TOSCA experiment. The radars are located in Aurisina, Pirano and Barcola. Surface current maps from the HF radar network will be provided at hourly time step on a 2km x 2km grid.

Models: Numerical simulations will be run using both a coarse and a high resolution domain. The two models will be driven by the same atmospheric and hydrologic (rivers) forcing. Model products will be provided evey simulated hour.

Drifters: About 50 drifters were deployed. Drifter raw data were sent to land every 15 minutes and elaborated in near-real-time (conversion, despiking, editing and plotting), providing surface circulation data with a frequency of less then 1h.