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IEEE OES Oceanography and Meteorology TC Webinar 2026
Speaker: Dr. Hugh Roarty
Title：The Climatology of New Jersey Coastal Currents
Abstract: Oceanographic High Frequency radars (HFR) have been mapping currents along the New Jersey coast since 1998 when two stations were installed at Brant Beach and Brigantine as part of the Rutgers University Long Term Ecosystem Observatory (LEO-15). Twenty-eight years later, that seminal duo has grown into the 41-site Mid Atlantic HFR network providing continuous current maps along more than 1,000 km of coastline from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras. The expansive gridded current velocities serve a variety of stakeholders including federal agencies like the U.S. Coast Guard for search and rescue, NOAA for oil spill response, Homeland Security for vessel detection and ocean scientists developing both short-term forecasting applications as well as longer term, multi-decadal changes in coastal circulation. Long-term archives are now available with calculated decadal mean, annual and seasonally averaged surface currents. This presentation provides a history of the network to date and a glimpse towards the future.
Short Bio: Hugh J. Roarty is a Research Project Manager at Rutgers University’s Center for Ocean Observing Leadership, with more than two decades of experience advancing coastal and ocean observing systems from research concepts to sustained operational capabilities. Trained as an ocean engineer, he has played a central role in the design, deployment, and operation of high-frequency (HF) radar networks, autonomous platforms, and in situ sensors supporting coastal oceanography, maritime safety, and national observing infrastructure. His work bridges engineering, applied science, and operations, with a sustained focus on translating observational data into actionable products for stakeholders including NOAA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and DARPA.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Roarty has won nearly $10M in research funding, authored or co-authored close to 100 peer-reviewed publications, and delivered more than 200 technical presentations. He is widely recognized for his leadership in HF radar science, including vessel detection, wave and current measurement, quality assurance/quality control, bistatic radar systems, and network resilience—work that has directly informed search and rescue operations, offshore wind planning, and coastal hazard response. In addition to his research contributions, he has held faculty appointments at Princeton, mentored students and early-career scientists, and helped shape best practices and standards for regional, national, and global ocean observing networks.
Time: 2:30pm-3:30pm NST, 28 September, 2026
Webinar Link: https://mun.webex.com/meet/weimin
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Hugh Roarty
The Climatology of New Jersey Coastal Currents
