Wind farm impacts on HF radar current and wave measurements in Liverpool Bay

HF radar systems are increasingly used as components of coastal monitoring systems but the accuracy of the measurements can be compromised if there are other significant non-wave targets (e.g. ships or wind turbines) in the field of view. Liverpool Bay, on the North West coast of England and Wales, is an area of significant wind farm development and is also the site of an HF radar deployed as part of the Liverpool Bay coastal observatory. In this paper the HF radar current and wave measurements are compared with co-located in situ measurement devices and with data at the Rhyl-Flats wind farm for three month periods in 2009 and 2010 to demonstrate the impact of the wind farm installation on radar performance.