J* E* C* N* U* N* S* ›› 2025, Vol. 2025 ›› Issue (6): 128-140.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1000-5641.2025.06.014

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Portable high-frequency radar antenna pattern calibration and multiple data quality control methods

Xuyun WU1(), Pixue LI1, Yuqi WANG2   

  1. 1. Shanghai Marine Monitoring and Forecasting Center, Shanghai 200062, China
    2. State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
  • Received:2025-03-11 Accepted:2025-07-07 Online:2025-11-25 Published:2025-11-29

Abstract:

Given their wide coverage, high resolution, and all-weather observational capabilities, high-frequency radars hold considerable potential for ocean current observation and forecasting. In this study, we address two key steps in the radar data processing chain, namely, antenna pattern calibration using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and anomaly detection using multiple algorithms. A UAV equipped with a beacon–global positioning system was employed for radar antenna pattern calibration. Experiments were conducted at the Jinshan–Luchaogang radar station in Shanghai, China. Following calibration, the root-mean-square errors of current direction and speed decreased by 17.76° and 0.04 m/s, respectively, with corresponding improvements in the correlation coefficients of 0.11 and 0.23. Furthermore, quality control of the radar-derived current data from the Jinshan–Luchaogang area was implemented using three methods: the standard deviation threshold method, boxplot analysis, and Isolation Forest algorithm. All three methods effectively identified anomalies in the marginal and nearshore regions of the observed current fields. Among them, the Isolation Forest algorithm exhibited superior spatiotemporal sensitivity and a broader detection range. These results indicate that combining improvements in the high-frequency radar data quality control with UAV-based antenna calibration can substantially enhance data quality and improve the reliability of high-frequency radar-derived data for ocean dynamic monitoring. Based on these findings, future research is recommended to incorporate multi-source observations and physical constraints to further improve high-frequency radar data quality control and calibration.

Key words: high-frequency radar, antenna pattern calibration, data quality control method, surface current

CLC Number: