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www.sea-technology.com March 2015 / st 31 T he Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB), is a multiplatform, distributed and inte- grated system that provides streams of oceanographic data and modeling services to support operational oceanography in a European and international framework (in line with Eu- roGOOS). SOCIB is a facility that responds to a change of paradigm in the observation of the oceans and coasts that has evolved from single-platform observing systems (i.e., research vessels) to multiplatform and integrated observing systems. SOCIB is composed of three major subsystems: an observing subsystem, a forecasting and modeling sub- system, and a data management subsystem. The high-fre- quency (HF) radar observing facility is a key element of the observing system that provides real-time, two-dimensional surface velocity observations every hour in the Ibiza Chan- nel. The Ibiza Channel, between Ibiza Island and the Iberian Peninsula, is a well-known biodiversity hotspot in the west- ern Mediterranean Sea. It is relevant due to the interaction between southern (fresher) Atlantic waters, coming from the Algerian Basin and northern (saltier) Mediterranean waters descending from the Gulf of Lion. The SOCIB HF radar facility consists of two CODAR (Mountain View, California) SeaSonde radial stations with antennas overlooking the Ibiza Channel; one antenna is lo- cated at the western coast of Ibiza Island (38º 57.1'N; 001º 13.1'E), and a second one is located at the western coast of Formentera Island (38º 39.9'N; 001º23.3'E). A central com- bine station located at SOCIB headquarters receives data from both radial stations and converts them into a gridded 2D total velocity feld. Both antennas emit at a central fre- quency of 13.5 megahertz and a bandwidth of 90 kilohertz, SOCIB Continuous Observations Of Ibiza Channel Using HF Radar Technology for Characterization and Quantifcation of Surface Currents By Dr. Arancha Lana • Dr. Vicente Fernandez • Dr. Joaquín Tintoré Western Mediterranean Sea map, showing the loca- tion of the HF radar antenna located at Ibiza Island (pictured) and a map of the area covered by the HF radar observations at the Ibiza Channel showing a six-hour averaged surface current with a northern surface circulation pattern observed in summer by the HF radar facility.