FORCE Uses Radar Imaging for Turbine Placement

March 17, 2015

New time lapse radar imaging at FORCE has shown flow features in western Minas Passage over two tide cycles (approximately 25 hours) in December 2014. While they appear to derive from a satellite, these images were created using FORCE’s marine radar system, perched atop its visitor centre.

Typical marine radar filters out sea clutter, but this radar focuses on the clutter. By smoothing out the noise and converting to geographic coordinates, it enables creating a birds-eye view of the western Minas Passage.

The feature that pops out is the wake behind Black Rock Island. The wake is shown in highly resolved detail, demonstrating its exact range and location. Other key details emerge which have never before been characterized; in particular, a jet, and associated large eddies, appears off Ram’s Head headland to the NW of the FORCE region.

There is also clear evidence of trails of persistent turbulence from subsurface features/bathymetry.

This year, a collaboration involving Dr. Joel Culina (FORCE), Dr. Paul Bell (National Oceanography Centre, U.K.) and John Brzustowski (Acadia University) will work towards fully characterizing these features in the context of supporting the in-stream tidal industry in the Minas Passage, greater Bay of Fundy and abroad.

These results will be critical towards assisting FORCE and developers in determining placement of turbine arrays and associated marine infrastructure in the Minas Passage.