HF radar measurements of surface currents at the Georgia coast, 09 to 11 May 1978

Described is a field experiment in which surface currents were measured by HF radar situated on the Georgia coast. The study area includes the waters of the Savannah River Delta, Wassaw Sound, and the adjacent inner continental shelf. Presented herein are hourly maps of instantaneous surface currents, tidal current ellipses, direct current averages, and simulated drift trajectories. Analysis of the surface flow identifies the dominant local feature as anticyclonic semidiurnal tidal currents. The dominant general feature of the surface flow is a west-southwestward onshore drift that reflects the underlying bottom topography.