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International audienceHigh-frequency (HF) coastal radars measure current velocity at the ocean surface with a 30-100 km range and 1-3 km resolution, every 0.25-1 h. HF radars are well suited to many applications, such as search and rescue (SaR), oil-spill mitigation and ecosystem management. Here we present a first organized core of 12 HF radars installed in five sites in four countries (Greece, Italy, France and Spain) within the European MED project, the Tracking Oil Spill and Coastal Awareness (TOSCA) network. Dedicated experiments tested radar capabilities to estimate transport driven by currents, which is the key feature for all the above applications. Experiments involved the deployment of drifters, i.e., floating buoys, acting as proxies for substances passively advected by currents. Using HF radars the search range is reduced by a factor of 1.6 to 5.3 after 24 h. The paper also underlines the importance of sharing common tools for HF radar data processing and the need to mitigate radio frequency interference. The effort can be regarded as an initial step toward the creation of a Mediterranean or European HF radar network, crucial for any European integrated ocean observing system (IOOS)

High-frequency coastal radars (HFRs) have proved to be excellent tools for monitoring coastal circulation, providing synoptic, high spatial and temporal resolution surface current data in real time. They may also give detailed information on the surface wave field of coastal areas. An HFR has been operating in the Gulf of Naples (south-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea) since 2004. In this paper we show the results of their utilisation in the study of the Gulf dynamics and sea state, with a focus on potential applications in the context of operational oceanography.