Black Skimmer, Sandwich Tern, Royal Tern and Laughing Gull—Photo: Rober Shupak/Audubon Photography Awards

At-Sea Biological Radar System for Airborne Target Detection
Presenter: Dr. Chris Rumple, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
October 15, 2025, 7:00 p.m. (Come early for refreshments.)
Dungeness River Nature Center
Free to attend

Dr. Chris Rumple

Radars can provide measurements of bird and bat distributions over large spatial areas (on the order of several kilometers), but the offshore environment poses new challenges for radar applications. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Oklahoma are developing a biological radar system that can be remotely deployed on a buoy for long durations to collect data of airborne targets. This system will be integrated with a Nomad-type buoy and deployed in the Salish Sea for testing and validation with an ultimate goal to conduct avian monitoring at offshore sites. Key technical challenges for offshore monitoring include stabilization of the radar antenna against buoy motion, sea clutter in radar data, as well as power and data constraints.  Here, we present developments towards the first challenge: system stabilization. 

Chris Rumple moved from Wyoming’s Bigger Sky country in 2022 to join PNNL’s Coastal Science Division from the University of Wyoming, where, for his PhD work, he was studying the effects of free-stream turbulence on swirling wakes of wind turbines. His passion for aerodynamics has driven his interest in renewable energies (i.e., turbines are wings flying in circles). Chris brings his experimental fluid mechanics and automation/instrumentation background to PNNL-Sequim’s campus to help the Marine Technology Team develop ocean energy ( i.e., tidal turbines are wings swimming in circles).

Chris has both coached and played rugby across the globe and is looking to start a club on the Olympic Peninsula. Chris also enjoys nature through activities ranging from mountain climbing to fishing.

Come early to enjoy gathering time and some tasty goodies before the program begins!