Bluegraph
SIMarineUS

Wave intelligence

The systems in the sea

A buoy's significant wave height sums everything in the sea: long groundswell from a storm a thousand miles off, a closer swell, the chop of the local wind. Each buoy's measured directional spectrum is partitioned into those systems, which are followed through time, used to place the storms the swells came from, and checked for seas that cross.

Stations analysed
161 of 164
Newest spectrum
1 h ago
Systems named
310
Swell · wind sea
213 · 97
Seas crossing
6 buoys
Storms, last month
210 placed →
Window
The last 4 days
Method
Reference

Every buoy by how orderly its largest system is: a narrow directional spread means long crests, as in groundswell; a wide one, short, confused seas.

Each petal is a system, pointing to where it comes from, north up. Its length grows with height (the ring is 4 m); its width is the directional spread. Swell Wind sea Storm placed

StationLargest systemDirectional spread
Torrey Pines Outer, CA 46225 · California · 1 h agoWind sea 10 s 23° long crests
Grays Harbor, WA 46211 · Pacific Northwest · 1 h agoSwell 11 s 23° long crests
Grays Reef, GA 41008 · Eastern Seaboard South · 1 h agoSwell 4 s 24° long crests
San Nicolas Island, CA 46219 · California · 1 h agoSwell 11 s 24° long crests
San Pedro, CA 46222 · California · 1 h agoGroundswell 13 s 24° long crests
Clatsop Spit, OR 46243 · Pacific Northwest · 2 h agoSwell 11 s 24° long crests
Neah Bay, WA 46087 · Pacific Northwest · 3 h agoSwell 10 s 24° long crests
Tillamook Bay South Jetty, OR 46278 · Pacific Northwest · 2 h agoSwell 10 s 24° long crests
Onslow Bay Outer, NC (217) 41159 · Eastern Seaboard South · 1 h agoWind sea 6 s 25° moderate crests
Bodega Bay, CA 46013 · California · 1 h agoSwell 8 s 25° moderate crests
Point Sur, CA (157) 46239 · California · 2 h agoSwell 10 s 25° moderate crests
San Pedro South, CA 46253 · California · 1 h agoWind sea 9 s 25° moderate crests
Shumagin Islands, AK 46075 · Alaska · 1 h agoSwell 6 s 25° moderate crests
North Point, Pohnpei 52213 · Pacific islands · 2 h agoWind sea 8 s 25° moderate crests
Mid Superior 45001 · Great Lakes · 1 h agoWind sea 3 s 26° moderate crests
Central Caribbean 42058 · Caribbean and tropical Atlantic · 1 h agoWind sea 8 s 26° moderate crests
Long Beach Channel, CA 46256 · California · 1 h agoGroundswell 14 s 26° moderate crests
Red Beach Nearshore 46275 · California · 2 h agoWind sea 10 s 26° moderate crests
Santa Cruz Basin, CA 46251 · California · 1 h agoWind sea 7 s 26° moderate crests
Central Aleutians, AK 46072 · Alaska · 1 h agoWind sea 8 s 26° moderate crests