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
48 min ago
Systems named
315
Swell · wind sea
221 · 94
Seas crossing
8 buoys
Storms, last month
215 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 13 ft); its width is the directional spread. Swell Wind sea Storm placed

StationLargest systemDirectional spread
Central Caribbean 42058 · Caribbean and tropical Atlantic · 58 min agoWind sea 7 s 32° moderate crests
North Equatorial One 41040 · Caribbean and tropical Atlantic · 58 min agoWind sea 5 s 32° moderate crests
Oceanside Offshore, CA 46224 · California · 1 h agoGroundswell 15 s 32° moderate crests
Southeast Papa 46006 · California · 58 min agoSwell 8 s 32° moderate crests
Central Aleutians, AK 46072 · Alaska · 58 min agoWind sea 8 s 32° moderate crests
Shumagin Islands, AK 46075 · Alaska · 58 min agoSwell 6 s 32° moderate crests
Bethany Beach, DE 44084 · Eastern Seaboard North · 48 min agoWind sea 9 s 33° moderate crests
Long Island, NY 44025 · Eastern Seaboard North · 1 h agoSwell 9 s 33° moderate crests
Nantucket Offshore, MA 44008 · Eastern Seaboard North · 1 h agoSwell 8 s 33° moderate crests
Grand Island North, MI 45211 · Great Lakes · 48 min agoWind sea 3 s 33° moderate crests
South Bermuda 41049 · Eastern Seaboard South · 58 min agoSwell 10 s 33° moderate crests
Ocean Station PAPA (166) 46246 · Pacific Northwest · 3 h agoWind sea 9 s 33° moderate crests
Portland, ME 44007 · Eastern Seaboard North · 1 h agoSwell 9 s 34° moderate crests
Diamond Shoals, NC 41025 · Eastern Seaboard South · 58 min agoSwell 11 s 34° moderate crests
Cape Edgecumbe, AK 46084 · Alaska · 58 min agoSwell 8 s 34° moderate crests
Cape Suckling, AK 46082 · Alaska · 58 min agoSwell 9 s 34° moderate crests
Hilo, HI 51206 · Hawaii · 48 min agoSwell 11 s 34° moderate crests
Pearl Harbor Entrance, HI (233) 51211 · Hawaii · 1 h agoWind sea 6 s 34° moderate crests
East Superior 45004 · Great Lakes · 58 min agoSwell 4 s 35° moderate crests
Cape Hatteras East, NC (250) 41120 · Eastern Seaboard South · 48 min agoGroundswell 13 s 35° moderate crests