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
32 min ago
Systems named
335
Swell · wind sea
231 · 104
Seas crossing
7 buoys
Storms, last month
228 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
Edisto, SC 41004 · Eastern Seaboard South · 32 min agoSwell 6 s 36° moderate crests
Oregon Inlet, NC 44095 · Eastern Seaboard South · 52 min agoSwell 12 s 36° moderate crests
Satan Shoal, FL 42095 · Gulf of Mexico · 52 min agoWind sea 7 s 36° moderate crests
West Gulf 42002 · Gulf of Mexico · 32 min agoWind sea 7 s 36° moderate crests
North Equatorial One 41040 · Caribbean and tropical Atlantic · 32 min agoSwell 10 s 36° moderate crests
Cape Mendocino, CA (094) 46213 · California · 52 min agoWind sea 8 s 36° moderate crests
San Pedro South, CA 46253 · California · 52 min agoGroundswell 13 s 36° moderate crests
Tanner Bank, CA 46047 · California · 32 min agoSwell 11 s 36° moderate crests
Columbia River Bar, OR 46029 · Pacific Northwest · 32 min agoSwell 10 s 36° moderate crests
Central Aleutians, AK 46072 · Alaska · 32 min agoWind sea 8 s 36° moderate crests
Mokapu Point, Oahu, HI 51202 · Hawaii · 52 min agoWind sea 10 s 36° moderate crests
Northwestern Hawaii Two 51101 · Hawaii · 32 min agoWind sea 7 s 36° moderate crests
Pikareej, Arno Atoll, Marshall Islands 52216 · Pacific islands · 1 h agoSwell 12 s 36° moderate crests
Cape Henry, VA 44099 · Eastern Seaboard North · 52 min agoSwell 12 s 37° moderate crests
Cape Hatteras East, NC (250) 41120 · Eastern Seaboard South · 52 min agoWind sea 10 s 37° moderate crests
Hollywood Beach, FL (265) 41122 · Eastern Seaboard South · 52 min agoWind sea 6 s 37° moderate crests
St. Augustine, FL (194) 41117 · Eastern Seaboard South · 52 min agoWind sea 4 s 37° moderate crests
Pensacola, FL 42039 · Gulf of Mexico · 32 min agoWind sea 5 s 37° moderate crests
East Bahamas 41046 · Caribbean and tropical Atlantic · 32 min agoSwell 6 s 37° moderate crests
Western Caribbean 42057 · Caribbean and tropical Atlantic · 32 min agoWind sea 7 s 37° moderate crests