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
- 162 of 164
- Newest spectrum
- 48 min ago
- Systems named
- 305
- Swell · wind sea
- 202 · 103
- Seas crossing
- 3 buoys
- Storms, last month
- 202 placed →
- Window
- The last 4 days
- Method
- Reference
Buoys where the two largest systems now meet at 40° or more with comparable energy, in seas of 1.5 m or more: steeper, less regular waves than the height alone suggests.
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
No station matches. Try another name, or all regions.
| Station | Crossing | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Western Hawaii 51003 · Hawaii · 48 min ago | 170° apartthe smaller holds 55% of the larger's energy |
|
| Central Aleutians, AK 46072 · Alaska · 48 min ago | 80° apartthe smaller holds 90% of the larger's energy |
|
| Port Orford, OR 46015 · Pacific Northwest · 48 min ago | 65° apartthe smaller holds 44% of the larger's energy |
|