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
162 of 164
Newest spectrum
1 h ago
Systems named
312
Swell · wind sea
209 · 103
Seas crossing
5 buoys
Storms, last month
207 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

StationCrossingSystems
Central Aleutians, AK 46072 · Alaska · 1 h ago 105° apartthe smaller holds 52% of the larger's energy
  • Swell3.5 m9 sSSE
  • Wind sea2.5 m7 sENE new
West Washington 46005 · Pacific Northwest · 1 h ago 70° apartthe smaller holds 94% of the larger's energy
  • Swell1.3 m11 sNW ↓ fading
  • Wind sea1.2 m6 sWSW new
  • Groundswell0.7 m16 sSE new
West California 46059 · California · 1 h ago 60° apartthe smaller holds 78% of the larger's energy
  • Swell1.4 m11 sNW
  • Wind sea1.3 m6 sN
Eel River, CA 46022 · California · 1 h ago 55° apartthe smaller holds 56% of the larger's energy
  • Swell2.2 m8 sNNW ↑ building
  • Swell1.7 m9 sWNW
Port Orford, OR 46015 · Pacific Northwest · 2 h ago 50° apartthe smaller holds 64% of the larger's energy
  • Swell1.6 m11 sWNW
  • Wind sea1.2 m6 sNNW
  • Swell0.8 m12 sSE new