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
51 min ago
Systems named
333
Swell · wind sea
227 · 106
Seas crossing
4 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
Umpqua, OR Offshore 46229 · Pacific Northwest · 1 h agoSwell 10 s 17° long crests
Angeles Point, WA (248) 46267 · Pacific Northwest · 1 h agoSwell 10 s 18° long crests
Mission Bay West, CA 46258 · California · 1 h agoSwell 10 s 21° long crests
Point Reyes, CA 46214 · California · 1 h agoWind sea 10 s 21° long crests
Scripps Nearshore, CA 46254 · California · 1 h agoSwell 11 s 21° long crests
Point Loma South, CA 46232 · California · 1 h agoSwell 11 s 22° long crests
South Santa Rosa Island, CA 46069 · California · 51 min agoWind sea 10 s 22° long crests
Torrey Pines Outer, CA 46225 · California · 1 h agoSwell 11 s 22° long crests
West Orca Bay, AK 46060 · Alaska · 51 min agoWind sea 4 s 22° long crests
Grand Island North, MI 45211 · Great Lakes · 1 h agoWind sea 5 s 23° long crests
West Superior 45006 · Great Lakes · 51 min agoWind sea 4 s 23° long crests
Diablo Canyon, CA 46215 · California · 1 h agoWind sea 9 s 23° long crests
Mid Superior 45001 · Great Lakes · 51 min agoWind sea 5 s 24° long crests
Monterey Canyon Outer, CA (156) 46236 · California · 1 h agoWind sea 9 s 24° long crests
Cape Cod Bay, MA (221) 44090 · Eastern Seaboard North · 1 h agoWind sea 3 s 25° moderate crests
North Michigan 45002 · Great Lakes · 51 min agoWind sea 3 s 25° moderate crests
Mid Gulf 42001 · Gulf of Mexico · 1 h agoSwell 7 s 25° moderate crests
Del Mar Nearshore, CA 46266 · California · 1 h agoGroundswell 14 s 25° moderate crests
Leucadia Nearshore 46274 · California · 1 h agoGroundswell 15 s 25° moderate crests
San Nicolas Island, CA 46219 · California · 1 h agoWind sea 10 s 25° moderate crests