Tide gauges can help measure sea level change, but their limited locations and short records make it hard to pinpoint trends. Now researchers are evaluating the instruments' limitations.
surface waves & tides
Posted inNews
Tiny, Deep Quakes Increase on San Andreas as Tides Tug on Fault
When the gravity of the Sun and Moon causes Earth's crust to bulge every 2 weeks, slow-moving earthquakes proliferate in the lower reaches of the San Andreas, a new study finds.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
The Dance of Surface Waves and Ocean Circulation
One mathematical model best describes the complex interplay between an ocean's surface waves and its underlying circulation.
Posted inNews
Model Predicts Heights of Rogue Waves
Rogue waves form without warning and can tower more than 25 meters high. A new mathematical approach shows promise at simulating how high these waves can be.
Posted inNews
Stars and Swells Guide a Polynesian Canoe Around the World
Modern oceanographers and ancient navigators rely on similar waves to study the world's oceans.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Streamlining Rapid Tsunami Forecasting
With enough sensors, traditional forecasting methods could be replaced by models continuously updated with real-time wave data.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
When Rivers and Tides Collide
Scientists review several decades of research on the complex freshwater reach where fluvial and tidal forces meet.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Tidal River Dynamics
Tidal rivers are a vital and little studied nexus between physical oceanography and hydrology.
Posted inScience Updates
Growing Network of Radar Systems Monitors Ocean Surface Currents
Fourth Meeting of the Global High Frequency Radar Network; Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 22–23 September 2015
Posted inNews
Tide Pools Mimic Climate Change in Everyday Cycle
Researchers unexpectedly discovered that tiny shoreline ecosystems act as miniature laboratories in which ocean acidification and its effects play out nightly.