Roughly 25 meteotsunamis strike coastlines between Maine and Puerto Rico each year, tide gauge data reveal.
surface waves & tides
Posted inNews
Brief, Repetitive Floods in Coastal Cities Cause Economic Losses
A case study in Annapolis is one of the first assessments of the effects of high-tide flooding on local revenue.
Posted inNews
Waves of Deadly Brine Can Slosh After Submarine Landslides
Brine pools—hypersaline, low-oxygen waters deadly to many forms of ocean life—can experience waves hundreds of meters high when hit by a landslide, potentially overspilling their deep-sea basins.
Posted inNews
Massive Ocean Waves May Play a Role in Nuisance Flooding
When huge planetary waves that spawn in the open ocean reach land, they can raise local sea levels along the coast. Could tracking these waves help scientists predict flooding months in advance?
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Energetics of Western Boundary Current Surface Flows Are Similar
Despite different wind forcing and air-sea heating conditions, the surface layer energetics of two Western Boundary Current systems in different ocean basins are surprisingly similar.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
On the Origin of Infragravity Waves
Seafloor pressure sensor data show that long-period ocean surface waves radiating from the world’s shorelines are mostly reflected back to shore by the continental shelf edge.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Tides and Waves Interact to Cause Hurricanes in Near-Space
The interaction of tides and waves generated in the lower atmosphere can cause the mean zonal wind speed in the lower ionosphere to oscillate equivalent to a category 1 hurricane at Earth’s surface.
Posted inNews
Nutrient-Rich Water Around Seamounts Lures Top Predators
At an Indian Ocean marine refuge, tides drive cold water laden with nutrients onto the tops of underwater mountains, where it sustains a long food chain that culminates in sharks, tuna, and seabirds.
Posted inEditors' Vox
Ocean Tides Affect Ice Loss from Large Polar Ice Sheets
A recent paper in Reviews of Geophysics discusses how ocean tides affect the motion of, and loss of ice from, the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Sloping Topography and Oceanic Surface Modes
An accurate understanding of the influence of ocean bottom topography helps to diagnose the velocities of subsurface currents.