The US Geological Survey (USGS) Surge, Waves, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) Network

In collaboration with local, State, and Federal agencies, the USGS constructed a Surge, Wave, and Tide Hydrodynamics (SWaTH) Network for the Atlantic, Eastern and Central Pacific, to document the magnitude, timing, and extent of storm surge and waves during tropical and extra-tropical storms. The USGS SWaTH features the integration of National Ocean Service (NOS) and USGS real-time tide gages; mobile, rapidly deployable, real-time gages (RDGs), and mobile storm-tide/wave sensors (STSs). The STSs are deployed in an integrated network configurations consisting of (1) a distributed array of stations representing the range of landscape types and infrastructure subject to surge and wave forces, and (2) along transects from the nearshore waters and beaches through the inland resource of concern (e.g. a wetland or coastal community). Associated meteorological data, supplemental high water marks, coastal river flow gages, coastal current monitoring, and other hydrologic data provide ancillary information for interpreting changes in coastal hydrology and vulnerability of coastal ecosystems and communities in response to storm damage. SWaTH data deliverables include times series information for water elevation, wave height and frequency, and selected meteorological data. These data are stored in a nation-wide database and made available via the USGS Flood Event Viewer, and direct web services. These services are structured to allow other agencies to directly use the data as it is collected and approved during, or shortly following, a flood event. The data can help guide response and recovery efforts. Additionally, the data can help improve the understanding of how storm tide and waves evolve and dissipate when they move across natural and man-made landscapes, which is critical for improved coastal forecast and hindcast models. This in turn, will promote coastal resilience, facilitate better planning, and provide more effective early warning of storm-driven flooding.