Originally published by GCOOS

Congratulations to Dr. Brian Dzwonkowski, University of South Alabama and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, and his team for reaching a one-year milestone of gathering wave data from the Sofar Spotter Wave Buoy supported by Inflation Reduction Act funding via GCOOS. The buoy was deployed to expand the availability of real-time wave data to support rip current predictions in the Mississippi Bight. Across the nearly 95 miles of coastline extending across south Alabama and the western Florida panhandle, there were 141 rip current fatalities documented since 1996, more than double the 61 fatalities that occurred with floods, tornadoes, lightning and tropical cyclones combined. Many of these rip current deaths were visitors vacationing at area beaches.

Data from the diminutive Spotter buoy, which measures about 16 inches in diameter and weighs less than 20 pounds, is not only used to aid rip current forecasts around Dauphin Island, Alabama, but also help with other hazard conditions in the surf zone such as wave runup events that cause coastal flooding. An extension of this important work to reduce overall danger and save lives is co-development of a rip current safety merit badge with the GCOOS Outreach and Education Council, NOAA National Weather Service, the Girls Scouts of the USA and Scouting America. And good news for residents and visitors to Pensacola Beach, Florida, is that a second Sofar Spotter Buoy will soon be deployed to collect hourly wave and water characteristics in real-time to further enhance local forecasts.

Find the data here. It is also posted to the GCOOS data portal here and at NDBC here