Kwajalein Wave Run-Up Forecast

Kwajalein Wave Run-Up Forecast

Voyager now includes a new wave run-up forecast for Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). Developed by Martin Guiles, Doug Luther, and Mark Merrifield of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, this new PacIOOS dataset provides a 6-day forecast of the potential for high sea level and wave inundation along the ocean-facing shorelines of Kwajalein due to the combination of wave run-up, tides, winds, and ocean currents. This complements our existing wave run-up forecasts at Majuro Atoll, RMI as well as Waikīkī and Oʻahu’s North Shore in Hawaiʻi. The overlay can be found in Voyager’s “hazards: forecasts” category (go there now).

Kwajalein wave run-up forecast on June 30, 2054—times listed in Marshall Islands Time (MHT); if the forecast inundation height extends into the red shaded area, inundation is likely in low-lying areas. Click on the image for further details:

Kwajalein wave run up forecast

Wave run-up is the maximum height reached by waves along the shore relative to low tide—specifically, mean lower low water (MLLW), which is the average height of the lowest recorded tide. This forecast can alert Kwajalein up to six days in advance of the potential for beach flooding and/or overtopping of nearby roadways. However, this forecast is experimental and no promise of accuracy is implied. Please note that the forecast is explicitly not accurate when either a tsunami, tropical storm, or hurricane warning is in effect.

Recent Posts

Did you know?

PacIOOS is the first regional association that was certified as a Regional Information Coordination Entity (RICE) by the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). Certification provides NOAA and its interagency partners a means to verify that a regional association’s organizational and operational practices, including data management, meet recognized and established standards set by NOAA.