This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.
Coastal oceanographic data at the Santa Cruz Harbor, California
This page contains near real-time meteorological, oceanographic, and coastal data collected by an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) device deployed near the entrance to the Santa Cruz Harbor, California. These instruments were installed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center (PCMSC) to research coastal change hazards and to develop real-time forecasts of coastal water levels and the probability of flooding. The ADCP is located inside the Santa Cruz Harbor, approximately 0.25 mi (0.4 km) from the harbor entrance in approximately 20 ft (6 m) of water.
The map below shows the location of the ADCP deployment site. Additional survey details are available from the USGS Coastal and Marine Geoscience Data System (CMGDS) at https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/services/activity.php?fan=2025-625-FA. All times on this page are in Pacific Standard Time (PST) or Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
ADCPs measure water velocity (speed and direction) and depth using sound waves. These data are analyzed to calculate information describing currents, tides, and water level fluctuations, including:
Pressure: The water pressure measured by the sensor deployed at a static height above the seafloor. Pressure data can be used to calculate water depth when corrected for fluctuations in atmospheric pressure.
Temperature: The water temperature measured in degrees Celcius.
North-South water velocities: The speed of water moving in the north-south direction, which is inline with the main harbor channel, measured at the water surface and the bottom of the channel.
The ADCP deployed in the Santa Cruz Harbor is located approximately at 36.964°N, 122.002°W at 13.1 ft (4 m) depth. Spotter is a basketball-sized buoy that collects and transmits real-time data of waves, winds, sea surface temperature and barometric pressure. The ADCP samples the water column at 1 Hertz (Hz; 1 sample per second) and calculates 3-minute averages of those data. The data are stored on the device and used to calculate water pressure, currents at multiple depths, and temperature, which are transmitted every fifteen minutes using cellular communications.
