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 imagery and oceanographic data at Shishmaref, Alaska
This page contains near real-time coastal and oceanographic data collected by a camera system and a wave buoy deployed at Shishmaref, Alaska. These instruments were installed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to research coastal change hazards and to develop real-time forecasts of coastal water levels and the probability of erosion in Alaska.
The map below shows the location of the wave buoy deployment site and camera system. All times on this page are in Alaska Standard Time (AKST) or Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT).
Coastal imagery
Snapshot
Time lapse
Time exposure
Bright
Dark
Variance
Infrared snapshot
Infrared time exposure
Infrared bright
Infrared dark
Infrared variance
The camera system
The camera system in Shishmaref consists of three video cameras (two RGB, one infrared) installed on a tower adjacent to a utility building with coordinates 66.25631°N, 166.07235°W. The cameras are located at a height of approximately 25 ft (7.5 m) above the ground surface, with offshore (northward) views of the shoreline toward the Chukchi Sea and northeastward views along the shoreline. The cameras are housed in weather-proof cases and wired to a minicomputer that runs automatically and transmits images over a cellular internet connection.
Image products
At regular intervals, during daylight hours, the cameras take short videos, from which several image products are created. These product types include:
Snapshots: The first frame of the video, just like a standard photo
Time lapse: An animated loop of all recent snapshots. Time lapse animations are available, along with archived snapshots, from the USGS Hydrologic Imagery Visualization and Information System (HIVIS): Camera 1 | Camera 2
Time exposure: A composite image showing a time averaged-image of all frames; it is used to determine the location of persistent wave breaking.
Bright: A composite image that shows the brightest pixel values throughout the video, is it used to estimate the maximum wave run-up on the beach.
Dark: A composite image that shows the darkest pixel values throughout the video, it is used to remove the bright intensity breaking waves from the image.
Variance: An image that shows the standard deviation of pixel intensity, it is used to determine where objects in the image are moving.
Remote video cameras are a powerful tool to continuously monitor long stretches of coast. A camera system provides hourly estimates of coastal water levels influenced by tides, winds, waves, and changes at the coast. This type of data collection has been successful at numerous sites around the world and can be used to examine a range of coastal information, including waves, regular and extreme water level statistics, shoreline position, sandbar position and movement, rip current presence, and coastal changes. These data will be used to assess the skill of the USGS Total Water Level and Coastal Change Forecast. Additional information about this project is available at the Real-time Forecasts of Coastal Change and Coastal Change Hazards Portal for the use of the public, government officials, and city planners to protect and prepare coastal communities for storm impacts.
USGS CoastCams support a hazard ready Nation
CoastCam systems like this one are powerful tools in a nationwide effort to promote safety and protections for our people, property, and resources. With their continuous monitoring capability, they provide near-real time estimates of coastal water levels, help identify when areas may become vulnerable to erosion and flooding, and support local- and state-level preparedness for extreme weather events. The data from these cameras will also be used by researchers to assess the skill of predictive models, like the USGS Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) and the USGS Total Water Level and Coastal Change Forecast.
This work was authorized by Title VII of Division N in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328) to support direct recovery and rebuilding decisions in the wake of declared disasters related to hurricanes and typhoons in 2022. For more details about this field survey, refer to field activity 2025-628-FA.
Oceanographic data
Oceanographic data availability depends on ice-free conditions. If data do not load here, the buoy may not be deployed yet or may already have been retrieved for the season. If data loads, but appears out of date, there may be a temporary satellite interruption, and we will work to restore the connection.
The wave buoy system
The buoy deployed in Shishmaref is a Sofar Spotter buoy located at 66.2866°N, 166.0578°W, 2.5 mi (4 km) off
the shore at 33 ft (10 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 wave buoy samples changes in water surface elevation at a rate of 2.5 samples per second for 30 minutes and computes the distribution of energy across different wave periods and directions. The data are stored on the buoy and used to calculate the height, period, direction, and directional spread of the waves, which are transmitted hourly via satellite communications.
Wave data products
Surface wave buoys measure the changes in elevation of the sea surface as waves pass by the buoy. The buoys record accelerations and/or Global Positioning System (GPS) signals. These data are analyzed to calculate information describing the waves including:
Significant wave height: The average of the highest one-third of all the wave heights during the sampling period.
Peak period: The wave period is the time it takes for one complete wave to pass a particular point. Peak refers to the wave period with the most wave energy.
Peak wave direction: The direction waves are traveling from at the peak period (meteorological convention). The units are degrees from true North, increasing clockwise, with North as 0 degrees and East as 90 degrees, etc.
Peak directional spreading: Describes the range of wave directions about the peak wave direction.
Wave buoys support a hazard ready Nation
This wave buoy system provides near-real time oceanographic data to help identify when areas may become vulnerable to erosion and flooding; they also support local- and state-level preparedness for extreme weather events. These data will be used by researchers to assess the skill of predictive models, like the USGS Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS).
This work was authorized by Title VII of Division N in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328) to support direct recovery and rebuilding decisions in the wake of declared disasters related to hurricanes and typhoons in 2022. For more details about this field survey, refer to field activity 2025-628-FA.
