Facility
The first wave research equipment was the wave flume. It is 360 feet (110 m) long, 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, and 15 feet (4.6 m) deep. It is used to simulate the waves of the ocean, and creates 5-foot-high (1.5 m) waves with currents strong enough to surf on. The wave flume holds up to 350,000 gallons of water. It can create both regular and irregular waves at intervals as short as .5 seconds apart. Research is mainly on the effect of waves on structures such as breakers. As the largest of this type of wave flume in North America, it can also be used to study the transport of sediment in the ocean.
A circular basin was added in 1990 to research the movement of sediment along beaches, among other research topics. It is also used to study ocean currents. The Circular Wave Basin can create waves up to 2 feet (0.61 m) in height in the 5 feet (1.5 m) deep structure that is 50 feet (15 m) in diameter.
The rectangular basin has 30 wave generators that can be used to simulate a storm in the controlled environment of the lab. In 2001, it was expanded to a size of 87 feet (27 m) by 160 feet (49 m) with a depth of 6.5 feet (2.0 m) to facilitate tsunami research. Research includes the effects of a tsunami on coastal population centers and possible survival options. The Tsunami Wave Basin was the first in the world dedicated to tsunami research, and is the largest and most advanced facility in the world. Additionally, the tsunami laboratory has a variety of above and below the water cameras, wave gauges, and microphones. They also operate a Tsunami Experimental Databank that allows other researchers to access video and data over the internet. Scientists work in collaboration with the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Researchers from universities around the United States use the basin for tsunami wave simulations.
Read more about this topic: O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory
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