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'Coastline' Wave Pool
Live data is transmitted from the Atlantic coast to instantly recreate the ocean waves in this fountain at the NOAA headquarters.
Approaching the wave pool sculpture outside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) headquarters in Silver Springs, Maryland, you will see waves crashing against rough-cut granite, rhythmic and memorizing, in various levels of ferocity and grace.
What most people don’t realize is this sculpture, called “Coastline,” is much more amazing than its appearance lets on. These aren’t just random waves, but rather are generated from live biometric data transmitted from the Massachusetts seacoast to instantly recreate the exact ocean waves along a 65-foot section of the Atlantic coast.
When the artist Jim Sanborn created this wonderful wave pool in 1993, he connected it remotely to a sensor on the coastline. The artificial waves are generated by a turbine under the sculpture, while their movement is controlled by the data transmitted from the tide gauge in the town of Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The effect is a precise, real-time replica of the Atlantic surf (at one-fourth the size) right outside the NOAA Science Center.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/coastline-wave-pool
Approaching the wave pool sculpture outside the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) headquarters in Silver Springs, Maryland, you will see waves crashing against rough-cut granite, rhythmic and memorizing, in various levels of ferocity and grace.
What most people don’t realize is this sculpture, called “Coastline,” is much more amazing than its appearance lets on. These aren’t just random waves, but rather are generated from live biometric data transmitted from the Massachusetts seacoast to instantly recreate the exact ocean waves along a 65-foot section of the Atlantic coast.
When the artist Jim Sanborn created this wonderful wave pool in 1993, he connected it remotely to a sensor on the coastline. The artificial waves are generated by a turbine under the sculpture, while their movement is controlled by the data transmitted from the tide gauge in the town of Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The effect is a precise, real-time replica of the Atlantic surf (at one-fourth the size) right outside the NOAA Science Center.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/coastline-wave-pool
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