Tides & Sea Level
Tides on TerraPulse are organized into the tide_gauge Locationdex — one slot per
tide station, each a fixed coastal instrument that has actually measured the height of
the sea, operated by NOAA. No estimates, no forecasts.
The dexes
The network lives in a single Locationdex, one slot per tide station. Counts are live and grow as stations are added:
| Dex | Holds | Stations |
|---|---|---|
tide_gauge | NOAA coastal tide and water-level stations | 301 |
That is 301 tide stations along U.S. coasts, each a real, sited gauge reporting the water level it measures, many every six minutes.
Provenance
Every station traces to NOAA CO-OPS — the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, which runs the national network of tide gauges and publishes water levels referenced to established tidal datums. Both sources are registered against the dex, so any record on TerraPulse carries a direct line back to the originating NOAA station.
What's in a record
Each station slot carries:
- Station — NOAA station ID and name
- Location — latitude and longitude on the coast
- Water level — measured height of the sea surface
- Datum — the tidal reference, typically Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW)
- Reporting cadence — how often the gauge transmits
- Region — the coast and body of water it monitors