Potential for Recording of Waves and Sea Level Fluctuations in the World Ocean Coastal Areas by Internet Video Analysis

Abstract

This paper describes the technology for recording surface wave signals and sea level fluctuations in the coastal areas of the World Ocean based on real-time analysis of the surveillance camera “live video” presented on the Internet. A wave signal obtained by the method described in Crotone Port (Italy) is compared with the data from a nearby station of the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS). This example demonstrates the high recording quality of the seiche oscillation system in the port with periods from 40 to 2 min, which is comparable to GLOSS. In addition, in contrast to the GLOSS stations, signals obtained through video contain responses of even shorter period (up to tens of seconds) seiches, swell waves, wind, and ship waves.