Surf’s Up for Science

Researchers from WHOI and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography carry an instrument tower into the surf near La Jolla, California, to measure the movement of water beneath the breaking waves. Specifically, the science team measured wave heights, water speed and direction, and the movement of sediment on the bottom, all with an eye toward deciphering how the surf- and swash zones work on complicated coastlines. (Photo by Britt Raubenheimer, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)