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Tide gauge

 
Tide Gauge

 
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A tide gauge is a device for measuring sea level and detecting tsunamis.

Sensors continuously record the height of the water level with respect to a height reference surface close to the geoid
Geoid

The geoid is that equipotential surface which would coincide exactly with the mean ocean surface of the Earth, if the oceans were in equilibrium, at rest, and extended through the continents ....
. Water enters the device by the bottom pipe (far end of the tube, see picture), and electronic sensors measure its height and record it to a tiny computer.

Data is available for over 1,750 stations worldwide.






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Tidal Gauge Dsc06189
A tide gauge is a device for measuring sea level and detecting tsunamis.

Sensors continuously record the height of the water level with respect to a height reference surface close to the geoid
Geoid

The geoid is that equipotential surface which would coincide exactly with the mean ocean surface of the Earth, if the oceans were in equilibrium, at rest, and extended through the continents ....
. Water enters the device by the bottom pipe (far end of the tube, see picture), and electronic sensors measure its height and record it to a tiny computer.

Data is available for over 1,750 stations worldwide. At some places records cover centuries, for example in Amsterdam
Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the Capital of the Netherlands and List of cities in the Netherlands with over 100,000 people of the Netherlands, located in the Provinces of the Netherlands of North Holland in the west of the country....
 where data dating back to 1700 is available. When it comes to estimating the greater ocean picture, new modern tide gauges can often be improved upon by using satellite data.

Tide gauges are used to measure tides and quantify the size of tsunami
Tsunami

A is a series of ocean surface wave that is created when a large volume of a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. The Japanese term is literally translated into " harbor wave."...
s. The measurements make it possible to derive the mean sea level. Using this method, sea level slopes up to several 0.1 m/1000 km and more have been detected.

A tsunami can be detected when the sea level begins to rise, although warnings from seismic activity can be more useful.