O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory

Construction on the laboratory began in 1972.[2] In 1973, the facility opened with the wave flume used to simulate the ocean waves.[3] The circular wave and rectangular wave basins were both finished in 1990.[3] That year the lab received a grant from the United States’ Office of Naval Research for $8.6 million to examine wave structures, which helped to pay for the two new wave basins.[3]

In 2001, the Wave Research Laboratory was awarded a $4.8 million grant to study tsunamis by the National Science Foundation.[4] The remodeled portion of the facility, the Tsunami Wave Basin, was completed in 2003.[5] In 2007, the foundation granted the laboratory $1.1 million to study storm surges and other waves related to hurricanes.[6]

Exterior of the lab

The first wave research equipment was the wave flume.[3] It is 360 feet (110 m) long, 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, and 15 feet (4.6 m) deep.[3] It is used to simulate the waves of the ocean, and creates 5-foot-high (1.5 m) waves with currents strong enough to surf on.[3] The wave flume holds up to 350,000 gallons of water.[3] It can create both regular and irregular waves at intervals as short as .5 seconds apart.[7] Research is mainly on the effect of waves on structures such as breakers.[8] As the largest of this type of wave flume in North America, it can also be used to study the transport of sediment in the ocean.[7]

A circular basin was added in 1990 to research the movement of sediment along beaches, among other research topics.[3] It is also used to study ocean currents.[8] The Circular Wave Basin can create waves up to 2 feet (0.61 m) in height in the 5 feet (1.5 m) deep structure that is 50 feet (15 m) in diameter.[9]

The rectangular basin has 30 wave generators that can be used to simulate a storm in the controlled environment of the lab.[3] In 2001, it was expanded to a size of 87 feet (27 m) by 160 feet (49 m) with a depth of 6.5 feet (2.0 m) to facilitate tsunami research.[4] Research includes the effects of a tsunami on coastal population centers and possible survival options.[10] The Tsunami Wave Basin was the first in the world dedicated to tsunami research, and is the largest and most advanced facility in the world.[11] Additionally, the tsunami laboratory has a variety of above and below the water cameras, wave gauges, and microphones.[4] They also operate a Tsunami Experimental Databank that allows other researchers to access video and data over the internet.[4] Scientists work in collaboration with the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.[12] Researchers from universities around the United States use the basin for tsunami wave simulations.[6]

• NOAA
• NOVA
• Science Daily