Submersible Spotter Water Level and Wave Data, in NHCI: Hurricane Milton 2024 - Observations

Water level measurements collected by subsurface anchored Submersible Spotters in Hurricane Milton (2024). The novel instrument was deployed in advance of the storm in approximately 20m water depth, remained at the ocean bottom as the storm passed, and later surfaced and telemetered data from during the storm. Wave measurements include spectral parameters (elevation variance spectral density and normalized directional moments) and water levels include pressure and corrected elevation time series. Buoys were air-deployed in a picket-fence along the coastline, along with microSWIFT, Spotter, and DWSD surface buoys designed to characterize the ocean surface ahead of, and inside, Hurricane Helene as the storm approached the Florida Big Bend region. For Hurricane Milton, only surface wave spectra are available due to premature surfacing of the Submersible Spotter.