Rocky shores are characterized by rough, multi-scale bathymetric variations that result in enhanced wave energy dissipation by bottom friction compared to sandy beaches. Realistic SWAN simulations of surface gravity waves across the rocky shores of Monterey (CA, USA) are conducted, and model results are compared to 20 inner-shelf observational sites spanning 34–5 m water depth. The wave field was highly variable during the stu...

The sudden appearance at the surface of an alongshore‐parallel band of red tide near Huntington Beach, California, is described in high spatial and temporal resolution using novel instrumentation including a global positioning system–tracked jet‐ski. The scale of the surface chlorophyll a (Chl a ) band was small (~ 200 m cross‐shore) and ephemeral (3 h) compared with the subsurface extent of the red tide (~ 2 km, > 7 d). The r...