Weekly water clarity report

US Coastal Water Clarity — Week of May 18-24, 2026

Published May 26, 2026

US coastal water clarity this week: 2 region(s) declining, 4 region(s) steady.

Regional clarity model read — feet01020304050Southern California38.7 ftFlorida Keys & South Atlantic16.3 ftFlorida Gulf Coast12.0 ftNortheast Atlantic9.1 ftHawaii6.9 ftMid-Atlantic & Gulf Coast5.9 ftimprovingstabledecliningno data

Regional reads

Florida Keys & South Atlantic 16.3 ft stable

Submarius's clarity model read Florida Keys & South Atlantic at 16.3 ft regional average; consistent with the prior week's read.

Florida Gulf Coast 12.0 ft -1.0 ft

Submarius's clarity model read Florida Gulf Coast at 12.0 ft regional average; down 1.0 ft vs the prior week's read.

Southern California 38.7 ft -1.6 ft

Submarius's clarity model read Southern California at 38.7 ft regional average; down 1.6 ft vs the prior week's read.

Hawaii 6.9 ft stable

Submarius's clarity model read Hawaii at 6.9 ft regional average; consistent with the prior week's read.

Northeast Atlantic 9.1 ft stable

Submarius's clarity model read Northeast Atlantic at 9.1 ft regional average; consistent with the prior week's read.

Mid-Atlantic & Gulf Coast 5.9 ft stable

Submarius's clarity model read Mid-Atlantic & Gulf Coast at 5.9 ft regional average; consistent with the prior week's read.

How the model works

Submarius estimates horizontal underwater visibility for any coastal point. It starts from that location's typical clarity for the time of year, built from in water measurements and satellite ocean color, then subtracts what changes day to day: wave stirring judged against depth and bottom type, river and runoff plumes, and tide driven water movement. Each estimate shows its data sources and how fresh they are. The underlying optics draw on Lee et al. 2015. See the methodology overview, the plain English conditions guide, and the glossary for the full picture.

Per-location and arbitrary-lat/lon clarity reads are available in the Submarius app. This weekly report publishes only regional aggregates so the model's recipe stays protected while the outcomes stay public.

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Model read taken May 25, 2026 at 06:46 UTC. Subscribe via RSS.