Weekly water clarity report

US Coastal Water Clarity — Week of Aug 31-Sep 6, 2026

Published Sep 8, 2026

US coastal water clarity this week: 2 regions clearing, 1 region declining, 3 regions steady. Notable: Florida Keys & South Atlantic clearing — read up 8.9 ft week-over-week.

Regional clarity model read — feet01020304050Hawaii47.1 ftFlorida Keys & South Atlantic40.1 ftMid-Atlantic & Gulf Coast31.7 ftFlorida Gulf Coast20.8 ftSouthern California18.8 ftNortheast Atlantic14.1 ftimprovingstabledecliningno data

Regional reads

Florida Keys & South Atlantic 40.1 ft +8.9 ft

Submarius's clarity model read Florida Keys & South Atlantic at 40.1 ft regional average; up 8.9 ft vs the prior week's read.

Florida Gulf Coast 20.8 ft stable

Submarius's clarity model read Florida Gulf Coast at 20.8 ft regional average; consistent with the prior week's read.

Southern California 18.8 ft stable

Submarius's clarity model read Southern California at 18.8 ft regional average; consistent with the prior week's read.

Hawaii 47.1 ft -5.6 ft

Submarius's clarity model read Hawaii at 47.1 ft regional average; down 5.6 ft vs the prior week's read.

Northeast Atlantic 14.1 ft stable

Submarius's clarity model read Northeast Atlantic at 14.1 ft regional average; consistent with the prior week's read.

Mid-Atlantic & Gulf Coast 31.7 ft +1.5 ft

Submarius's clarity model read Mid-Atlantic & Gulf Coast at 31.7 ft regional average; up 1.5 ft vs the prior week's read.

Notable events

Florida Keys & South Atlantic clearing — read up 8.9 ft week-over-week
Submarius's clarity model read Florida Keys & South Atlantic at 40.1 ft regional average this week, up 8.9 ft from the prior week's read. Cleaner water tends to hold until the next large swell or runoff event.

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 Sep 7, 2026 at 06:33 UTC. Subscribe via RSS.