To acquire the data necessary to depict and better understand the physics of above mentioned processes, a field laboratory has been established on the island of Guam. Guam was selected primarily because it is affected by an average of three tropical cyclones annually. In addition, it offers a favorable physical and logistical setting to study the required processes. A near-coast directional wave buoy has been deployed, and construction of a coastal water-level and meteorological station is underway. A detailed nearshore bathymetric survey using laser-based technology has been performed. Selection of a second field study site in Hawaii has been initiated. This site is expected to provide similar but less extreme, more frequent, and longer duration data than the Guam site.