Alaska Heights Workshop Tidal Datums John Oswald, PLS, CHS
Tidal Datum Definitions (1) National Tide Datum Epoch (NTDE) 19 years 1960 – 1978 1980 – 2001 Special 5 year 1st Reduction Datum Planes MSL Geoid approximates USGS Quad Elevations NGVD29, NAVD88 MHW Uplands ownership Nautical chart land elevations MLLW Soundings on nautical charts
Tidal Datum Definitions (2) Tide Station Protocol Primary Tide Station 19 year (metonic) National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) Secondary 1 year Tertiary 30 days/calendar month Short 1 minute to upwards of 10 days
Tide Station Locations NWLONS 17 in Alaska About 200 in lower 48 NTDE 83-01 (April 2003) NTDE 60-78 NTDE 42-59 Unpublished Tide Stations
Where to Get Tide Data NOAA/COOPS Corps of Engineers Center for Observational Oceanograhic Products and Services co-ops.nos.noaa.gov Corps of Engineers National Data Buoy Center PMEL – Dart Program
What Does the Data Mean? Verified vs. Unverified Time Datum Plane UTC, Local Datum Plane MLLW, MSL, MHW, Station Datum Water Level Observations “Stage”, “Tide Readings” 6 minute interval Hourly Heights Used to compute Monthly Means MSL Daily Highs and Lows HH, H, L, LL
Tide Gauge Operations (1) Equipment Tide Gauges Digital bubbler Nitrogen or Pump Submersible pressure Strain Acoustic Radar Laser-Lidar Securing the Orifice Power Shelter Data Telemetry
Tide Gauge Operations (2) Installation Boat Helicopter Wet Surveyor Operation Observation Interval Observation Averaging Staff Shots Leveling Benchmarks Water Density Atmospheric Pressure
Tide Gauge Operations (3) Data Flow Flash Memory Satellite Telemetry Automated Internet Database Quality Control Staff Shots Gauge to Gauge comparisons Measurement Sigma
Tide Curve Examples: Nome & Prudhoe Bay (1)
Tide Curve Examples: Nome & Prudhoe Bay (2)
Tide Curve Examples: Nome & Prudhoe Storms (1)
Tide Curve Examples: Nome & Prudhoe Storms (2)
Tide Curve Examples: Cook Inlet
Tide Curve Examples: Aleutians
Tide Curve Examples: Seward Peninsula
Datum Computations 1st Reduction Tide by Tide Monthly Means Quick and Dirty Water Level Shots
Sea Level Changes – Seasonal (1)
Sea Level Changes – Seasonal (2)
Sea Level Changes – Long Term (1)
Sea Level Changes – Long Term (2)
Ellipsoid Heights and Tide Datums Ellipsoid Heights now being required on Tidal Benchmarks Relationship of Ellipsoid Heights to Tide Datums EH more stable Used for Aircraft positioning (LIDAR, photogrammetry) Repeatable Separation is not constant NOS/NGS 58 Standards GEOID99, GEOID2004 Seamless vertical datum Vertcon Documentation of Results
Ellipsoid Heights and The Ocean
Ellipsoid – MSL - Geoid
R/V JOASurveys.com The End