1. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES NOAA’s National Ocean Service Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) Tide Stations and Sea Level Products Allison Allen, COASTAL Program Manager NOAA Ocean Climate Observation 7 th Annual System Review Silver Spring, Maryland October 27 – 29, 2010

2. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES Outline  CO-OPS Overview/Introduction  National Ocean Service Tide Stations  Highlights  Enhancements  OCO Support and Work Plan Progress  Additional Sea Level Products

3. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES CO-OPS Programs Real-Time Observations Operational Forecast Systems Tide/Current Predictions Chart Datum and Tide Control Hydrography/Photogrammetry Support Dredging Ecosystem Restoration, Forecasting Coastal Hazards/Storm Surge Sea Level/Climate

4. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES National Ocean Service’s Tide Gauge Network: National Water Level Network (NWLON) NWLON - 210 stations * Per the updated 2009 GLOSS Station Handbook, 26 NWLON stations are GLOSS “Global Core Network” stations.

5. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) Basics  Water Level  Wind Speed/Direction  Barometric Pressure  Air Temperature  Water Temperature Stations Transmit Every 6-minutes Averaged 6-minute WL value Six 1-minuted averaged water level values Six minute average includes back-up water level data and meteorological data. Stations also store 15-second water level data. Derived climate products: Hourly Heights, Monthly Means, Tidal Datums, Sea Level Trends

6. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES Marine Navigation & Safety Emergency & Hazardous Response Sea Level Change & Variability Marine Forecasting Storm Surge Monitoring Coastal & Environmental Planning & Assessment Shoreline & Marine Boundaries Wetlands Restoration & Monitoring Tsunami Warning Multi-Hazard Sea Level Stations

7. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES  Standard install: Dual anemometers, barometer, air temperature sensor  Upgrade schedule:  FY08: 28 stations  FY09: 37 stations  FY10-11: 13 of 17 stations completed to date.  Not all stations will receive an anemometer due to siting restrictions  NWLON stations in close proximity will not receive upgrades (e.g. Great Lakes Detroit area)  Potential climate applications NWLON Met Upgrades

8. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES U.S. Network Coverage  NOAA is actively developing a methodology to obtain long-term measurements in the Arctic. Schematic of Point Barrow Testing Configuration. Schematic of the bottom- mounted, under ice pressure Gauge configuration operating at Point Barrow, AK

9. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES Microwave Water Level Development NOAA has made progress testing and evaluating microwave water level sensors.

10. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES New Hardened Stations Hardened stations and single pile platform design have been installed in areas of high coastal storm vulnerability (e.g.Gulf of Mexico water level stations) Dauphin Island, AL Tide Station After Hurricane Katrina Lake Borgne, LA Tide Station Mobile, AL Tide Station

11. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES GPS on Sea Level Stations  There are currently ~32 NOAA-Operated long-term sea level stations in the U.S. within 10 kilometers of a Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS). Efforts are underway to increase this number, focusing on GLOSS stations as a priority.

12. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES Caribbean Activities: NOS plans to install a tide station in the wider Caribbean region in 2011 in support of a Caribbean sea level network. The planned location is Barbuda. GLOSS gap High vulnerability to coastal hazards

13. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES OCO Support Task #1: Tide Station Network  Operate and Maintain Water Level Measurement Systems at Platform Harvest  Upgrade NWLON Stations and Enhance Tidal-Geodetic Connections and Co-location of Continuous GPS at Tide Stations

14. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES Platform Harvest Maintenance  Supports altimeter calibration  Two data collection platforms  Co-located GPS receiver  Maintenance completed 8/25/10  Nitrogen cylinder removed; replaced with a pump  GPS antennae replaced on DCPs  Annual levels completed

15. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES Station Upgrade and Geodetic Connection Status StationUpgradedGeodetic Connection CORS Operating GuamYes KwajaleinYes Pago Yes Wake IslandYes Under Contract MidwayYesPlannedUnder Contract AdakYes BermudaYes San Juan, PRYes Magueyes Island, PRYes Charlotte Amalie, VIYes St. Croix, VIYes Additional Updates: CORS at San Francisco under contract. First co-located NWLON/CORS on West Coast Longest continuously operating NWLON station

16. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES OCO Support Task #2: Sea Level Analysis  Support and Expand Global Sea Level Analysis  Sea Level Quality Control and Metadata Validation- In Progress (FY11)  Gaps have been identified and cataloged  Contract about to get underway for 6- month QC person

17. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES Contributions to Global and Local Sea Level Measurement U.S. and Territory Sea Level Stations Expanded global tide station analysis Within GLOSS Global Network NWLON StationsGlobal StationsStatus 20071844Completed 2008 - 2009117 reanalyzed; 11 new added 71Completed 2009 - 201091In Progress TOTALS128206 Local & Global Sea Level Trend Analysis

18. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES Additional Sea Level Products  Technical reports  “Technical Considerations for Use of Geospatial Data in Sea Level Change Mapping and Assessment”  “Sea Level Variations of the United States: 1854-2006”  “Effects of the November 2009 Nor’easter on Water Levels”  Web prototype of an exceedance probability tool developed Extreme Storm Tide Levels of the United States 1897-2004 -- Chris E. Zervas

19. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES Sea Levels Online Upgrades http://www.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/sltrends/index.shtml

20. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/publications/EastCoastSeaLevelAnomaly_2009.pdf

21. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES Contributions to Global and Local Sea Level Measurement: A Summary 210 Stations Upgraded Sea Levels Online Website Increased tidal and geodetic connections Tide Station Upgrades & Network Expansion Local Sea Level Trends Expanded global tide station analysis Platform Harvest Maintenance Satellite Altimeter Calibration US Contribution to GLOSS

22. NOAA’s CENTER for OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS and SERVICES Questions allison.allen@noaa.govallison.allen@noaa.gov; 301-713-2897 x161 On the web at www.tidesandcurrents.noaa.govwww.tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov