New Jersey Tide Network
USGS monitors data for estuary and back-bay areas all along the New Jersey coast and links to related projects with more information about coastal flood hazards, water quality, and other topics.
The USGS operates the most extensive satellite network of tide-gaging stations in the region, many of which form the backbone of flood-warning systems. The USGS provides current ("real-time") water-level/flow, water-quality, and meteorological data for these and other coastal sites along the New Jersey shoreline.
New Jersey Tide Network
The back bays of New Jersey behave quite differently than the ocean due to the complex interaction between the winds and the geometry of the inlets and bays. The New Jersey Tide Network (NJTN) is part of a statewide network of tide gages, weather stations, and stream gages collecting invaluable data in real time for the back-bay areas.
The National Ocean Service (NOS) adequately covers tidal data collection on the ocean and large bays, but in New Jersey little to no data was available for the back-bay areas. Tide elevation in the back bays behave quite differently than the ocean due to the complex interaction between the wind-driven surface water movement and the shifting geometry of the inlets, bays, and rivers. For example, a slow moving Nor’easter can retain tidal elevation levels in back bays and upstream rivers several feet higher than the ocean by trapping additional water and not allowing tides to recede normally. This results in flooded coastal and low-land communities along with bridges and causeways that link the barrier islands to the mainland.
New Jersey’s back-bay communities annually face the risk of catastrophic flooding from hurricanes and coastal storms. Weather forecasters, along with emergency management and transportation officials, require comprehensive and timely tide-level and meteorological data to make accurate flood forecasts and to plan and execute coastal hazard mitigation strategies. These strategies include coastal evacuation, multi-agency coordination, contingency plans and drills, zoning and building code recommendations, and proper design of physical structures, roads, and bridges.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), designed and installed the New Jersey Tide Telemetry System (NJTTS) with assistance from NOS. This system is part of a statewide network of tide gages, weather stations, and stream gages collecting invaluable data in real time. The NJTTS supplies real-time tide-level and meteorological data for flood-prone areas along the New Jersey shore and back bays to critical decision-making centers and the publically-available world wide web.
The USGS New Jersey Water Science Center is responsible for overall project coordination along with operation and maintenance of all instrumentation and remote data-collection platforms.
USGS monitors data for estuary and back-bay areas all along the New Jersey coast and links to related projects with more information about coastal flood hazards, water quality, and other topics.
The USGS operates the most extensive satellite network of tide-gaging stations in the region, many of which form the backbone of flood-warning systems. The USGS provides current ("real-time") water-level/flow, water-quality, and meteorological data for these and other coastal sites along the New Jersey shoreline.
New Jersey Tide Network
The back bays of New Jersey behave quite differently than the ocean due to the complex interaction between the winds and the geometry of the inlets and bays. The New Jersey Tide Network (NJTN) is part of a statewide network of tide gages, weather stations, and stream gages collecting invaluable data in real time for the back-bay areas.
The National Ocean Service (NOS) adequately covers tidal data collection on the ocean and large bays, but in New Jersey little to no data was available for the back-bay areas. Tide elevation in the back bays behave quite differently than the ocean due to the complex interaction between the wind-driven surface water movement and the shifting geometry of the inlets, bays, and rivers. For example, a slow moving Nor’easter can retain tidal elevation levels in back bays and upstream rivers several feet higher than the ocean by trapping additional water and not allowing tides to recede normally. This results in flooded coastal and low-land communities along with bridges and causeways that link the barrier islands to the mainland.
New Jersey’s back-bay communities annually face the risk of catastrophic flooding from hurricanes and coastal storms. Weather forecasters, along with emergency management and transportation officials, require comprehensive and timely tide-level and meteorological data to make accurate flood forecasts and to plan and execute coastal hazard mitigation strategies. These strategies include coastal evacuation, multi-agency coordination, contingency plans and drills, zoning and building code recommendations, and proper design of physical structures, roads, and bridges.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), designed and installed the New Jersey Tide Telemetry System (NJTTS) with assistance from NOS. This system is part of a statewide network of tide gages, weather stations, and stream gages collecting invaluable data in real time. The NJTTS supplies real-time tide-level and meteorological data for flood-prone areas along the New Jersey shore and back bays to critical decision-making centers and the publically-available world wide web.
The USGS New Jersey Water Science Center is responsible for overall project coordination along with operation and maintenance of all instrumentation and remote data-collection platforms.