U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Datums Page Page 1 of 5
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/22/1982
Station ID: 8639168 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: VIRGINIA BEACH, ATLANTIC OCEAN
VIRGINIA
NOAA Chart: 12207 Latitude: 36° 50.6' N
USGS Quad: VIRGINIABEACH Longitude: 75° 58.3' W
To reach the tidal bench marks from the intersection of Route 58 and Atlantic
Avenue at Virginia Beach proceed south along Atlantic Avenue to 15th Street.
The bench marks were located from 15th Street to Rudee Inlet. The tide gage and
staff were located on the wooden fishing pier at 15th Street in Virginia Beach.
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
PRIMARY BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 1 1951
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 3494
AGENCY: PID#: FW0110
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Sea Wall
The bench mark is set flush in the top of a concrete cap rail on the sea wall,
111.5 feet (34.0 m) northeast of the northeast corner of the brick porch of the
Casino Bath House, 103.2 feet (31.5 m) southeast of the southeast corner of the
Casino dancing hall, 22 feet (6.7 m) south of the centerline of the fishing
pier, 6 feet (1.8 m) north of the north edge of the concrete steps to the beach
and 0.5 foot (0.2 m) west of the face of the cap rail of the sea wall.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 3 1951
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 3495
AGENCY: PID#: FW0109
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Driveway
The bench mark is set flush in a old concrete driveway which crosses a sidewalk
at the entrance to the Tourist Haven Hotel between 13th and 14th Streets, 98.5
feet (30 m) south of the centerline of 13th Street, 66.5 feet (20.3 m) south of
the Hotels northeast corner, 39.5 feet (12.0 m) west of the centerline of
Atlantic Avenue (Route 60), 16.5 feet (5.0 m) north of the southeast corner of
the building, and 0.5 foot (.15 m) east of the east face of the building.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 2 of 5
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/22/1982
Station ID: 8639168 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: VIRGINIA BEACH, ATLANTIC OCEAN
VIRGINIA
NOAA Chart: 12207 Latitude: 36° 50.6' N
USGS Quad: VIRGINIABEACH Longitude: 75° 58.3' W
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 4 1960
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 3496
AGENCY: PID:
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Sea Wall
The bench mark is set in a concrete sea wall in the center of a set of steps
leading down to the beach at the end of 8th Street, 99.7 feet (30.4 m) southeast
of the southeast corner of a red brick motel and 25.0 feet (7.6 m) east of a
lamp pole.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 5 1960
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 3497
AGENCY: PID:
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Walkway
The bench mark is set in the top of a concrete walkway between the office and
east wing of the Holiday Sands Motel, on the south side of the building, and
61.4 feet (18.7 m) east of the east edge of a curb along Atlantic Avenue.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 6 1975
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 3498
AGENCY: PID:
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Bulkhead
The bench mark is set flush in a concrete bulkhead in the most distant southeast
edge of the concrete boardwalk at the beach, 40 feet (12.2 m) east of the
southeast corner of the Schooner Inn Motel, 8 feet (2.4 m) south of the second
concrete rail support, 2.2 feet (0.7 m) north of the southern edge of the
boardwalk, and 2 feet (0.6 m) west of the east edge of the boardwalk.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 3 of 5
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/22/1982
Station ID: 8639168 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: VIRGINIA BEACH, ATLANTIC OCEAN
VIRGINIA
NOAA Chart: 12207 Latitude: 36° 50.6' N
USGS Quad: VIRGINIABEACH Longitude: 75° 58.3' W
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
BENCH MARK STAMPING: E 311 1952
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 3499
AGENCY: PID#: FW0083
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Curb of Seawall
The bench mark is set in the top of the west end of a concrete curb (capping
steel piling) at the south end of the seawall, 110 feet (33.5 m) east of the
east curb of Atlantic Avenue, 81 feet (24.7 m) west of the southeast corner of
the seawall, in line with the north curb of 7th Street and level with Atlantic
Avenue.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 4 of 5
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/22/1982
Station ID: 8639168 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: VIRGINIA BEACH, ATLANTIC OCEAN
VIRGINIA
NOAA Chart: 12207 Latitude: 36° 50.6' N
USGS Quad: VIRGINIABEACH Longitude: 75° 58.3' W
T I D A L D A T U M S
Tidal datums at VIRGINIA BEACH, ATLANTIC OCEAN based on:
LENGTH OF SERIES: 6 YEARS
TIME PERIOD: 1964, 1966-1970
TIDAL EPOCH: 1960-1978
CONTROL TIDE STATION: 8638610 HAMPTON ROADS
Elevations of tidal datums referred to Mean Low Water (MLW), in FEET:
HIGHEST OBSERVED WATER LEVEL (10/22/1961) = 6.28
MEAN HIGH WATER MHW = 3.34
MEAN TIDE LEVEL MTL = 1.67
* NATIONAL GEODETIC VERTICAL DATUM NGVD29 = 1.55
MEAN LOW WATER MLW = 0.00
LOWEST OBSERVED WATER LEVEL (12/01/1963) = -2.42
* NGVD reference based on adjustment of 1973 and NOS levels of 1959-1971.
North American Vertical Datum (NAVD88)
Bench Mark Elevation Information In FEET above:
Stamping or Designation MLW MHW
NO 1 1951 12.93 9.59
NO 3 1951 14.84 11.50
NO 4 1960 12.75 9.41
NO 5 1960 16.13 12.79
NO 6 1975 11.99 8.65
E 311 1952 13.12 9.78
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 5 of 5
PUBLICATION DATE: 06/22/1982
Station ID: 8639168 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: VIRGINIA BEACH, ATLANTIC OCEAN
VIRGINIA
NOAA Chart: 12207 Latitude: 36° 50.6' N
USGS Quad: VIRGINIABEACH Longitude: 75° 58.3' W
D E F I N I T I O N S
Mean Sea Level (MSL) is a tidal datum determined over a 19-year National Tidal
Datum Epoch. It pertains to local mean sea level and should not be confused
with the fixed datums of North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88).
NAVD88 is a fixed datum derived from a simultaneous, least squares, minimum
constraint adjustment of Canadian/Mexican/United States leveling observations.
Local mean sea level observed at Father Point/Rimouski, Canada was held fixed as
the single initial constraint. NAVD88 replaces NGVD29 as the national
standard geodetic reference for heights. Bench mark elevations relative to
NAVD88 are available from NGS through the World Wide Web at
National Geodetic Survey.
NGVD29 is a fixed datum adopted as a national standard geodetic reference for
heights but is now considered superseded. NGVD29 is sometimes referred to as
Sea Level Datum of 1929 or as Mean Sea Level on some early issues of Geological
Survey Topographic Quads. NGVD29 was originally derived from a general
adjustment of the first-order leveling networks of the U.S. and Canada after
holding mean sea level observed at 26 long term tide stations as fixed.
Numerous local and wide-spread adjustments have been made since establishment in
1929. Bench mark elevations relative to NGVD29 are available from the National
Geodetic Survey (NGS) data base via the World Wide Web at
National Geodetic Survey.
NAVD88 and NGVD29 are fixed geodetic datums whose elevation relationships to
local MSL and other tidal datums may not be consistent from one location to
another.
The Vertical Mark Number (VM#) and PID# shown on the bench mark sheet are unique
identifiers for bench marks in the tidal and geodetic databases, respectively.
Each bench mark in either database has a single, unique VM# and/or PID# assigned.
Where both VM# and PID# are indicated, both tidal and geodetic elevations are
available for the bench mark listed.
The NAVD88 elevation is shown on the Elevations of Tidal Datums Table Referred
to MLLW only when two or more of the bench marks listed have NAVD88 elevations.
The NAVD88 elevation relationship shown in the table is derived from an average
of several bench mark elevations relative to tide station datum. As a result of
this averaging, NAVD88 bench mark elevations computed indirectly from the tidal
datums elevation table may differ slightly from NAVD88 elevations listed for
each bench mark in the NGS database.