U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Datums Page Page 1 of 7
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/18/1988
Station ID: 9410230 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: LA JOLLA, PACIFIC OCEAN
CALIFORNIA
NOAA Chart: 18765 Latitude: 32° 52.0' N
USGS Quad: LAJOLLA Longitude: 117° 15.4' W
To reach the tidal bench marks from Interstate Highway 5 southbound and the
Genesee Avenue exit, proceed west on Genesee Avenue to Torrey Pines Road, turn
left onto Torrey Pines Road and go south to La Jolla Shores Drive on the right,
then bear right and go south on La Jolla Shores Drive to Discovery Way on the
right (marked Scripps Pier & Aquarium), then take Discovery Way to the bottom of
the hill and Scripps Pier. The bench marks are located along Discovery Way and
the nearby vicinity. The tide gage and staff are located in a small building
near the seaward end of the pier.
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
PRIMARY BENCH MARK STAMPING: 7 1958
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 1641
AGENCY: PID#: DC0986
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Retaining Wall
The bench mark is set in top of a concrete retaining wall, 48 feet (15 m) east
of a fire alarm box, 34 feet (10 m) NE of the intersection of the road into the
maintenance yard, 1.5 feet (0.5 m) south of the SW corner of The Benthic
Laboratory Control Center building, and 2 feet (1 m) above street level.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: 6 1952
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 1644
AGENCY: PID#: DC0990
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Sea Wall
The bench mark is set in top of a 7-foot (2 m) concrete sea wall, at a point
where the wall makes a 130-degree turn away from the beach, and 20 feet (6 m)
south of the south edge of a concrete ramp leading onto the beach.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 2 of 7
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/18/1988
Station ID: 9410230 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: LA JOLLA, PACIFIC OCEAN
CALIFORNIA
NOAA Chart: 18765 Latitude: 32° 52.0' N
USGS Quad: LAJOLLA Longitude: 117° 15.4' W
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
BENCH MARK STAMPING: BASIC 1929 RESET 1963
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 1645
AGENCY: PID#: DC1309
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Slab
The bench mark is set flush in the concrete entry way to the Shore Processes
Laboratory building, 52 feet (16 m) north of the extended centerline of the
Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier, 2 feet (1 m) north of Bench Mark BASIC
1929 RESET 1963 RESET 1964, and just inside the door to the building.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: BASIC 1929 RESET 1963 RESET 1964
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 1646
AGENCY: PID#: DC1308
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Platform
The bench mark is set flush in the concrete loading platform of the Shore
Processes building, 50 feet (15 m) north of the extended centerline of the Ellen
Browning Scripps Memorial Pier, 4.8 feet (1.5 m) north of the south edge of the
lowest of four steps leading to the loading platform, and 0.5 foot (0.2 m)
east of a 6-foot (2 m) retaining wall.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 9 1971
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 1647
AGENCY: PID#: DC1312
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Light Base
The bench mark is set flush in the 3-foot (1 m) square concrete base of a street
light, 16 feet (5 m) east of the center of the road through the campus parallel
to the shore line, 12 feet (4 m) SW of the SW corner of the Physiological
Research Laboratory, and 0.5 foot (0.2 m) east of the street light.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 3 of 7
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/18/1988
Station ID: 9410230 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: LA JOLLA, PACIFIC OCEAN
CALIFORNIA
NOAA Chart: 18765 Latitude: 32° 52.0' N
USGS Quad: LAJOLLA Longitude: 117° 15.4' W
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
BENCH MARK STAMPING: NO 10 1974
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 1648
AGENCY: PID#: DC1310
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Foundation
The bench mark is set flush in the concrete foundation at the top and at the
north edge of the north set of steps leading to the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography storehouse, 175 feet (53 m) NE of Bench Mark 7 1958 in the area of
the maintenance yards, 0.7 foot (0.2 m) west of the west wall of the storehouse,
and 3.5 feet (1.1 m) above ground level.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: 0230 L 1977
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 1649
AGENCY: PID#: DC1311
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Copper-clad Steel Rod
The bench mark is 64 feet (20 m) WSW of the NW corner of the Physiological
Research Laboratory, and 42.5 feet (13.0 m) west of Bench Mark NO 9 1971. The
bench mark is 0.2 foot (0.1 m) below ground level, crimped to a copper-clad
steel rod driven 41 feet (12 m), and encased in a 4-inch PVC pipe protruding 0.3
foot (0.1 m) above ground level.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 4 of 7
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/18/1988
Station ID: 9410230 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: LA JOLLA, PACIFIC OCEAN
CALIFORNIA
NOAA Chart: 18765 Latitude: 32° 52.0' N
USGS Quad: LAJOLLA Longitude: 117° 15.4' W
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
BENCH MARK STAMPING: 0230 M 1977
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 1650
AGENCY: PID#: DC1313
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Copper-clad Steel Rod
The bench mark is south along the pathway from Bench Mark 0230 L 1977, 124 feet
(38 m) west of the NW corner of the Geochemical Ocean Study building, 73 feet
(22 m) NW of the NE corner of the Scripps Building and Directors Office, and 3.8
feet (1.2 m) west of the west edge of the pathway. The bench mark is 0.2 foot
(0.1 m) below ground level, crimped to a copper-clad steel rod driven 42 feet
(13 m), and encased in a 4-inch PVC pipe which has been chipped, exposing the
mark.
BENCH MARK STAMPING: 0230 N 1977
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 1651
AGENCY: PID#: DC1314
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Copper-clad Steel Rod
The bench mark is 61.4 feet (18.7 m) south of the SW corner of Ritter Hall, 51.3
feet (15.6 m) NE of the NE corner of Building T-3, 29.3 feet (8.9 m) WNW of a
fire plug, 4.3 feet (1.3 m) NE of the NE edge of a diagonal curb, and 3.1 feet
(0.9 m) south of the south edge of the sidewalk. The bench mark is at ground
level, crimped to a copper-clad steel rod driven 44 feet (13 m), and encased in
a 4-inch PVC pipe which is broken off below ground level.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 5 of 7
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/18/1988
Station ID: 9410230 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: LA JOLLA, PACIFIC OCEAN
CALIFORNIA
NOAA Chart: 18765 Latitude: 32° 52.0' N
USGS Quad: LAJOLLA Longitude: 117° 15.4' W
T I D A L B E N C H M A R K S
BENCH MARK STAMPING: 0230 P 1988
MONUMENTATION: Survey Disk VM#: 1652
AGENCY: PID:
SETTING CLASSIFICATION: Concrete Pier
The bench mark is set flush in the concrete pier floor, 85 feet (26 m) ESE of
the offshore end of the new Ellen Browning Memorial Scripps Pier (completed in
1988), 30 feet (9 m) NNE of the southerly edge of the pier, 16.5 feet (5.0 m)
SSW of the north edge of the pier, and 4.4 feet (1.3 m) from the NW corner of
the building on the outer pier.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 6 of 7
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/18/1988
Station ID: 9410230 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: LA JOLLA, PACIFIC OCEAN
CALIFORNIA
NOAA Chart: 18765 Latitude: 32° 52.0' N
USGS Quad: LAJOLLA Longitude: 117° 15.4' W
T I D A L D A T U M S
Tidal datums at LA JOLLA, PACIFIC OCEAN based on:
LENGTH OF SERIES: 18 YEARS
TIME PERIOD: 1960-1977
TIDAL EPOCH: 1960-1978
CONTROL TIDE STATION:
Elevations of tidal datums referred to Mean Lower Low Water (MLLW), in FEET:
HIGHEST OBSERVED WATER LEVEL (08/08/1983) = 7.81
MEAN HIGHER HIGH WATER MHHW = 5.37
MEAN HIGH WATER MHW = 4.62
MEAN TIDE LEVEL MTL = 2.77
* NATIONAL GEODETIC VERTICAL DATUM NGVD29 = 2.56
MEAN LOW WATER MLW = 0.93
MEAN LOWER LOW WATER MLLW = 0.00
LOWEST OBSERVED WATER LEVEL (12/17/1933) = -2.60
* NGVD reference based on elevations published in Quad Spec. Pu, 1974, and
NOS leveling of 1985.
North American Vertical Datum (NAVD88)
Bench Mark Elevation Information In FEET above:
Stamping or Designation MLLW MHW
7 1958 36.24 31.62
6 1952 15.53 10.91
BASIC 1929 RESET 1963 33.36 28.74
BASIC 1929 RESET 1963 RESET 1964 33.33 28.71
NO 9 1971 31.97 27.35
NO 10 1974 37.81 33.19
0230 L 1977 30.84 26.22
0230 M 1977 30.96 26.34
0230 N 1977 37.07 32.45
0230 P 1988 33.54 28.92
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Ocean Service
Page 7 of 7
PUBLICATION DATE: 08/18/1988
Station ID: 9410230 SUPERCEDED DATE: 04/21/2003
Name: LA JOLLA, PACIFIC OCEAN
CALIFORNIA
NOAA Chart: 18765 Latitude: 32° 52.0' N
USGS Quad: LAJOLLA Longitude: 117° 15.4' 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.