Mean monthly wave properties for CoastSat transects of California beaches, 2000-2022

Metadata also available as - [Outline] - [Parseable text] - [XML]

Frequently anticipated questions:

What does this data set describe?

Title:
Mean monthly wave properties for CoastSat transects of California beaches, 2000-2022
Abstract:
Shoreline position data from the CoastSat methodology were used to describe seasonal cycles of California beaches using time-series analyses. This data release includes summary wave properties offshore of the 7777 CoastSat transects from California beaches. These wave properties are based on the hindcast data generated by the Coastal Data Information Program [CDIP, https://cdip.ucsd.edu] using the techniques of O’Reilly and others (2016) applied to the California coast and published in the CDIP THREDDS Data Server [https://thredds.cdip.ucsd.edu/thredds/catalog/cdip/model/MOP_alongshore/catalog.1072 html (Accessed 2 February 2024)]. For more information about the CDIP THREDDS server, see [https://cdip.ucsd.edu/m/documents/data_access.html (Accessed 2 May 2024)]. [Reference Cited: O’Reilly W.C., Olfe C.B., Thomas J., Seymour R.J., and Guza R.T., 2016, The California coastal wave monitoring and prediction system. Coastal Engineering, 116:118–132. doi: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2016.06.005].
Supplemental_Information:
Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
  1. How might this data set be cited?
    Warrick, Jonathan A., and Buscombe, Daniel, 20250116, Mean monthly wave properties for CoastSat transects of California beaches, 2000-2022: data release DOI:10.5066/P14WWHOJ, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, California.

    Online Links:

    This is part of the following larger work.

    Warrick, Jonathan A., and Buscombe, Daniel, 2025, Data to Support Analyses of Shoreline Seasonal Cycles for Beaches of California: data release DOI:10.5066/P14WWHOJ, U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Santa Cruz, CA.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Suggested Citation: Warrick, J.A. and Buscombe, D., 2025, Data to Support Analyses of Shoreline Seasonal Cycles for Beaches of California: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P14WWHOJ.
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
    West_Bounding_Coordinate: -124.403
    East_Bounding_Coordinate: -117.124
    North_Bounding_Coordinate: 42.013
    South_Bounding_Coordinate: 32.526
  3. What does it look like?
    https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/file/get/663553ced34edc29f409e229?name=BrowseGraphic1_Calif_StudyArea.jpg&allowOpen=true (JPEG)
    Map of the CoastSat transects included in this dataset.
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
    Beginning_Date: 01-Jan-2000
    Ending_Date: 31-Dec-2022
    Currentness_Reference:
    The date range is consistent with the date range of the Landsat imagery used for the CoastSat shoreline analyses.
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
    Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: comma-delimited text
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
    1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?
      This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Point (7777)
    2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
    CDIP_monthly_P_Dir_for_Calif_CoastSat.csv
    Table containing attribute information associated with the dataset (Source: Producer defined)
    CoastSat_Section
    There are 209 distinct coastal sections in the CoastSat shoreline database for Califonia beaches, ranging from the U.S.-Mexico border (section 1) to the California-Oregon border (section 309). This attribute provides these CoastSat section numbers according to the data published in Vos (2023). (Source: CoastSat database (Vos, 2023))
    Range of values
    Minimum:1
    Maximum:309
    CoastSat_Transect
    Each section of the CoastSat database has beach transects numbered from zero (0) to n-1, where n is the total number of transects in the section. Transects are spaced every 100 meters along the shoreline. This attribute provides these CoastSat transect numbers according to the data published in Vos (2023). (Source: CoastSat database (Vos, 2023))
    Range of values
    Minimum:0
    Maximum:258
    AvP_Jan
    The average wave power during the month of January for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.31
    Maximum:34.43
    Units:kW/m
    AvP_Feb
    The average wave power during the month of February for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.35
    Maximum:32.69
    Units:kW/m
    AvP_Mar
    The average wave power during the month of March for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.33
    Maximum:28.75
    Units:kW/m
    AvP_Apr
    The average wave power during the month of April for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.29
    Maximum:24.63
    Units:kW/m
    AvP_May
    The average wave power during the month of May for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.23
    Maximum:18.91
    Units:kW/m
    AvP_Jun
    The average wave power during the month of June for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.18
    Maximum:16.93
    Units:kW/m
    AvP_Jul
    The average wave power during the month of July for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.14
    Maximum:12.69
    Units:kW/m
    AvP_Aug
    The average wave power during the month of August for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.12
    Maximum:10.31
    Units:kW/m
    AvP_Sep
    The average wave power during the month of September for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.15
    Maximum:12.94
    Units:kW/m
    AvP_Oct
    The average wave power during the month of October for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.18
    Maximum:20.27
    Units:kW/m
    AvP_Nov
    The average wave power during the month of November for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.2
    Maximum:24.9
    Units:kW/m
    AvP_Dec
    The average wave power during the month of December for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave power computed from the standard formulation using time-series of significant wave height (meters) and peak wave period (seconds) from the CDIP (2024) records, a seawater density of 1024 kg/m^3, and a gravitational constant of 9.81 m/s^2. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:0.33
    Maximum:31.59
    Units:kW/m
    AvDir_Jan
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of January for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:139.9
    Maximum:347.2
    Units:Degrees
    AvDir_Feb
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of February for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:139.4
    Maximum:347.3
    Units:Degrees
    AvDir_Mar
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of March for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:138.2
    Maximum:346.9
    Units:Degrees
    AvDir_Apr
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of April for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:137.0
    Maximum:346.2
    Units:Degrees
    AvDir_May
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of May for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:136.5
    Maximum:344.6
    Units:Degrees
    AvDir_Jun
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of June for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:136.3
    Maximum:344.8
    Units:Degrees
    AvDir_Jul
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of July for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:136.2
    Maximum:344.0
    Units:Degrees
    AvDir_Aug
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of August for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:136.1
    Maximum:343.2
    Units:Degrees
    AvDir_Sep
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of September for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:136.2
    Maximum:345.1
    Units:Degrees
    AvDir_Oct
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of October for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:136.5
    Maximum:346.5
    Units:Degrees
    AvDir_Nov
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of November for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:137.9
    Maximum:347.1
    Units:Degrees
    AvDir_Dec
    The average dominant wave direction during the month of December for the nearest offshore coastal wave reanalysis site of the CDIP (2024) data. Wave directions are reported in the direction from which they are coming from relative to true north. (Source: U.S. Geological Survey)
    Range of values
    Minimum:139.6
    Maximum:347.5
    Units:Degrees
    Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
    There is one header line in the csv file that provides the attribute labels.
    Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: U.S. Geological Survey

Who produced the data set?

  1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
    • Jonathan A. Warrick
    • Daniel Buscombe
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
    U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
    Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
    2885 Mission Street
    Santa Cruz, CA

    831-427-4747 (voice)
    pcmsc_data@usgs.gov

Why was the data set created?

Seasonal cycles of the shoreline result from recurring patterns of retreat and recovery generally assumed to be related to wave climate. These data provide offshore wave climate information for each CoastSat transect of California, which should be useful for assessing the patterns and relationships between coastal change and oceanographic wave forcing of these changes for California’s shoreline.

How was the data set created?

  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
    CDIP (2024) (source 1 of 2)
    Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP), 2024, CDIP THREDDS Data Server: Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP), online.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: online database
    Source_Contribution: Time-series of coastal wave hindcast values 2000-2022
    Vos (2023) (source 2 of 2)
    Vos, Kilian, 2023, Time-series of shoreline change along the Pacific Rim, v1.4: Zenodo, online.

    Online Links:

    Type_of_Source_Media: online database
    Source_Contribution:
    Time-series of coastal shoreline positions derived from remote sensing analyses of imagery from 1984-2022, version 1.4.
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
    Date: 09-Feb-2024 (process 1 of 2)
    The data processing involved compiling daily hindcast values of wave parameters for every CDIP station, which are located at the 10-15 m isobath offshore of the California coast at approximately 100-meter spacing. Wave parameters included significant wave height (Hs), peak wave period (Tp), and dominant wave direction (Dir). From these daily average values, daily wave power (P) was computed from the intermediate water depth equations: P=E*Cg, where E is the wave energy [E=(1/16)*rho*g*Hs^2] and Cg is in the group velocity of the waves [Cg=C*n], which is solved by the general Airy-wave equations [C=(g*Tp*/2pi)*tanh(2pid/L); n=(1/2)*(1+(4pid/L)/sinh(4pid/L)); L=Li*(tanh(2pid/Li))]^(1/2)], where, rho is seawater density (1025 kg/m3), g is the acceleration of gravity (9.81 m/s2), C is the wave phase velocity (m/s), n is a scaling factor, d is the water depth (m), L is the wavelength (m), which is solved from the standard deep-water wavelength equation (Li=gT2/2pin), and pi is the mathematical constant approximately equal to 3.14159. With these daily values of wave power (P) and wave direction (Dir), we calculated monthly mean values of P and Dir for each hindcast site over the 2000-2022 record. Then, every CoastSat station was assigned to the closest CDIP stations in the offshore direction using the station positions reported in the source datasets, and the monthly mean P and Dir values from CDIP sites were transferred to the CoastSat stations. Data sources used in this process:
    • CDIP (2024)
    Date: 21-Jan-2025 (process 2 of 2)
    The citation for the accompanying journal article was added to the Cross Reference section of this metadata. No data were changed (mau@usgs.gov)
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
    Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP), 2024, CDIP THREDDS Data Server.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP), 2024, CDIP THREDDS Data Server [Data set].
    Warrick, Jonathan, Buscombe, D., Vos, K., Kenyon, H., Ritchie, A.C., Harley, M.D., Janda, C., L'Heureux, J., and Vitousek, S., 2025, Shoreline Seasonality of California’s Beaches.

    Online Links:

    Other_Citation_Details:
    Warrick, J.A, Buscombe, D., Vos, K., Kenyon, H., Ritchie, A.C., Harley, M.D., Janda, C., L’Heureux, J., and Vitousek, S., 2025, Shoreline Seasonality of California’s Beaches. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface. https://doi/org/10.1029/2024JF007836.
    W.C., O’Reilly, Olfe, C.B., Thomas, J., Seymour, R.J., and Guza, R.T., 2016, The California coastal wave monitoring and prediction system.

    Other_Citation_Details:
    O’Reilly W.C. and others, 2016, The California coastal wave monitoring and prediction system. Coastal Engineering, 116:118–132. doi: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2016.06.005

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

  1. How well have the observations been checked?
    Analyses of the wave data accuracy have been conducted by O’Reilly and others (2016) These analyses showed that the hindcast wave values are generally well-correlated with buoy measurements (r^2>0.8, bias<15 percent). Skill is lower for a few complex coastal settings, such as southernmost Monterey Bay and eastern Santa Barbara Channel (O’Reilly and others, 2016).
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
    Wave data that were derived from the O’Reilly and others (2016) hindcast values have been attributed to CoastSat shoreline transects. Each CoastSat transect is given wave values for the nearest offshore hindcast location. We do not repeat the CoastSat transect positions in these data because the wave data do not reflect wave conditions at these specific beach locations, but rather represent wave conditions offshore of the transects.
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
    The wave parameter file is complete and contains all 7777 shoreline transects in the CoastSat database that were derived from the mainland coast of California. These data represented the mean monthly wave conditions over the 2000-2022 record of interest.
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?
    Data were checked for logical consistency by querying the range of numerical values to ensure that they were within a reasonable range for each field. We performed outlier checks by plotting all numerical values on maps using the geospatial coordinates of each transect location in QGIS.

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
Access_Constraints No access constraints
Use_Constraints USGS-authored or produced data and information are in the public domain from the U.S. Government and are freely redistributable with proper metadata and source attribution. Please recognize and acknowledge the U.S. Geological Survey as the originator of the dataset and in products derived from these data.
  1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
    U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
    Denver Federal Center, Building 810, Mail Stop 302
    Denver, CO

    1-888-275-8747 (voice)
    sciencebase@usgs.gov
  2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set? These data are available is csv format contained in a single file (CDIP_monthly_P_Dir_for_Calif_CoastSat.csv) and accompanied by CSDGM FGDC-compliant metadata
  3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
    Unless otherwise stated, all data, metadata and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. Although these data and associated metadata have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness and approved for release by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding the display or utility of the data on any other system or for general or scientific purposes, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty.
  4. How can I download or order the data?
  5. What hardware or software do I need in order to use the data set?
    These data can be viewed with any spreadsheet or text editing software.

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:
Last modified: 21-Jan-2025
Metadata author:
U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Attn: PCMSC Science Data Coordinator
2885 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, CA

831-427-4747 (voice)
pcmsc_data@usgs.gov
Metadata standard:
Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)
This page is <https://cmgds.marine.usgs.gov/catalog/pcmsc/DataReleases/ScienceBase/DR_P14WWHOJ/CDIP_monthly_P_Dir_for_Calif_CoastSat_metadata.faq.html>
Generated by mp version 2.9.51 on Fri Jan 24 12:30:25 2025