DIVISION OF NEARSHORE RESEARCH
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-CORPUS CHRISTI
http://lighthouse.tamucc.edu
Forecasts
DNR Harmonic Water Level Forecasting
For the Texas Coast
Tidal forecasts are available only for a few stations with
harmonic constants (HCs) supplied by the National Ocean
Service (NOS). HCs are often not published due to the many
factors which cause water level to deviate from tidal
forecasts. DNR has
developed web-based
software to generate
HCs using NOS’s harmonic
analysis method and use
those HCs to generate
tidal forecasts. This
software allows DNR
to provide tidal forecasts
for most of the TCOON stations and make the process of
generating HCs and tidal forecasts more accessible. HCs from
other sources may also be used to generate tidal forecasts.
A Fundamental Upgrade of Water Level Forecasting
for the Texas Coast
Two Predictive Models:
Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Persistence
Benefits:
 Reliable short-term predictions of effects of storm events
 Effective for regular conditions and frontal passages
 ANN accounts for influence of wind forcing
 More accurate than tide charts
 Web-accessible
Neural Network Forecasts
Measured water level
Tidal forecast charts
Neuralmeasured
Net Forecasting
astidal
Compared
Comparison between
water levels,
chart forecasts, and 24
toforecasts
Observed
and TidePleasure
Charts Pier. The accuracy of
hour neural network
for Galveston
the 24 hour neural network forecast shows the ability to predict the timing
and the intensity of frontal passages.
Coastal Monitoring
Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network (TCOON)
In 1989 the university commenced the installation of a modern state-of-the-art water-level measurement system
along the Texas coast. Following a Texas legislative mandate in 1991, this network of water level gauges
became the Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network (TCOON).
Today, TCOON has over 40 stations, which
obtain reliable water-level data according to
NOS standards. Most stations provide
additional data such as wind speed and
direction, and air and water temperature.
Data are sent via packet radio, cellular
telephone, and GOES satellite to a real-time
online database system.
Station information
web page
Data Applications
The primary use of TCOON data is to
establish tidal datums for littoral boundary
determination. However, other uses
include:
 Navigational and marine safety
 Channel dredging and maintenance
 Oil-spill response
 Hurricane and storm preparation
`
 Recreation and benefit to general
public
Typical TCOON station
TCOON web
graphs
Real Time Navigation
System
The DNR Real Time Navigation System (RTNS) provides real
time data acquisition and reporting of environmental data
of specific interest to mariners
along the central Texas Coast.
The RTNS includes a set of
monitoring stations to collect the
meteorological data and a voice
reporting system to disseminate
that data to users. Specific
applications of the DNR RTNS
include:
 The Corpus Christi RTNS provides information to ship
captains navigating the Corpus Christi ship channel.
 WindInfo (992-WIND) is a publicly accessible voice
reporting system that provides wind, water level,
water temperature and air temperature from several
TCOON stations in the Corpus Christi area.
Nueces Bay Salinity
Interactive Website
TCOON maintains a bilingual website, where users can query data and view
both recent and historical station information. The site is also used
extensively to facilitate station operations and maintenance and data quality
control.
Wave Climate Monitoring and Reporting System
Two data collection platforms located in the Gulf of Mexico near Port Aransas
measure wave characteristics and other environmental parameters. The two
platforms serve as prototypes for future platforms planned for the Texas Coast.
Key Features:
 Located on oil production platforms 3 and 15
nautical miles from Port Aransas
 Communications by line-of-sight radio
 Dial-up voice reporting
 Data availability through DNR website
Data available via dial-up voice report and online:
 Wind speed and direction at multiple elevations
 Air and water temperature
 Barometric pressure
 Wave height, period and direction
The Choke Canyon Reservoir was constructed on the Nueces
River in 1985, altering the natural flow of freshwater from the
Nueces watershed into Nueces Bay. Realizing the need to
manage freshwater inflow to the bay, the City of Corpus
Christi sponsors DNR to monitor salinity and water quality at
several locations in the Nueces
River and Bay system. This
data is instrumental in deciding
on freshwater release schedules
from the watershed. Several
area agencies also rely on the
data in their studies of the
management and ecology of
Nueces Bay.
Fluctuations in Salinity