University of Hawaii Sea Level Center

University of Hawaii Sea Level Center
Name	University of Hawaii Sea Level Center
Established	1982
Type	Research center
City	Honolulu
State	Hawaii
Country	United States
Affiliations	University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Contents

University of Hawaii Sea Level Center The University of Hawaii Sea Level Center is a scientific data center and research facility at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa focused on tide gauge observations, sea level monitoring, and geodetic analysis. The center provides calibrated records used by agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level. Its datasets inform research by institutions including Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory.

History

The center was founded in the wake of international initiatives such as the Global Sea Level Observing System and the Tsunami Warning System expansions of the late 20th century, drawing expertise from partners like NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and U.S. Geological Survey. Early collaborations involved technicians trained at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and researchers from the University of Washington and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Over decades the center contributed records used in assessments by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and in regional planning by the State of Hawaii and the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures. Historical ties extend to programs at Naval Observatory tide offices, National Center for Atmospheric Research workshops, and exchanges with the British Antarctic Survey.

The center's mission aligns with global standards set by the Global Climate Observing System and operational guidance from IOC of UNESCO and World Meteorological Organization. Objectives include maintaining continuous tide gauge operations for stakeholders such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, supporting tsunami mitigation efforts by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and supplying sea level time series used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the U.S. Global Change Research Program. The center aims to provide interoperable datasets compatible with archives at the National Centers for Environmental Information, European Marine Observation and Data Network, and the Permanent Service for Mean Sea Level.

The center operates tide gauges and real-time stations co-located with geodetic monuments used in campaigns with National Geodetic Survey and International GNSS Service. Instrumentation includes pressure sensors and radar tide gauges from manufacturers used by Scripps Institution of Oceanography and NOAA, legacy float datasets compatible with Argo profiling floats, and recorders used in conjunction with DART tsunami buoys and PTWC networks. Laboratory facilities host processing suites similar to those at Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and calibration gear employed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The center maintains data servers interoperable with the Global Telecommunication System and archive standards of the World Data System.

The center curates mean sea level, monthly and hourly sea level time series, vertical land motion estimates, and derived sea level trends used by researchers at University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program, Harvard University, Princeton University, and Stanford University. Products include quality-controlled tide gauge archives used in studies by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, European Space Agency satellite altimetry teams, and the Copernicus Programme. The center’s datasets feed syntheses that inform reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and regional assessments by the Pacific Islands Forum. Research spans comparisons with satellite altimetry from TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason (satellite), and Sentinel-6 missions and integration with geodetic time series from Global Navigation Satellite System analyses performed by International GNSS Service affiliates.

The center supports students and trainees from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, visiting scholars from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and postdoctoral fellows funded by programs like the National Science Foundation and the Fulbright Program. Outreach activities involve workshops with the Pacific Islands Forum and community briefings for stakeholders such as the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, municipal planners in Honolulu, and cultural practitioners working with Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Educational materials and training modules are shared with partners including NOAA Pacific Services Center, National Ocean Service, and regional universities like University of the South Pacific and Auckland University of Technology.