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Hilo (Hawaii) Site History

History Summary

Station Name Hilo, Hawaii
Latitude 19° 43.8' N
Longitude 155° 03.4' W
Country USA
GLOSS No. 287
Time Reference GMT (hours 00-23)
Contributor National Ocean Service (NOS) (1973+)
National Ocean. and Atmos. Administration (NOAA)
US Coastal Geodetic Survey (1927-1972)
Instrument Type Standard mechanical (1927-1974)
Analog-to-digital (ADR) recorder (1975-1990)
Aquatrak acoustic gauge, NOAA Next Generation Water Level Measuring System (NGWLMS) (1991-2000)
Site of Gauge  
Observational Period 1927 - 2000
Reference Level All heights have been referred to the station tide staff zero which is linked to fixed benchmarks.

Location Note

Please note that the position information has been altered in this document - see document 83916.

Tide Gauge Benchmark (TGBM) Description

Benchmark 4 (1951) is the primary benchmark (PBM) stamped 'NO 4 1951' set in top of east corner of northern-most concrete foundation which rests on solid rock for elevated water tank on Port of Hilo property.

Auxiliary Benchmarks

9 additional benchmarks are levelled to the TGBM and the Tide Station on a yearly basis

Benchmark Relationships

Benchmark Description
TGBM 15.30ft above Tide Gauge Zero (Station Datum)
NOAA Chart Datum (MLLW) is 3.69ft above Station Datum
Mean Sea Level (1960-1978) is 4.86ft above Station Datum

Quality Assessment by the UH Sea Level Center

Comments

The hourly residuals reveal a possible reference level shift on 12 September, 1974 (-8 cm). However, the shift is not evident in the daily means or with differences with daily means of Kahului. Otherwise, the daily and monthly means reveal no apparent reference level changes or trends.

The data for 1997-2000 were supplied with heights relative to MLLW. Consequently 1152mm was added to refer the data to tide gauge zero.

The data for 1998-2000 were supplied in non-GMT format and had to be shifted into GMT.

Notable episodic events:

  • 04-06 November 1952: Tsunami from Kamchatka
  • 09-10 March 1957: Tsunami from C. Aleutians
  • 23-25 May 1960: Tsunami from S.C. Chile
  • 28 March 1964: Tsunami from Alaska
Year CI (%) Missing Data Replaced Gaps or Bad Data Fluctuations Questionable
      (10)186-(09)187 (23)193-(16)194
(01)210-(09)210
 
1928 100 None (10)016-(09)017 (10)251-(09)252
(10)264-(09)265 (10)310-(09)311
None
1929 100 None (10)066-(17)066 (10)154-(09)155
(13)303-(22)303
None
1930 100 None (00)006-(20)006 None
1931 100 None (23)252-(07)253 (21)279-(04)280
(10)304-(23)304 (01)305-(09)305
None
1932 48 139-141,183-366 (10)149-(09)150 None
1933 0 1-365 None None
1934 0 1-365 None None
1935 0 1-365 None None
1936 0 1-366 None None
1937 0 1-365 None None
1938 0 1-365 None None
1939 0 1-365 None None
1940 0 1-366 None None
1941 0 1-365 None None
1942 0 1-365 None None
1943 0 1-365 None None
1944 0 1-366 None None
1945 0 1-365 None None
1946 8 1-335 None None
1947 100 None (10)099-(09)100 (09)275-(16)275 None
1948 100 None (21)102-(06)103 None
1949 100 None None None
1950 96 342-347,353-354,358-365 (06)352-(17)352 None
1951 99 1 None None
1952 100 None None None
1953 100 None (10)043-(21)043 None
1954 98 351-359 None None
1955 100 None (20)327-(07)328 None
1956 100 None None None
1957 100 None None None
1958 100 None None None
1959 100 None None None
1960 100 None (13)343-(23)343 (22)349-(08)350
(07)354-(18)354
None
1961 98 323-325,328-332 (10)333-(09)334 None
1962 88 213-215,219-220,226-239,248-274 (02)145-(18)145 49
1963 100 None None None
1964 100 None None None
1965 100 None (21)007-(04)008 35
1966 100 None None None
1967 100 None None None
1968 100 None (12)137-(21)137 (00)292-(09)292 None
1969 100 None (22)020-(07)021 None
1970 100 None (02)020-(09)020 None
1971 100 None (02)138-(10)138 None
1972 100 None None None
1973 100 None None 215,302
1974 100 None None 6-7,42-43,66-67
1975 91 1-32 None 84,332-334
1976 94 189-198,207-211, 247-251,312-314 (00)021-(15)021 (02)324-(15)324
(01)325-(23)325
184-185
1977 99 73-77 (10)274-(18)274 None
1978 98 200-205 None None
1979 100 None None None
1980 100 None None None
1981 98 335-341 None None
1982 100 None None None
1983 100 None None None
1984 100 None None 296
1985 100 None None None
1986 100 None None None
1987 100 None None None
1988 100 None None None
1989 100 None None None
1990 100 None None None
1991 100 None None None
1992 100 None (22)046-(23)047 (15)062-(18)063 None
1993 100 None None None
1994 100 None None None
1995 100 None None None
1996 100 None None None
1997 100 None None None
1998 100 None None None
1999 100 None None None
2000 100 None None 5-10,18-23,36-42, 120-136,142-163,
168- 173,180-203