Figure 49. Profile changes along Atlantic City, 1936-48 (Beach Erosion Board, 

 1950). 



2. Seasonal Changes and Wave Climate . 



Figure 50 combines mean monthly wave height and period information 

 obtained from Atlantic City and the Toms River Coast Guard Station (Fig. 1) 

 for comparison. Of these sources, the gage data are considered more reliable 

 although the visual observations provide important nearshore wave direction 

 information. The gage data (Thompson and Harris*, 1972) were obtained from 7- 

 minute pen-and-ink records taken six times daily from a 7.62-meter relay-type 

 gage located on the seaward end of Steel Pier. The visual observations (made 

 by local volunteers) include estimations of nearshore wave period, height, 

 direction, and breaker type. The Cooperative Surf Observation Program (COSOP) 

 data were also obtained visually by cooperating personnel from U.S. Coast 

 Guard Stations at Atlantic City and Toms River. As shown in Figure 50, there 

 is considerable variation between these sources of wave data. 



50 



