February PI Spotlight: Dr. James (Jim) Behrens

Dr. Jim Behrens

Principal Engineer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Manager of Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP)
jbehrens@ucsd.edu 

Ocean Observing Tools: Wave Buoys, Ocean Technology, Wave Models, Moorings

Published February 19, 2025 by Makenna Martin

“My work at CDIP is a rare opportunity to create scientific data that can be shared freely and is useful in real time by a wide and varied community of stakeholders”

         SCCOOS Principal Investigator Dr. Jim Behrens manages day-to-day operations for the  Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP), a research engineering team at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego. CDIP’s network of buoy stations monitors waves along the coastlines of the United States, carrying forward a 50 year legacy of persistent research-grade data observations, with primary funding from the US Army Corps of Engineers and California State Parks.

          Energized by the challenges of collecting precise, reliable data in places where that is difficult but valuable, Jim has always been looking for ways to take his interest in science and engineering outside (pictured scuba diving to service the mooring at CDIP 092 San Pedro, CA).
After studying physics at Purdue University, he completed his Ph.D. in geophysics at Scripps. His postdoctoral research included two years of deep field expeditions in Antarctica, measuring ice shelf processes. He then worked as a consultant in the exploration geophysics industry, until joining CDIP in 2016. 

Image: A CDIP wave buoy and a map of the active wave buoy stations alongshore the continental United States and Pacific Islands (image courtesy of CDIP).

          Oceanographic buoys, like the Datawell Waveriders deployed by CDIP, are vital to ocean monitoring. These floating sensors, tethered to the ocean floor, provide key coastal data, including wave height, period, and direction, sea surface temperature, surface currents, and air temperature. CDIP manages around 90 active wave buoy stations, collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data for coastal engineers, planners, managers, scientists, and mariners. The data is available on the CDIP website, ingested by NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center for use by the National Weather Service, and incorporated into NOAA PORTS®. 

          The CDIP wave buoy data helps model nearshore wave conditions and forecast wave-driven coastal processes. They support community services such as monitoring ocean conditions for boaters and beachgoers, designing coastal infrastructure, predicting and responding to coastal changes (e.g., sea level rise, cliff erosion), and assessing safe operating conditions for large vessels (e.g., oil tankers, shipping barges, ferry operations). From surfers and swimmers looking for the best swell or warmer water temperatures (including popular wave-tracking websites like Surfline) to port and harbor operators, CDIP buoy data are useful for a variety of applications beyond the coastal engineering applications and military operations they are funded to support. With decades of data archived, wave events that stand out in the climatological record are now summarized by Jim and the CDIP team in periodic bulletins.

Images: Aerial view of the Port of Long Beach (photo from CDIP); A deep draft tanker ship inbound and high freeboard container ship outbound the Port of Long Beach - large ships need CDIP buoy information to transit safely (photo from the Marine Exchange).

          The Marine Exchange of Southern California operates the Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which oversees the traffic of roughly 30,000 vessels and 17 million shipping containers per year. They rely on CDIP wave buoy data to give them information about ocean conditions within and outside the ports, allowing for improved safety and scheduling operations.

          Executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California, Captain Kip Louttit, explains that this is particularly important for California’s continued access to oil and gas, “California only has a 5-day supply of oil ashore, so keeping the tankers moving in and out of the ports, and the offshore terminal, is critical to preventing fuel shortages.” By facilitating these marine traffic services, CDIP buoys help play a role in safeguarding California’s energy supply.

Image: CDIP Buoy data dashboard used by the Marine Exchange to direct vessel traffic in the Port of LA and Port of Long Beach, combining real time buoy data with model predictions. (Image courtesy of CDIP)

          Furthermore, the CDIP buoy data helps mitigate oil spills by improving oil tanker safety operations; wave and water height information prevents the large oil tanker ships from running aground in low tides and aids in navigation when they enter the ports. As illustrated in the image below, even a small change in wave height can hugely impact the depth of the boat. For example, 1° in pitch for an 1100 foot tanker can increase its depth by almost 10 feet!

          In 2016, SCCOOS began collaborating with CDIP, CDFW OSPR, Port of Long Beach, the Marine Exchange, and Marathon Oil Company on the Under Keel Clearance Project. The goal of the project was to ensure safe entrance into the port at any given swell. The PROTIDE modeling program takes information from the CDIP wave buoys and calculates if it is safe to bring these large vessels into the shallower port. 

Image: Under Keel Clearance of large tankers is impacted by waves. CDIP buoys help determine when navigation is safe or unsafe (illustration by SCCOOS and Kelly Lance).

          This is crucial to the region as Chevron Shipping Company operates some of the largest oil tankers in the world (pictured) out of the offshore terminal in Southern California. Captain Joe Campos, mooring master for Chevron reports that, “the safety of our operations, as well as that of the marine environment, relies heavily on the accurate and timely data that CDIP provides. Without the information and analytics, our ability to navigate and manage our vessel movements would be compromised.” Wave buoy data is an essential component of efficient and responsible marine vessel operation, shipping, and energy delivery for California.

To learn more about wave buoys and their applications, see the SCCOOS buoys and moorings page, the California Ocean Observing Buoy data portal, NOAA’s National Data Buoy Center, and CDIP's website, including the CDIP California Wave Model, and links to published research that makes use of the CDIP data. 

To learn more about how buoys are used by surfers and swimmers, see Surfline and National Geographic - Science of Surfline. For more about port operations and maritime safety see the Under Keel Clearance Project page and the Marine Exchange of Southern California.

Keep an eye out for next month's SCCOOS Spotlight to learn about another of our Principal Investigators and community data-users!

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