Scripps-Led Coastal Data Information Program Awarded $40 Million for Cooperative Research

A coastal research and monitoring program led by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography has been awarded a five-year, $40 million award from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Support for the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) comes as the renowned program approaches its 50th anniversary of providing near real-time wave and sea-surface temperature observations, models, and forecasts. 

Established in 1975, CDIP serves as an important network for monitoring waves and coastal conditions along U.S. shorelines. With more than 90 active stations, the program’s iconic yellow mooring buoys collect a wealth of publicly accessible environmental data that informs coastal storm risk management, coastal flood forecasting, dredging operations, maritime weather forecasting, commercial port traffic, surf forecasting, and more. 

The new award is funded in partnership with USACE’s Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and will support CDIP operations through mid-2029. The funding will help support several key initiatives, including the maintenance of the national buoy network, advancements in wave measurements and analysis, and the extension of nearshore research to include beach change monitoring and modeling led by the Coastal Processes Group at Scripps.

“ERDC’S partnership with UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography aims to deliver high-quality, critical coastal processes observations, like CDIP, to our Nation,” said David W. Pittman, director, U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. “These data, and other unique long-term measurements of coastal change in southern California, help USACE better understand how the nation’s coasts are evolving and improve our management of sediment resources and coastal hazards. ERDC and Scripps Oceanography researchers will work together through this award to deliver the next generation of coastal monitoring and prediction capabilities to our USACE Districts, increasing resiliency of our coastal communities.”

USACE has been a funding partner of CDIP since 1977, contributing to the program’s rapid expansion. Today, USACE serves as the primary sponsor of CDIP operations, with significant ongoing support from the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Natural Resources Division. These collaborations have positioned CDIP as a leader in coastal monitoring and instrumentation developments for nearly five decades. The data from the network supports the validation and verification of hindcast simulations that are used for risk-based design of shoreline infrastructure along the nation’s coastline. More than ever, the data is invaluable in capturing extreme events in a changing climate. 

"Our beaches continue to be impacted by climate change and coastal erosion," said Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49). "You can’t have a beach town without a beach, and without a beach we risk declining tourism and growing threats to our coastal bluffs and the LOSSAN Rail Corridor. It’s more important than ever that we monitor the conditions along our coasts. The Scripps Coastal Data Information Program has provided the essential data we need to help monitor the effects of coastal erosion and fix our beaches. I’m thrilled to have helped secure $40 million in federal funding for Scripps to continue their work to keep our district informed, safe, and strong.”  

Over the next five years, Scripps Oceanography and USACE will continue collaborative research supporting USACE missions and goals to develop and inform risk-based guidance. Wave data collected by CDIP plays a critical role in informing marine warnings and advisories issued by the National Weather Service during large and damaging storm events, including hurricanes, tropical storms, and winter storms such as atmospheric rivers and nor’easters. 

“This new award marks the largest in CDIP’s history, and we are grateful to USACE for their support and opportunity to continue our research collaboration,” said Eric Terrill, a Scripps oceanographer and co-principal investigator of CDIP. 

As technology has evolved, CDIP’s ability to archive and report near real-time data has established it as an international resource for both scientists and operational users. The data is crucial for public safety, navigation, and coastal hazard preparedness. The CDIP website attracts more than 350,000 visits daily from around 16,000 unique visitors, with data downloads exceeding 600,000 per day during storm events.

Additionally, the program’s long-term, continuous wave observations help inform the strategic management of coastal structures and shorelines, directly benefiting USACE’s missions related to flood and coastal storm risk management and regional sand management.

Research that will be advanced by the new funding is organized in two main categories: characterization of the coastal wave climate (waves) and shoreline response (beaches). Details about each project are found below.

Spectral Wave Measurements (Waves)

High-fidelity wave observations are made possible by directional 'waverider' buoys deployed by CDIP at nearly 100 sites across U.S. waters, including the Great Lakes, outlying territories, and Pacific Islands. The new agreement with USACE maintains the umbrella funding for CDIP to continue to operate, maintain, and perform the data management for these stations.

Research goals include improving our understanding of wave transformation over complex topography, wave current interactions, infragravity waves, storm surge, and wave-driven flooding. This research will inform risk-based guidance and support the protection of coastal infrastructure and ecosystems, which are subject to climate variability and extreme weather events.

The researchers noted that long-term records of the spectral content of the waves (the height, period, and direction) provided by the program have already proven to be invaluable for understanding how Earth’s climate cycles influence wave patterns and their extremes.

The funding also provides support for CDIP staff and the development of new tools to help manage and visualize the data. The success of the technology relies heavily on the nimble field staff who deploy, manage and maintain the network, as well as the scientific programming staff who curate the data feeds and archives. This initiative further supports their efforts to develop new ways for making data available to fellow scientists and useful to end users.

Nearshore Processes Research (Beaches)

Beaches are important to coastal tourism, recreation, and commerce. In alignment with USACE's coastal stewardship mission, Scripps scientists with the Coastal Processes Group are dedicated to improving their understanding of nearshore wave dynamics, beach processes, and the effects of weather patterns and sea-level rise. 

The new funding facilitates the collection of comprehensive observations in the beach and surf zone, essential for analyzing coastal changes over various time scales—from individual storms to multi-year climate fluctuations. This research supports risk-based guidance for the U.S. West Coast, focusing on geographic settings that are distinct and complementary to those studied on the East and Gulf Coasts. Observations are being used to advance models of coastal processes that support regional sediment management, coastal hazard prediction, and resilience efforts.

To maximize resources, the team will use existing historical data sets while also relying heavily on advanced observational techniques. These include close-range and satellite remote sensing methods that show significant promise, particularly when paired with machine learning techniques. The team employs satellites, drones, and mobile scanning Light Detecting and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to conduct high-resolution surveys of beaches, berms, coastal cliffs, and coastal lagoons.

Additionally, funding for this project will support the testing and development of new technologies to improve coastal observing capabilities. It also creates valuable opportunities for both basic and applied research for graduate and undergraduate students.

History of CDIP

CDIP was initiated in the mid-1970s through the efforts of the late Scripps research engineer Richard Seymour and his colleagues in the Ocean Engineering Research Group at Scripps. Seymour recognized the critical need to observe and study coastal wave climates as fundamental to understanding, predicting, and enhancing resilience to shoreline changes. With seed funding from the California Sea Grant program, he and his team developed a wave data collection system that could be accessed remotely using standard telephone lines.

Seymour officially launched what is now known as the Coastal Data Information Program, or CDIP, in 1975, beginning with a single wave measurement station at Imperial Beach, Calif., funded by the California Division of Boating and Waterways. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, recognized Scripps' expertise in cost-effective wave observation and the intrinsic value of a research-driven program that continually enhances data quality—a defining feature that has endured for nearly five decades.

Since 1977, support from USACE has enabled CDIP’s steady growth, establishing it as a trusted resource for coastal engineers and planners to make informed, data-driven design decisions. This research partnership has also enhanced public safety and promoted the responsible use and enjoyment of coastal resources.

“The new award from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stands as a testament to the late Dr. Richard ‘Dick’ Seymour's vision for the need to measure ocean waves,” said Terrill. “The CDIP team looks forward to honoring his vision and expanding the scope of our research across beaches and coastlines for years to come.”

CDIP and the waves and beaches research are led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography Principal Investigators Mark Merrifield, Eric Terrill, Adam Young, and Sophia Merrifield. CDIP buoy network operations are managed by James Behrens.

Visit the CDIP website to learn more.