Stevens Institute of Technology established the New Jersey Coastal Monitoring Network (CMN) in 1998. This system provides real-time observations and archived records of shallow water (5m) wave characteristics, water temperature, water level and meteorological conditions (wind speed and direction, temperature, barometric pressure), as well as digital images of the beach and nearshore ocean, at three locations that span the State's ocean shoreline. The system is designed to provide real-time information to local, State, and Federal emergency management personnel, and long-term records of wave, weather conditions and shoreline response for use by the coastal scientific community.

         The Atlantic Ocean shoreline of New Jersey is bordered by Long Island, NY, to the north and the Delaware Bay to the south. The coastline is generally oriented north to south for 80 km from Sandy Hook to Barnegat Inlet and northeast to southwest for 120 km from Barnegat Inlet to Cape May. The cont inental shelf gradually slopes eastward from the coastline reaching a depth of 100 m approximately 150 km offshore. Within 5 km of the coast the bottom is covered with numerous shoals and sand waves. The region also contains several submarine canyons, the most significant of which is the Hudson Canyon, which extends southeastward from the entrance of New York Harbor to the edge of the continental shelf. The Hudson Canyon is as much as 30 m deeper than the surrounding ocean bottom at the western end, and reaches depths of nearly 1000 m near the eastern edge.

         The difference in climate is quite marked between the southern and northern ends of the state. The southern extent of the state is surrounded by water and is removed from the influence of frequent storms tracking east-northeast across the Great Lakes into eastern Canada. The northern portion of the state is well within the influence of this storm track. This difference in climate leads to significantly different wind fields along the northern and southern sections of the coast. Extratropical storms moving along the coast from the late fall through early spring have the most significant impact on the region. These storms, known as northeasters, are characterized by sustained winds from the northeast for durations typically greater than 24 hours. The coastal geometry and offshore bathymetry play a significant role in the impact of northeasters. Southwesterly propagating waves directly impact the southern coastline between Barnegat Inlet, approximately in the center of the coast, and Cape May, located at the southern tip of New Jersey. Depending on the location of the storm, the northern portion of the coastline can experience a less energetic wave climate due to the shadowing effect of Long Island to the north . During the summer and fall, the entire coast is typically subject to less energetic windsea from the southeast, and occasional south and southeasterly swell generated by tropical cyclones. The incident wave climate interacts with the offshore bathymetry, generating complex wave refraction and diffraction patterns, especially near the Hudson Canyon. This results in a significant variation in wave height along the coast. Our experience indicates that a 2 meter variation in wave height along 25 km of coast is not uncommon.