What are gage datums, and why do they have different references among the Ohio stations?
Gage datum is a horizontal surface used as a zero point for measurement of stage or gage height. This surface usually is located slightly below the lowest point of the stream bottom such that the gage height is usually slightly greater than the maximum depth of water. Because the gage datum is not an actual physical object, the datum is usually defined by specifying the elevations of permanent reference marks such as bridge abutments and survey monuments, and the gage is set to agree with the reference marks. Gage datum is a local datum that is maintained independently of any national geodetic datum. However, if the elevation of the gage datum relative to the national datum (North American Vertical Datum of 1988 or National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1912 or 1929) has been determined, then the gage readings can be converted to elevations above the national datum by adding the elevation of the gage datum to the gage reading.
Related Questions
- It seems that the Ohio factory in the 1950s and early 1960s produced a myriad of different models and layout designs compared to California. Why is that?
- What are gage datums, and why do they have different references among the Ohio stations?
- Why would different stations record the arrival of the P wave at different times?
