dɪvˈaɪzd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti wˈʌn baɪ dˈʌbəljˌuː. dʒˈeɪ. bˈælɐntˌiːn, ðˈɛn æt ðə zuːˈɑːlədʒi dᵻpˈɑːɹtmənt ʌv kwˈiːn mˈɛɹi jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv lˈʌndən, lˈʌndən, jˈuː.kˈeɪ., ðə skˈeɪl ɪz bˈeɪst ɔnðɪ ɑːbzɚvˈeɪʃən ðæt wˌɛɹ ʃˈoːɹlaɪn spˈiːsiːz ɑːɹ kənsˈɜːnd "dˈɪfɹənt spˈiːsiːz ɡɹˈoʊɪŋ ˌɔn ɹˈɑːki ʃˈoːɹz ɹᵻkwˈaɪɚ dˈɪfɹənt dᵻɡɹˈiːz ʌv pɹətˈɛkʃən fɹʌm sˈɜːʔn̩ ˈæspɛkts ʌvðə fˈɪzɪkəl ɛnvˈaɪɹənmənt, ʌvwˈɪtʃ wˈeɪv ˈækʃən ɪz ˈɔfən ðə mˈoʊst ɪmpˈoːɹtənt."
Devised in 1961 by W. J. Ballantine, then at the zoology department of Queen Mary University of London, London, U.K., the scale is based on the observation that where shoreline species are concerned "Different species growing on rocky shores require different degrees of protection from certain aspects of the physical environment, of which wave action is often the most important."