Published By Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science
Issued about 10 years ago
Summary
Description
Cefas collect data on sea-surface temperature (and sometimes salinity) at a number of coastal sites around England and Wales, some operated by volunteers, some operated by local councils and some associated with power stations. The longest time-series include those from Eastbourne (1892 - present), Dover (1926 - present) and Port Erin, Isle of Mann (1903 - present) although most time series began in the 1960s or 1970s. Data points are usually presented as monthly mean sea surface temperature, in tabular format and are updated on an annual basis (data up to 2009 is currently provided). Efforts are underway to modernise some aspects of this network, and in particular to try to re-start time series that have halted in recent years, making use of electronic data loggers that are deployed once or twice a year (for example in Lowestoft harbour).