The Marine Institute’s Ballycotton Climate Station (51.828133°, -8.000802°) hosts a Sea Surface Temperature (SST) time series that began with deployments between 2010 and 2012 but has been in continuous operation since 2016 (there is a gap in the data in 2023/2024 due to sensor failure). The SST time series is built through long-run (months to years) deployments of Seabird 39 temperature sensors, which collect data at 30-minute frequency, at the pier in Ballycotton Harbour, 2.85m below OD Malin (0.36m below LAT).
This dataset provides valuable records of coastal ocean surface temperatures, which can inform on diurnal, seasonal and interannual variation, along with regional ocean climate change. For further background see Daves et al., 2025 (under peer review).
The data has been through quality control, with quality flags added. In the case where there were duplicate sensors used, one is deemed as best and only this data is made publicly available. This full data collection can be accessed by clicking on the Download link below. Secondary sensor data are made available through data request to the Marine Institute.
Derilinx