Historic WHOI Pier Seawater Temperatures

Historic Seawater Temperatures from the WHOI Pier

Measurements recorded from the pier of the Woods Hole Oceangraphic Institution from 1886 through the present.*
1893, 1894, 1898-1901, 1903** 1964-2005
1886-1956 mean monthly***

All recordings are in Fahrenheit; 1963-1945 records are available in paper in the WHOI Archives. Dorothy "Dottie" Rogers (pictured above) measured the seawater temperature and tides at the WHOI pier daily from 1957 until computer measurement began in Feburary 1998. Contact the Data Library & Archives for more information or for access to paper records.

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*Most recent temperature recorded in the database is for January 31, 2010
**1893-1903 readings taken from the papers of Vinal N. Edwards, Record Group #370 of the National Archives and Records Administration North East Region in Waltham Mass.
***1886 to 1956 mean monthly temperatures were compiled from the D. Bumpus publication, Special Scientific Report - Fisheries #214 (1957)

Further information:

Spreadsheet compilation of Woods Hole water temperature data, including mean monthly data 1886-1954 (Compiled by S. Nixon and S. Granger of URI. et.al)
Spreadsheet compilation of the 1893-1903,1964-2009 dataset
Spreadsheet compilation of the 2010 dataset
(Note: Temperatures for Feb. 3-27, 2006, taken from USGS 4 meter logger; temperatures for Sept. 2006, April 16-21, 2007, Sept. 7 to Dec. 1, 2008, and May 1, 2009 to date are taken from USGS logger at the NOAA tide station; all other temperatures from Oct. 1, 2006 taken from WHOI PVLAB logger - all located at the WHOI dock.)
Live weather data from the WHOI dock
Link to NOAA Tides Online: live U.S. tide station data including water temperatures for some stations
Contact the Data Library & Archives

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Last updated on February 1, 2010