Data from BC Lighthouses 

Before proceeding to use the Lighthouse Data, please read
this warning. 

Daily values of sea surface temperature and salinity are observed at the current and old lighthouses around the coast of British Columbia. A map is available that shows the location of all of the sampling locations, and the following list allows access to the archived values of monthly mean temperatures and salinities and photographs of the sites. The Lester B. Pearson College maintains a web site concerning the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve. Ron & Rene Amundsen live on Bonilla Island, they maintain pages on the BC lights and the automation issue. Here is the Graham Scholes Lighthouse Art pages and here is the Lighthouse Directory's home page. 

The following lines give access to data from the Lighthouse sampling stations that are presently active or were sampled quite recently. The icons give access to: A photo of the site, a large file with the daily observations, monthly temperature, monthly salinity, and averaged conditions. At the bottom of the page is an auxiliary list giving daily data only for some sites that were sampled long ago.

Select lighthouse:

Active Pass Amphitrite Point Bonilla Island Cape Beale Cape Mudge (Ended April 1985) Cape St. James (Ended August 1992) Chrome Island Departure Bay (DFO Lab.) Egg Island Entrance Island Kains Island Langara Island McInnes Island Nootka Point Pine Island Race Rocks (Victoria) Sheringham Point (Ended August 1989) Sisters Islets West Vancouver (DFO Lab;Time Series Ended)

Select data:

Daily Temperature Salinity Average Photograph

The following gives access to daily observations for a few random sites for which the time-series length is very short. None of these sites are presently being monitored, they are included here just because they may someday be of use to someone, somewhere.

• Bamfield Marine Station, 1969-1980 inc.
• Beaver Point, 48° 46'N 123° 22'W, 1954-1956 inc.
• East Point, 48° 47'N 123° 03'W, 1967-1968 (very spotty)
• Green Island, 54° 34'N 130° 42'W, Feb 1935 - Aug 1936
• Ivory Island, 52° 16'N 128° 24'W, August 1937 to Dec 1955
• Ladysmith Harbour, 49° 00'N 123° 49'W, 1938-1942, 1949-1957 (original data lost, monthly means saved)
• Masset (Haida Gwaii), 54° 01'N 132° 09'W, 1940-1942
• New Westminster, 49° 12'N 122° 56'W, 1927-1969 (original data lost, monthly means saved)
• Port Clements, 53° 41'N 132 11'W, 1941-1942
• Porlier Pass (at high tide), 49° 01'N 123° 35'W, 1967-1972
• Porlier Pass (at low tide), 49° 01'N 123° 35'W, 1967-1971
• Pulteney Point 50° 38'N 127° 09'W, 1954-1957
• Sandspit, 53° 15'N 131° 49'W, 1953-1956
• Shannon Bay, 53° 39'N 132° 30'W, 1940-41
• Stuart Island, 50° 24'N 125° 08'W, 1950-51 (original data lost, monthly means saved)
• Texada Island, 49° 42'N 124° 33'W, 1953-1956 (original data lost, monthly means saved)
• Triple Island, 54° 18'N 130° 53'W, 1939-1970
• Whiterock, 49° 01'N 122° 48'W, June 1954 - June 1956 (original data lost, monthly means saved)
• Yuculta Landing (Stuart Island), Oct 1950-Sept 1951

Warning
The daily sampling strategy at the BC Lighthouse Stations was designed long ago by Dr. John P. Tully. We have chosen not to change the strategy in the interests of a homogeneous data set. Sampling occurs at or near the daytime high tide. This means, for example, that if an observer starts sampling one day at 6 a.m., and continues to sample at the daytime hightide, as instructed, then on the 2nd day he/she will take samples at about 06:50 the next day, 07:40 the day after etc. When the daytime high tide gets close to 6 p.m. then it snaps back to 6 a.m. and the cycle starts again. Since there is a diurnal signal in sea-surface temperature the sampling creates a 14-day signal as an artifact.

If anyone uses these data to publish a seminal paper on the 14-day temperature oscillations around the coast of BC, rest assured that a rebuttal will be in the press.

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