Malin Head Sea Surface Temperature data collection, from 1958 to near-present

The Marine Institute’s Malin Head Climate Station (55.371308°, -7.334328°) is the location of the longest running Sea Surface Temperature (SST) time series in Ireland that has been ongoing since 1958. Initiated by Met Eireann and continued by the Marine Institute, this collection is a conglomerate of measurement datasets taken in and around Portmore Pier, using various techniques (well, bucket and modern sensor) and at various sampling intervals (daily to half-hourly). For a standardised and quality assured daily averaged data product derived from this dataset, please refer to the ‘Malin Head Sea Surface Temperature daily averaged product’ on this link: https://data.marine.ie/geonetwork/srv/eng/catalog.search#/metadata/ie.marine.data:dataset.5327. For further background see Daves et al., 2025 (under peer review) and Cannaby and Hüsrevoglu, 2009. These raw and standardised datasets provide valuable long-term records of coastal ocean surface temperatures, which can inform on diurnal, seasonal and interannual variation, along with regional ocean climate change.

The time series is split into three segments based on each SST collection technique at that time:

Segment 1 (28 April 1958 – 31 March 1991): two records per day, measured 2 m below the surface in a well on Portmore Pier in Malin Head connected to open water 30 m offshore.

Segment 2 (1 April 1991 – 30 June 2007): One record per day, measured in seawater extracted by bucket or by lowering a sensor directly into the water beside Portmore Pier

Segment 3 (16 November 2008 – Present): 30-minute frequency measurements from high quality sensors (Seabird SBE39 & 39plus) placed 3 to 4 m below OD Malin on Portmore Pier in a wave/weather-proof tube container. A mix of mid- and end-pier locations until 2012; end-pier locations have been used since then.

The full-resolution measurement data has been through quality control, with quality flags added. In the modern 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. Associated data, including secondary sensors and data from shorter-term experiments ran to improve the data collection are made available through data request to the Marine Institute.
These data have been collected for the purpose of long term monitoring for climate analyses.

Suggested Citation: Marine Institute. (2025) Malin Head Sea Surface Temperature data collection, from 1958 to near-present [Data set]. Marine Institute, Ireland. doi: https://doi.org/10.20393/85D35444-2FB3-4791-A977-AE29BB3B3CFC